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‘We’re not giving up on her!’ Family frantic to find missing pregnant teacher
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The family of a missing pregnant Maryland high school teacher is frantic to find her; they feel she is still alive and desperately needs help.

Laura Elizabeth Wallen, 31, disappeared sometime between the night of September 4 or the morning of September 5, when she failed to show up for her first day of classes at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia.

Laura’s father, Mark Wallen, told CBS that the teacher’s disappearance is “uncharacteristic” and she would have never left without telling anyone. Authorities said they don’t have evidence that suggests foul play, yet they found her black 2011 Ford Escape in a parking lot around a mile away from where she teaches school. Police said the abandoned car was sitting in an apartment complex in Columbia.

“I wanted to let Laura know that we’re out there looking for her and we’re not giving up on her,” Mark Wallen told CBS. “She is still alive somewhere.”

Tyler Tessier, Lauren’s boyfriend and father of their unborn child, said that there was no reason or indication that she would simply walk away from her life. He’s also pleading for Laura return and said no matter what the problem is, they could “fix it together.”

“Laura, if you’re listening, it doesn’t matter what’s happened, doesn’t matter what type of trouble – there’s nothing we can’t fix together, myself and your family. There’s so many people, so many people that miss you.”

“If somebody has her – please understand you’ve taken away a huge person in so many people’s lives,” Tessier continued. “We just want her back.”

Authorities working the case are going through her Olney apartment and computer, looking for clues and evidence that can lead them to Laura’s whereabouts. They’re also interviewing friends and are hopeful they’ll find her, yet Montgomery County Lt. Sean Gagen admitted that as time goes, they’re becoming more and more concerned for the teacher’s safety and her unborn infant’s safety.

“As each day passes, we’re becoming increasingly concerned for Laura Wallen and her baby.”

What You Need To Know

Wallen was last seen in Olney, Maryland, on Monday, September 4, at around 8:30 a.m. Close to an hour later, her family reported that someone sent a “troubling” text about the teacher, but authorities are not yet releasing the details of the text message. Her father, Mark, immediately went to her condo but saw no signs of her.

On the following day, when Wallen, a history and law teacher, didn’t show up for the first day of school at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, her family became alarmed. Her father thinks someone is responsible for the teacher’s disappearance, as it’s not like her to simply disappear. Her sister, Jennifer Kadi, said that it’s so unlike Wallen to disappear that is seems surreal.

“This is like an alternate universe. It just doesn’t seem real….That obviously puts an enormous amount of worry on us because she is out there somewhere and she has a baby, so that’s a really scary thing.”

Her family reported that Wallen, four months pregnant, is excited about being becoming a mother. She currently has photos of the sonogram on her refrigerator.

Wallen is described as 5-foot-5-inches tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. She weighs around 200 pounds. She drives a black 2011 Ford Escape with Maryland license plate number, M522473.

Anyone with any information is urged to call police at 301-279-8000.

[Feature Photo: Handout]