A Kansas elementary school teacher who vanished amid a brutal winter storm was found dead in the snow—just 300 yards from the spot where surveillance cameras last recorded her on Friday, deepening the mystery surrounding her final moments.
The snow-covered body of 28-year-old Rebecca Rauber was discovered Sunday in a wooded area of Emporia, just steps from where she was last seen leaving a bar days earlier, police told KWCH—marking a grim end to days of unanswered questions.
Police said Rauber was found by Daisy, a K-9 with Search and Rescue Kansas, whose tracking efforts led investigators to the heartbreaking discovery.
Rebecca Rauber, 28, was found Sunday buried beneath the snow in a wooded area of Emporia—hauntingly close to where she was last seen leaving a bar on Friday night. Facebook
“Not the outcome that we had all hoped and prayed for, but our thoughts and prayers are with that family,” Emporia Police Chief Edward Owens told the outlet.
“Just wish we could have found her a little sooner.”
Rauber, a second-grade teacher at Riverside Elementary School, is believed to have succumbed to hypothermia just hours after she vanished, according to investigators.
Police said the young teacher’s family has been notified, and an autopsy is pending as investigators work to confirm the exact cause of her death.
Rauber was reported missing early Saturday after she was last seen leaving the Town Royal bar on foot—without her purse, phone, or even a jacket.
Investigators believe Rauber succumbed to hypothermia just hours after she vanished. Facebook
Temperatures hovered around 3 degrees, with a wind chill plunging to minus 13, when she is believed to have left the bar.
Police expressed gratitude to the local community for their “outpouring of care and assistance” throughout the search.
The Emporia Public School District said the beloved teacher’s passing “has been felt deeply across our entire district.”
“Our hearts are with Ms. Rauber’s family, friends, students, and all who were touched by her life and dedication to education. She was a valued member of our school community, and her loss is felt deeply across our district,” the district said in a press release, according to KVOE.
A motorist navigates a snow-covered street as a winter storm sweeps through Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. AP
“At this time, we are focused on supporting our students and staff as they process this difficult news. Counselors and district support teams will be available at our schools to provide care and assistance for anyone who may need it.”
Rauber’s death is the latest fatality linked to the deadly national snowstorm, known as Winter Storm Fern.
At least 13 people have died, and millions remain without power, after the storm battered 34 states with snow and ice on Sunday, according to USA Today.
Rebecca Rauber was found dead in the snow—just 300 yards from the spot where surveillance footage last captured her on Friday. KWCH
Rauber was discovered Sunday, covered in snow, in a wooded area of Emporia—just steps from where she was last seen leaving a bar days earlier. KWCH
The frigid temperatures proved deadly elsewhere as well, with at least two men in Louisiana dying from hypothermia linked to the storm, according to the state Department of Health.
Five New Yorkers were found dead on Saturday, succumbing to the bitter cold even before the snow began to fall.
In Michigan, officials announced Saturday that the body of 19-year-old University of Michigan student Lucas Mattson had been recovered. He was last seen around 1 a.m. Friday, walking alone without a coat, the Ann Arbor Police Department said.
As snow and sleet blanketed more than two-thirds of the nation, over 11,600 flights had been canceled by Sunday evening, according to the FlightAware tracking site.
The powerful storm also triggered widespread blackouts, leaving over 1 million customers without electricity on Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us.
Tennessee alone reported over 300,000 power outages, while Mississippi and Louisiana each had more than 140,000 customers left in the dark.
Other states hit by widespread outages included Texas, Kentucky, Georgia, West Virginia, and Alabama.
