The body recovered from Lake Michigan on Monday has been identified as a missing Chicago special education teacher, according to city and county officials, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
The Chicago Police Department said the woman was found just before noon near the South Side of Chicago.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed the deceased was Linda Brown, 53, who had been reported missing more than a week earlier.
Brown’s family also positively identified her and told ABC 7 in a text message that they are “absolutely heartbroken.”
The body of a Chicago Public Schools teacher who had been missing for more than a week was pulled from Lake Michigan on Monday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office and school officials.https://t.co/ATBJyTOzVJ [2]
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) January 13, 2026 [3]
Police said Brown was last seen on Jan. 3 in the 4500 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in the Bronzeville neighborhood, roughly two miles southwest of the Chicago White Sox’s Rate Field.
At the time, she was driving a blue 2021 Honda Civic and was believed to be heading to her weekly acupuncture appointment.
Brown had spent the evening before her disappearance at home with her husband, Antwon, during what family members described as a quiet movie night. When she failed to return home, relatives and police began searching for her.
On Jan. 7, investigators located Brown’s abandoned vehicle near East 35th Street and South Lake Park Avenue, approximately two miles from where she was last seen.
The discovery intensified the search, which involved family members, community volunteers, and law enforcement.
Police later recovered surveillance footage from the area where the vehicle was found. According to Brown’s family, the video shows her walking alone over a pedestrian bridge that leads toward the lakefront around 3 a.m. Saturday.
The body of a Bronzeville teacher who was missing for over a week was recovered in Lake Michigan Monday, officials said.https://t.co/EHylH1qStt [4] pic.twitter.com/XFvVIefFj9 [5]
— Block Club Chicago (@BlockClubCHI) January 13, 2026 [6]
Authorities have not released the footage publicly.
Antwon Brown told ABC 7 that he became alarmed when he woke up early Saturday morning and realized his wife was missing.
“I don’t know what to do. I’ve done everything. I’m talking to people, we’ve got people searching for her. I’m out of options,” Antwon said.
Our condolences go out to Linda Brown’s family, who have been living through a nightmare since she went missing. She will be deeply missed by her students, co-workers, and union siblings at Healy and across the city.https://t.co/vTXOm5JRVz [7]
— Chicago Teachers Union (@CTULocal1) January 12, 2026 [8]
Just days later, crews dredging Lake Michigan located a body near the South Side shoreline. Officials confirmed Monday that the remains were Linda Brown’s.
Police said the circumstances surrounding Brown’s death remain under investigation. Authorities have not announced how she entered the water, and no determination has been made regarding foul play.
An autopsy has been ordered, but the medical examiner has not yet released Brown’s cause or manner of death.
Brown worked as a special education teacher in Chicago and was known by colleagues and family as a dedicated educator.
Friends and relatives described her as dependable and routine-oriented, which they said made her sudden disappearance especially troubling.
Investigators have not provided additional details about what Brown was doing in the early morning hours, captured on surveillance video, or why she was near the lakefront.
Police said detectives are continuing to review evidence and interview potential witnesses.
Anyone with information related to Brown’s movements before her death has been asked to contact Chicago police as the investigation continues.