Laura Wallen, a 31-year-old female high school teacher from Olney, Maryland, was reported missing on September 4, 2017, after she failed to arrive for the first day of school. At the time of her disappearance, she was four months pregnant. Her family’s concern grew after attempts to contact her were unsuccessful following a text message exchange on September 2.
The last known sighting of Wallen was on September 2, when she and her boyfriend, Tyler Tessier, were seen together at a Safeway grocery store.
The investigation into her disappearance took a dark turn when her body was discovered in a shallow grave in a wooded area in Damascus, Maryland, on September 13, 2017. An autopsy revealed that she had been shot in the back of the head. Suspicion quickly fell upon her 32-year-old boyfriend, Tyler Tessier. Investigators learned that Tessier was the last person known to have been with Wallen. During the time she was missing, Tessier had made several visits to the area where her body was ultimately found. He had also driven her car to a different location and removed the front license plate.
As the investigation progressed, a motive began to surface. Tessier was engaged to another woman and was leading a double life. Prosecutors believe the motive for the murder was a love triangle, with Tessier killing Wallen to prevent his fiancée from discovering the pregnancy. It was revealed that Wallen had sent a text message to Tessier's fiancée about a week before she disappeared, seeking 'an explanation...woman to woman.' During the investigation, Tessier sent text messages from Wallen's phone to her sister, falsely claiming that he was not the father of the unborn child.
A particularly chilling aspect of the case was Tessier's behavior during a police press conference held while Wallen was still considered a missing person. He sat alongside Wallen's parents, holding her mother's hand and tearfully pleading for her safe return. This was a calculated move by detectives, with the family's knowledge, to observe his behavior. Following the discovery of Wallen's body, Tessier was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. His trial was scheduled to begin in September 2018. However, on the morning his trial was set to start, Tyler Tessier was found dead in his jail cell, having hanged himself. His suicide brought an end to the legal proceedings, robbing Wallen's family of the opportunity to see him face justice in court. In the wake of her death, Wallen's parents advocated for 'Laura and Reid's Law,' a bill aimed at allowing homicide charges to be filed for the death of a non-viable fetus in cases of violent crime.
