LEE, Mass — Police in Massachusetts believe the body of Shaker High English teacher Meghan Marohn has been found.
According to Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington, a civilian found the remains on Thursday, Sept. 1 in a heavily wooded area near Fox Drive, in Lee. The body was taken by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine a positive identification.
Police were still canvassing the area where the body was found but the evidence collected thus far “indicates a high likelihood that the remains are that of Marohn,” according to Harrington’s office.
A spokesman for the office, Andrew McKeever, said there would be no immediate information about the cause of death or if foul play was involved.
Jim Franco / Spotlight News
The 42-year-old who was living in Delmar while taking care of her father was last seen on March 27, and her family reported her missing two days later. She had been on leave from her position at Shaker High and had gone to Longcope Park in the Berkshires for some hiking and a quiet get away. Her car was found near a trailhead to the park the day she was reported missing and a massive search was undertaken by emergency personnel from two states. There was no trace of her until Thursday.
In May, there was a vigil held at Shaker High School and her family had offered a $50,000 reward for any information leading to her whereabouts. Her brother, Peter Naple, said not knowing what happened to his sister was the hardest part.
“The uncertainty, and the space we have been in for the last seven weeks where we don’t know whether to grieve, or we have hope,” he said during a heart-wrenching question and answer following the vigil. “Is there hope, is there grief? What is there. We have to just continue to have hope we are going to find her and move on from there.”
Her colleagues and students remembered her as being passionate about social justice issues and climate change and one willing to look out for those who didn’t always fit in with the mainstream crowd. She also started the Troy Poetry Project and was often seen at the farmer’s market typing poetry on demand on an old, manual typewriter.
“The value of a good teacher cannot be overstated or go unrecognized. She told me people in our lives, we either grow from or grow with and Ms. Marohn is someone I grew with,” said one of her students, Kamillia Barrett during the vigil. “I can’t emphasize enough how special Ms. Marohn made every day at Shaker High. The past few months have been moving in slow motion without the blur of her red hair in the halls.”
The area where she disappeared is densely wooded and the Lee Police Chief Craig DeSantis told the Times Union late last month that it could be while if that is in fact where she is. Recently, he said, a person died of a medical condition in those same woods and it took nine months to find the body.
As time dragged on, and the coordinated search efforts by a number of agencies — including the Lee police, Massachusetts State Police, the Albany County Sheriff’s Department and Bethlehem police — continued, speculation began to mount over what happened and why she was on leave from her position at Shaker High.
A number of publications, mainly based on social media posts, claim there was a male co-worker involved but that was largely unsubstantiated and DeSantis has said any and all leads were followed up. Others, who knew first hand what transpired, maintain that she was on leave from Shaker High because of mental health problems associated with teaching during a global pandemic.
North Colonie Superintendent Joseph Corr, in a statement on the district website, said: “The North Colonie CSD community is devastated to share that investigators located and recovered human remains that are presumed to be Shaker High School English Teacher Meghan Marohn.”
“Meghan was a valued member of our school community and the news of her death impacts us all,” he said. “The district is focused on supporting its students, teachers, staff and the community. The district will be offering counseling services for those who would like to receive support. Details about support opportunities will be shared directly with faculty, staff and families.”
Her family also took to social media and began a “Find Meghan Marohn” website and a corresponding Facebook Page. It has been dormant since June, 19, when the family posted: “It’s been 12 weeks now … our hearts are broken that there has been nothing to bring us closer to finding Meghan. Someone, somewhere knows what happened or saw something that weekend that perhaps seemed odd maybe, but didn’t give it a second thought. PLEASE, if you can share what you know, even if it seems insignificant, it may be the missing piece that we need! If by chance you are out there somewhere Meghan … WE LOVE YOU. WE MISS YOU. Please come home or let us know you are okay.”
Currently, Lee Police, the Berkshire State Police assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office and Bethlehem police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Marohn’s disappearance, McKeever said in a statement.
