A Kansas teacher from an elementary school, who vanished after leaving a bar in the city’s downtown area late Friday night, has been discovered dead in a wooded region close to her last known location, officials reported.

On Sunday, the Emporia Police Department announced that with the help of K-9 units, they found the body of 28-year-old Rebecca Rauber approximately 300 yards south of West 4th Avenue. This location coincides with where she was last captured on video.

Initial findings suggest that Rauber, who was found blanketed in snow, might have died from hypothermia. Her tragic demise happened in the early hours of her disappearance during a snowstorm that intensified on Saturday.

Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death, and her family has been informed of the tragic news.

Rebecca Rauber was discovered deceased by police in Emporia, Kansas, on Sunday, January 26, 2026. (Image courtesy of Facebook; Photo by Chase Castor/Getty Images)

“We want to thank our community for the outpouring of care and assistance during this situation. We also want to thank KHP [Kansas Highway Patrol], Lyon County Sheriff’s office, Search and Rescue of Kansas and the Lyon County Communications Center for their efforts in trying to locate Rebecca. All of the agencies listed poured many hours of manpower, involving many resources in the hope of positive outcome. Our hearts and prayers are truly with the Rauber family,” the Emporia Police Department said in a statement on its website.

Rauber was reported missing early Saturday after leaving the Town Royal bar on foot without her phone, purse or jacket. 

Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed her walking alone westbound on West 5th Avenue late Friday night.

Snow falls along S. Kansas Avenue in Topeka, Kansas, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Police said residential surveillance footage captured Rauber walking north on Neosho Street from West 5th Avenue at approximately 11:37 p.m., but a review of additional videos from the intersection of 6th Avenue and Neosho Street did not show her crossing at that location.

During the investigation Sunday, police said additional video showed the school teacher in the 700 block of West 4th Avenue at approximately 11:44 p.m. on Friday, about 300 yards from where her body was later found.

The KVOE radio station in Emporia reported that temperatures had dropped into the single digits at the time Rauber left the bar, with wind chills nearing -15 degrees.

A man walks along a snow-covered street as a winter storm moves through Prairie Village, Kansas, on Jan. 24, 2026. (Charlie Riedel/AP)

USD 253 Emporia Public Schools Director of Community Relations Lyndel Landgren told Fox News Digital in a statement that Rauber “was a valued member of our school community, and her loss is felt deeply across our district.”

“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 needs it,” Landgren said.