Tragic and mysterious end for special education teacher, 53, who vanished near Lake Michigan

The search for a missing Illinois special education teacher has ended in tragedy after the 53-year-old’s body was pulled from Lake Michigan.

Linda Brown’s family said her body was recovered from the 31st Street Harbor on Monday near the South Side of Chicago following a 10-day search, according to Fox 32.

The teacher, who worked at Robert Healy Elementary, vanished after a night in with her husband Antwon on January 2.

The coupe watched a movie together and she went to bed early. The teacher was last seen driving the following day in the 4500 block of South King Drive in the Bronzeville neighborhood.

Her blue 2021 Honda Civic was later found on January near East 35th Street and South Lake Park Avenue close to where her body was discovered.

Footage showed the teacher parking her car and walking across a bridge to the lake at 3am the day she went missing.

Chicago Police marine units pulled Brown’s body out and she was positively identified by her family, according to ABC 7.

‘This is not the outcome we were hoping or praying for, but we are grateful that she has been found and can now be brought home to our family,’ her loved ones said in a statement.

Linda Brown, 53, was a special education teacher at Chicago's Robert Healy Elementary. Her body was recovered from Lake Michigan on Monday near the South Side of Chicago  [Pictured with her husband, Antwon]
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Linda Brown, 53, was a special education teacher at Chicago’s Robert Healy Elementary. Her body was recovered from Lake Michigan on Monday near the South Side of Chicago  [Pictured with her husband, Antwon]

A surveillance camera showed the teacher parking her car and walking across a bridge to the lake at 3am the night she went missing
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A surveillance camera showed the teacher parking her car and walking across a bridge to the lake at 3am the night she went missing

‘We want to extend our deepest and most sincere gratitude to everyone who supported us during this unimaginable time.

‘The outpouring of support meant more to us than words can express.’

‘At this time, we are respectfully asking for privacy as we grieve, process this loss, and come together as a family to honor Linda’s life. Thank you for continuing to hold our family in your thoughts and prayers.’

Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement: ‘As a special education teacher at Healy Elementary, she made an immeasurable impact on countless young lives and was a vital member of the Bridgeport community.’

Her cause of death has not yet been determined.

Brown was scheduled to return to work on January 6 after taking a leave of absence, NBC Chicago reported.

She had faced mental health challenges and was receiving help before her disappearance.

During the search, her husband told Fox 32 how desperate he was to find his wife: ‘I’m broke down.’

Brown worked at Robert Healy Elementary in Chicago and vanished after a night in with her husband Antwon on January 2
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Brown worked at Robert Healy Elementary in Chicago and vanished after a night in with her husband Antwon on January 2

Chicago Police marine units pulled Brown's body from the the 31st Street Harbor following a 10-day search
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Chicago Police marine units pulled Brown’s body from the the 31st Street Harbor following a 10-day search

‘I don’t know what to do. I’ve done everything. I’m talking to people. We’ve got people searching for her. I’m out of options.’

Antwon did not immediately suspect that anything was wrong the morning his wife went missing.

‘She took her purse and credit cards, but I’m thinking she was at acupuncture,’ he added.

But when she did not show up for her scheduled appointment and did not respond to his messages and calls, Brown’s family contacted the authorities to report her missing.

‘That was her main thing, helping kids. She loved it,’ Lisa Quintana, Brown’s sister, told WGN–TV.

She claimed Linda had ‘never missed a day of work,’ making her disappearance even more uncharacteristic.

Quintana added: ‘She always went and she always had a smile on her face. Positive attitude all the time.’

Loved ones paid tribute to the dedicated teacher, who had been receiving mental health support during a leave of absence from work prior to her death
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Loved ones paid tribute to the dedicated teacher, who had been receiving mental health support during a leave of absence from work prior to her death

She insisted that Brown would not desert her loved ones on purpose, especially her husband.

‘No matter where she goes [or] what she’s doing, he knows where she is at,’ Quintana said.’

Her sister said Brown was ‘in contact with Antwon all the time’, which set off alarm bells when she stopped responding to him.

Jen River, Brown’s niece, said Antwon is devastated after learning his wife was found: ‘He is beside himself, he is very, very upset.

‘This wasn’t the outcome any of us hoped for… He really thought that we would bring Linda home safely and she would be alive and well.’

River added that Antwon is grieving and having a hard time speaking about the tragedy.

‘He just lost the love of his life,’ River said.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Chicago Police Department for comment.