Alexandra Morales missing Missing Georgia teacher, 24, found dead in Mexico in rental car. Woman’s boyfriend, Fidel Barragan arrested.
An Atlanta-area teacher who took a personal leave from her job last month has been found dead in Mexico, with authorities detaining the woman’s boyfriend, according to reports.
The body of Alexandra Morales, 24, of Gwinnett County was found Tuesday, November 9, inside a rental car after she was first reported missing Oct. 30, WXIA-TV reported.
Mexican authorities arrested Morales’ boyfriend, 28-year-old Fidel Barragan, on a charge of aggravated disappearance, but local law enforcement officials have not ruled out filing more serious charges, including murder.
Morales taught first-grade children at Benefield Elementary School in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The Guadalajara, Mexico, area was her last known location prior to her death, AJC reported.
Family members told WSB that Morales had gone to Mexico in late October and was last seen at a concert. But days later family members could not reach her.
First grade teacher was much adored
On Tuesday, Benefield officials issued a letter to inform parents that Morales was missing. Later that same day, the teacher’s relatives told Principal Shonda Gipson-Stevens that Morales had died.
‘We were all very hopeful that they would find her and she would be returning safely but that was not the case,’ Sloan Roach, a spokeswoman for Gwinnett County Public Schools told AJC.
The school district said it was planning to assist grieving teachers and students who were coping with Morales’ death, WXIA-TV reported.
Read a GoFundme fundraiser for the teacher in part: ‘Alexa was adored by her parents and loved by her two brothers,’ Gabriela Rojas wrote in the description. ‘She had a passion for adventure and traveling around the world was her joy. She was the most caring teacher to all of her students and her first-grade babies will miss her dearly.’
Barragan is scheduled to make his initial court appearance in Mexico later on Friday. No known motive was immediately known.
