An elementary school teacher, 28, disappeared after leaving a bar during a snowstorm. Her body has just been found in a wooded area — THE REASON FOR HER D;;EA;;TH HAS NOW BEEN REVEALED

A 28-year-old woman has been found dead in Kansas after she vanished upon leaving a bar in a snowstorm, police have said.

On Sunday, Jan. 25, the Emporia Police Department (EPD) confirmed in a news release that Rebecca Rauber had been found deceased approximately 300 yards south of West 4th Avenue in the city.

Video footage showed Rauber in the area at around 11:44 p.m. local time on Friday, Jan. 23, but she hadn’t been seen since.

Rauber was an elementary school teacher, according to the Kansas station KWCH.

Police said in the release, “Rebecca was located in a wooded area. At this time, it appears Rebecca may have succumbed to hypothermia early on in her disappearance as she was covered in snow due to the snowstorm that became heavy on Saturday, January 24th.”

“Next of Kin has been notified,” the post stated, confirming that Rauber had been found with the assistance of bloodhound “K9 Daisy and her team from K-9 Search & Rescue of Kansas.”

An initial release confirmed that the Emporia Police Department had received a report of a missing person at 1:13 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24.

The post said, “The report indicated that Rebecca Rauber had left the Town Royal bar, located in the 400 block of Commercial Street, on foot without her purse, phone, or jacket.”

“Officers began searching for Rebecca immediately and utilized business surveillance cameras in the area. Rebecca was observed walking alone westbound on West 5th Avenue,” police added.

“Video footage from a residence shows Rebecca walking north on Neosho Street from West 5th Avenue at approximately 11:37 p.m. on Friday, January 23,” police continued. “Several additional videos from the intersection of 6th Avenue and Neosho Street were reviewed; however, Rebecca did not appear to cross 6th Avenue at that location.”

Police thanked the community “for the outpouring of care and assistance during this situation,” while confirming that Rauber had sadly been found deceased in their latest release.

They wrote, “We also want to thank KHP [Kansas Highway Patrol], Lyon County Sheriff’s office, Search and Rescue of Kansas and the Lyon County Communications Center for their efforts in trying to locate Rebecca. All of the agencies listed poured many hours of manpower, involving many resources in the hope of positive outcome. Our hearts and prayers are truly with the Rauber family.”

Police said, “EPD detectives are currently processing the scene and our investigation is still continuing.”

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The Emporia Police Department didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

Rauber’s tragic death comes as Winter Storm Fern brought multiple inches of snow and ice as well as dangerously frigid temperatures to giant swaths of the United States late last week and into the weekend.

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An arctic air mass helped fuel the storm that stretched from the Central and Southern Plains to the East Coast, with winter weather beginning on Friday, Jan. 23. It’s expected to continue into the Northeast until Monday, Jan. 26.

The storm has churned to the north and east, dropping snow in states like Arkansas, Kansas, Maryland and Oklahoma and bringing freezing rain and ice to Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas and elsewhere.

The low temperatures enveloping much of the country are due to a polar vortex that started to dip down into the U.S. last week. The storm has resulted in hundreds of thousands of people being without power, PEOPLE reported on Sunday.

New York City officials suspect the weather could be to blame for the deaths of five people in the city over the weekend, WABC reported. The victims were found on Saturday, Jan. 24, in Brooklyn, Manhattan and in Queens. Authorities told PEOPLE they could not confirm if the storm was connected.

PEOPLE also reported that two men had died from hypothermia in Caddo Parish, in the Shreveport area of Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Health said in a news release. Further details about the victims were not released.