Lara Emanuele Morristown NJ teacher goes missing after estranged husband restraint order is lifted as woman’s wallet and phone left behind in abandoned car. A Facebook post alludes to the educator leaving behind a suicide note.
New Jersey authorities continue to seek the whereabouts of a 3rd grade elementary teacher who seemingly vanished earlier this month, just days after a restraining order against her estranged husband was lifted according to reports.
Lara Hoffmann Emanuele of Morristown was last seen June 7, with the missing woman’s vehicle located the following day in the parking lot of a Roxbury Holiday Inn Express, about five miles from where she lived, some 50miles west of New York City.
The vehicle appeared to have been abandoned. An employee at the hotel says police confirmed surveillance video showing Emanuele parking her car and getting out of the vehicle. The employee says she was never spotted inside the hotel, CBSNews reported.
Emanuele, 46, worked as a third-grade teacher at Alexander Hamilton Elementary School in Morristown. She is described as 5-foot-6 and about 125 pounds with red hair.
Although Emanuele had secured a restraining order against her husband, which was lifted recently, authorities do not consider the matter suspicious. Her home has also been for sale since Memorial Day, News 12 New Jersey reported.
‘At this time, this is not considered a suspicious disappearance,’ Morris County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Meghan Knab said, according to PEOPLE magazine. ‘We will notify the public if the focus [or] status of the investigation changes.’
Of disconcert, CBS reported the missing woman’s phone and wallet being left in her car. It remained unclear if the woman was using other debit or credit cards or cash since her disappearance.
Emanuele’s husband, Brian, has posted about his wife’s disappearance on Facebook and has asked the public for information to help locate his wife.
A source told News 12 that Emanuele was in an abusive relationship and was concerned for her safety.
Missing NJ Teacher Lara Emanuele Updates! https://t.co/Ow7Ct05Kuv
— Critical Kay (@kay_critical) June 22, 2023
Did missing elementary teacher kill herself?
Throwing matters for a loop is a Facebook post under the banner, The Critical Kay which portends having inside connections to the case, posting 4 days ago:
‘Lara has been living with her sister in Randolph.
‘Lara’s sister reported her missing and subsequently a lengthy suicide note which appears to be written by Lara was discovered. It does appear Lara has struggled with her mental health in the past and she had a lot going on in her life lately and boy can I certainly relate.
The ex (separated) husband and sister were ruled out/cleared very quickly in the beginning and both are fully cooperating with the investigation.
It is strongly believed Lara has died by means of suicide and authorities are working on recovering her body to bring closure to the family and community.’
The state’s teacher’s union, the New Jersey Education Association put out the following statement: ‘We are very concerned for Ms. Emanuele. We stand in solidarity with her colleagues and the entire Morristown community in hoping for her safe return very soon.’
The state’s teacher’s union, the New Jersey Education Association put out the following statement: ‘We are very concerned for Ms. Emanuele. We stand in solidarity with her colleagues and the entire Morristown community in hoping for her safe return very soon.’
Crews have been searching for Emanuele primarily in a heavily wooded area behind the hotel, according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, which is working with the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Police Aviation Bureau, New Jersey Search and Rescue and Roxbury Police Department.
Is she still alive?
That area includes the Berkshire Valley State Wildlife Management Area, which spans more than 2,000 acres and entails wetlands and forest without marked trails.
‘I’d like to assure the public that all capabilities available to law enforcement are being utilized to locate Lara,’ Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said in a written statement, according to WRNJ. ‘We understand the public’s concerns, and we will do our best to update the community whenever possible.’
Investigators are still going out to look for Emanuele on a daily basis with the help of K-9 units. To report information about Emanuele or where she may be located, call the Roxbury Police Department at 973-448-2100 or the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-2900.
