Missing Wilde Lake Teacher: Police 'Increasingly Concerned'

COLUMBIA, MD - Laura Elizabeth Wallen, 31, had decorated her classroom for Tuesday's start at Wilde Lake High School, and her family said the popular teacher was joyful about the coming school year.

Her parents reported her missing after she was a no-show the first day at school and, even more unlike her, had not called in a substitute. The Montgomery County Police Department began investigating Wallen's disappearance on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

Police said that when she went missing, Wallen was four months pregnant. (Get news alerts from Columbia Patch and like us on Facebook.)

"Her disappearance is strange; it's uncharacteristic," Lt. Sean Gagen of the Montgomery County Police Department said at a press conference on Monday, Sept. 11.

"As each day passes, we become increasingly concerned for Laura Wallen and for her baby," Gager said.

On Labor Day, police said that Wallen sent a text message to a relative, and she has not been heard from since.

Family described her last text as "troubling," according to NBC Washington, which reported her father went to her Montgomery County condo to check on her afterward but she was not home.

The contents of the text message would not be disclosed, police said, citing the ongoing investigation.

But police and relatives did ask for help finding Wallen, encouraging anyone who may have seen her since Labor Day to come forward. Her family has offered a $25,000 reward for information.

The search for Wallen spans a large geographic area, Lt. Gagen said.

Wallen lives in a condo on Rolling Meadow Way in Olney, according to police.

Her black Ford Escape was recovered at an apartment complex in the 10600 block of Gramercy Place in Columbia on Thursday, Sept. 7.

The location is about 20 miles from her condo and less than a mile from Wilde Lake High School.

Gagen said he could not discuss the condition of the vehicle due the ongoing nature of the case.

As for evidence of foul play, he told reporters, there was "none at this time that I'm aware of." Detectives were characterizing the case as a missing persons investigation.

Relatives, friends and coworkers have been interviewed. Several subpoenas are pending so officials can track Wallen's last known locations and contacts. Detectives also are looking at her computer. Forensic investigators are awaiting test results from items in her apartment and vehicle, Gager added.

Now that a week has gone by without any contact from Wallen, the family is offering a $25,000 reward for information. Laura Wallen's father announced the reward at the press conference on Monday.

"Whoever might be helping and hiding her, please come forward," Mike Wallen said, issuing a public plea for assistance in locating his daughter. "She is still alive somewhere."

Have info? Call the Montgomery County Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 240-773-5070.

Laura Wallen's boyfriend spoke at the press conference as well, talking directly to her, in case she was listening, letting her know that her absence was leaving a gaping hole in all whose lives she touched.

"Laura, if you're listening, it doesn't matter what's happened, it doesn't matter what type of trouble, there's nothing we can't fix together, with myself and your family," Tyler Tessier said to Wallen, whom he said he has known for 10 years.

"There are so many people that miss you," Tessier continued. "We haven't slept. We haven't eaten. We're just looking; we're praying that you're safe."

To anyone who knows where she is, Tessier said: "We just want to know she's OK; we just want her back."

There were no signs that anything was amiss before she disappeared, he said, stating: "It's a complete shock."

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Laura Wallen's boyfriend and family are not the only ones who want to find her. She was popular among students at Wilde Lake High School, where she was voted senior class teacher of the year in 2016.

Some of her students went around Columbia posting fliers on Saturday with her picture and the headline "MISSING" and then proceeded to Olney, where they spoke with her neighbors, according to WJLA.

"...if one of us was in this situation," organizer Saquan Williams told WJLA, "she would've been head-on attacking it and in the streets just like we are."

Anyone who thinks they may have seen Laura Wallen or her vehicle since Labor Day is asked to call in tips to the Montgomery County Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 240-773-5070.

Photo of Laura Wallen courtesy of the Montgomery County Police Department.