Mystery after Chicago special education teacher vanishes on her way to acupuncture appointment

A search is underway for a Chicago special education teacher who vanished on her way to an acupuncture appointment over the weekend.

Linda Brown, 53, was last seen on January 3 in the 4500 block of South Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, near her Bronzeville home, according to Chicago police.

Brown was headed to Wicker Park for a regularly scheduled appointment on Saturday but never arrived and has not been seen or heard from since.

Her family spent Monday retracing her last known movements and calling area hospitals, but their efforts have so far turned up nothing.

“I am terrified,” Brown’s husband, Antwon Brown, told NBC5. “I am just shaking. I need my wife home.”

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Antwon said he last saw his wife Friday night when the couple watched a movie at their home and went to bed.

“Everything was fine,” he said. “Next morning I woke up, it was like 8:35 a.m., and she was gone. No sign of her. I thought she went to acupuncture because she goes to acupuncture on Saturdays,.”

But when Brown failed to show up for her appointment and family members could not reach her by phone, they quickly grew worried.

“The hours that went past around 1:30, 2 p.m. I’m starting to wonder, like, ‘What’s going on?’ She hasn’t called me, because she normally would call me and tell me where she is going. She never did,” Antwon said.

He added that she left home with her phone, purse and credit cards.

Police say Brown may have been driving a blue Honda Civic with Illinois license plate CX57470 and could be in or around the 2200 block of West North Avenue.

They also say Brown “may be in need of medical assistance.” Relatives had told NBC5 she was scheduled to return to work Monday following a leave of absence.

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Brown teaches at Robert Healy Elementary School in Bridgeport. The school’s principal, Erin Kamradt, notified families of her disappearance in a letter, urging anyone with information to contact police.

“I know that news like this can cause many emotions, questions, and concerns for our school community. Please know that we are partnering with the CPS Crisis Management Unit to support our students and staff members,” Kamradt wrote. “If you feel that your child would benefit from additional social-emotional support, please do not hesitate to let us know. Our own school-based mental health professionals will also be available as needed.”

Brown is described as being 5 feet tall, weighing between 130 and 140 pounds, with a fair complexion. She was last seen wearing a long black puffy coat and shiny UGG-style boots.

Chicago police ask anyone with information about Linda Brown’s whereabouts to contact Area One Special Victims Unit detectives at 312-747-8380.