Awful New Details About The Missing Pregnant Teacher Found Dead In A Field — And Why Police Arrested Her Boyfriend
He's been charged with her murder.
Washington Post Though Tyler Tessier tearfully pleaded for his pregnant girlfriend, Laura Wallen, to safely return home after she had been missing for a few days, police say he already knew she was dead.
“Laura, if you’re listening, it doesn’t matter what’s happened," he pleaded to the cameras. "It doesn’t matter what type of trouble. There’s nothing we can’t fix together.”
The couple had been seen together at a grocery store near their home in Maryland on Sept. 2. Wallen's sister said she received a text from Wallen's phone that day that said Tessier had taken her to an open field and she wasn't sure why they were there. Her sister said to send a picture of where she was, and she did.
“Tyler has me on an adventure in the country,” the text read. " Don’t know why I’m here but it’s for something."
Her sister asked, “Really where are you?”
Wallen replied: “I’m waiting in a field.”
The 31-year-old social studies teacher was reported missing the following Monday, Sept. 4, when she didn't show up for the first day of school at Wilde Lake High School.
That same day, Wallen's sister said she received more texts from Wallen's phone that said she wasn't sure if the child she was four months pregnant with was Tessier's and said it might be a previous boyfriend's. Police said those texts were sent by Tessier.
“I am like 95 percent sure Tyler is not the father,” one of the texts said. “I’m probably going to lose my job over this."
And another one said: “Tyler is never going to forgive me. If he tries to call you, please tell him he’s a great guy because I know I really hurt his feelings.”
Her family said she was excited about the new school and didn't give any sign that she was about to take off on her own. Things took a turn when police found her car three days after she was reported missing in a parking lot of an apartment complex nearby the school. It was abandoned and unoccupied with the front license plate removed.
On September 14th — 10 days after Wallen had been reported missing — the bodies of Wallen and her unborn child were found in a shallow grave in that field where she had sent a photo of to her sister. Soon after, police announced that Tessier had been arrested and charged with her murder.
A motive hasn't been released, and police haven't released the cause of her death, but they do think Tessier killed Wallen Sept. 3. He admitted to removing her car's front tag, disposing of it and her license and iPhone before driving the car to the parking lot.
He then texted an acquaintance, asked for a ride to Baltimore and said he needed help to "clean up a mess."
The acquaintance declined to assist.
Tessier had made several trips to that acquaintance's property, which is near the field where Wallen's body was found, but police say the acquaintance had no involvement.
Police say Tessier was a person of interest and gave conflicting stories about his girlfriend's disappearance.
"This is one of those tragic cases where you have an absolutely innocent victim,” said Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger said. “Just a senseless killing.”
Emily Blackwood is an editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, true crime, dating, relationships and everything in between. Every Wednesday at 10:20 p.m. you can ask her any and all questions about self-love, dating, and relationships LIVE on YourTango’s Facebook page. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).