Emporia police rule Rebecca Rauber death accidental, no Foul Play

Emporia police ruled Rebecca Rauber’s death accidental and said she died of hypothermia, with no indications of foul play. Rauber, a 28-year-old second-grade teacher at Riverside Elementary School, was found dead in a wooded area near W. 4th Avenue and West Street on Sunday, Jan. 25.

The police department said it has closed its investigation into her death. That closes the case that began after Rauber disappeared in January and was found two days after heavy snow fell in Emporia.

Jan. 23 in downtown Emporia

Rauber stopped briefly late on Friday, Jan. 23, at the Town Royal bar at 405 Commercial St. in downtown Emporia before walking west in frigid conditions. Loved ones said in a Facebook post that she had left her phone, keys, jacket and purse at the bar.

Subzero wind chills were reported that weekend, and Rauber’s body was found two days later in a wooded area on the south side of Emporia. Officials said her body was covered in snow when it was found near the 700 block of W. 4th Avenue, about seven blocks west of the bar.

Rauber and Riverside Elementary

Rauber taught second grade at Riverside Elementary School in Emporia. The police finding rules out criminal involvement in her death and leaves the department’s accidental-hypothermia ruling as the final word in the case.

For Rauber’s family, coworkers and students, the investigation ending means the city’s January search now has an official conclusion. What remains is the memory of a teacher who was last seen in downtown Emporia before the weather turned and her body was found in the snow.