Search for Missing Chicago Teacher Ends in Tragedy After Her Body Is Found in Lake Michigan

The search for special education teacher Linda Brown ended in tragedy after she was found deceased in Lake Michigan, bringing a heartbreaking close to days of uncertainty for her family and community.

The Cook County Coroner’s Office confirmed Tuesday that Brown’s cause of death was suicide by drowning following an autopsy. No additional details have been released at this time. Officials said Brown’s body was recovered from Lake Michigan on the morning of Monday, January 12, near the 3100 block of South Lake Shore Drive on Chicago’s South Side.

“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,” Brown’s family said in a statement.

Brown was last seen on Saturday, January 3, near the 4500 block of South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Chicago, according to police.

Her husband, Antwon Brown, previously shared that the couple spent the prior evening together watching a movie at their Bronzeville home before going to bed. When he woke up the next morning, she was gone.

“I thought she went to acupuncture because she goes to acupuncture on Saturdays,” he said, explaining she never arrived at the appointment.

Family members later confirmed surveillance footage showed Brown walking across a pedestrian bridge toward the lakefront, but did not show her returning.

Brown taught at Robert Healy Elementary School and had recently taken a leave of absence to focus on her mental health.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he was “deeply saddened by the news,” adding that Brown “made an immeasurable impact on countless young lives.”