Cause of Death Revealed for Special Education Teacher Found in Lake

The cause and manner of death for the special education teacher found dead in Lake Michigan has been revealed.

Following an autopsy on Tuesday, the Cook County Coroner’s Office ruled Linda Brown’s death a suicide by drowning, PEOPLE can confirm. No additional information has been made public by the medical examiner at this time.

Officials previously confirmed to PEOPLE that Brown’s body was pulled from Lake Michigan on the morning of Monday, Jan. 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 to Fox affiliate WFLD.

Brown last seen on Saturday, Jan. 3 in the area of the 4500 block of South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Chicago, police previously said.

Antwon Brown, Linda’s husband, told ABC affiliate WLS that he and his wife watched a movie together in their Bronzeville home the previous evening before going to bed. By the time he got up in the morning, she was gone.

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

According to her family, subsequent footage from Jan. 3 showed her walking over a pedestrian bridge that led to a lakefront, but did not show her returning.

Antown said Linda, his wife of 11 years, taught at Robert Healy Elementary School in Bridgeport, according to CBS affiliate WBBM. He claimed she was set to return to work on Monday, Jan. 5 after taking a leave of absence.

“She has a little mental issues going on, and she took a leave of absence from her job to get help for that,” Antwon said during the interview. “As school was getting closer, it was kind of getting worse, like the anxiety, the panic attacks.”

On Jan. 7, Antwon told local outlets that Linda’s car — described by police as a blue Honda Civic — had been found undamaged. Family reportedly said the car was found near South Lake Park Avenue and East 35th Street.

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Five days later, her body was discovered in Lake Michigan.

In a statement, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he was “deeply saddened by the news” of the teacher’s death.

“As a special education teacher at Healy Elementary she made an immeasurable impact on countless young lives and was a vital member of the Bridgeport community,” Johnson said. “I’m praying for her family, and for her students as they grieve and remember Linda and all the joy she brought.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.