Ron Wilkins

rwilkins@jconline.com

Missing teacher Krista Mitchell Perdue spent Monday — a day when temperatures hit 95 degrees before ending in thunderstorms and heavy downpours — lying near a retention pond near her home.

About 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, deputies checked the pond — on the southeast corner of Tippecanoe County Road 550 East and 50 South — and found her lying under overgrowth, according to Kelly Pannebaker, who was walking her dog in the area when an ambulance and first responders arrived.

The 42-year-old second-grade teacher had been reported missing Monday afternoon.

"I believe the results are going to be a good ending," Tippecanoe County Sheriff Barry Richard said. "This is the best result you could ever hope for — for people to be OK."

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Yet investigators still don't know why Perdue went missing in the first place. Police say that's one of many questions that remain unanswered.

How Perdue was found

Deputies began searching near the pond about 6 p.m. Tuesday.

"Of course a big body of water is always a concern for anyone, whether it is a child or an adult," Richard said. "This afternoon, when our detectives all met ... we decided that it would be a good thing to expand our search and come out here and start searching, not only land but also water areas."

Perdue was disoriented and mumbling incoherently; however, she seemed to understand what her rescuers were saying to her, Richard said. She did not appear to have suffered any physical injuries, he added.

Pannebaker said rescuers picked up Perdue, who then was transported to a hospital.

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'God is good!'

The hours leading up to Perdue's rescue were filled with well-wishes from many.

Earlier in the day, Perdue's mother, Donna Ramey, told the Louisville Courier-Journal that her daughter is the "perfect child" and a model kid.

"She's the only child I gave birth to, and I just want her back," Ramey said Tuesday morning. Her prayers were answered later that day.

Told of her daughter's rescue, Ramey replied: "God is good!"

About 3 p.m., teachers, administrators and staff gathered at Perdue's school on the southeast side of the city, their cars parked along the drive in front of the school. Inside, they prayed and shared their concern for Perdue and support for each other.

“Here, we’re not co-workers. We’re family," said Missy Leist, media specialist at the school, "and that was shown today with everybody that showed up. We had a prayer vigil for her. She’s dearly loved.”

How she went missing

Investigators say they're still trying to piece together exactly what happened.

Perdue's husband, Samuel Perdue, noticed his wife was missing on Monday. The couple and their daughter returned from vacation on Saturday, he said.

Krista Perdue, who suffers from a chronic digestion ailment, became ill Sunday and stayed in bed all day.

"I slept in the other room," Samuel Perdue said Monday, "and I got up this morning, and I kind of piddled around, and I thought I'd go check on her."

Purdue hadn't taken her purse, phone, wallet, driver's license or car.

Perdue graduated from Jeffersonville High School in 1992, and she's been a teacher for 19 years. She has spent the past six years as a second-grade teacher at Woodland Elementary School, according to her profile on the school's webpage, which says that Purdue has been a Lafayette resident for 16 years.

“She’s an excellent teacher," Woodland Elementary School Principal Bruce Hull said. She has "a very good sense of humor and is very compassionate for her children and does whatever is necessary for them.”

What we know about teacher's disappearance

Journal & Courier reporter Joseph Paul and Courier-Journal reporter Lexy Gross contributed to this story.

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