Children find woman’s body in the woods as police search for missing elementary school teacher

The body found Friday during the search for missing elementary school teacher Kristin Westra was discovered by children playing in the woods near her home in North Yarmouth, Maine.

The Portland Press Herald reports that the children first saw the body on Friday morning about half of mile from Westra’s home, and that the body was a female. A man who owns the home near the location of the discovery confirmed to the newspaper that his grandchildren found the body.

A medical examiner is still working to identify the body, and police have not said whether they believe it is the missing woman. But they did suspend the search for Kristin Westra on Friday to focus on the possible crime scene.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, authorities said this week that they do not suspect foul play in the woman’s disappearance.

Kristin’s husband Jay Westra told NBC News that his wife had been experiencing anxiety on Sunday, the last day she was seen alive. Jay woke on Monday morning to find that his wife was not home, and realized she had left her cell phone behind when he tried to call her. He then reported her missing.

On Friday, Jay Westra posted a photo of himself with his wife with the caption: “My heart was crushed today.”

On Saturday, Jay Westra posted another photo of Kristin, who has a young daughter and a teenage stepson, holding hands with a little girl. Multiple commenters wrote on the post that they were sorry for his loss.

Police are expected to release more information after the medical examiner identifies the body, according to the Portland Press Herald.