Nohema Graber, Willard Noble Chaiden Miller (top right), and Jeremy Everett Goodale (bottom right).
Authorities in Iowa have discovered the remains of a local Spanish teacher, and now two teenage boys are accused of killing her.
Nohema Graber, 66, was found dead Wednesday in Chautauqua Park, said the City of Fairfield, Iowa. Willard Noble Chaiden Miller and Jeremy Everett Goodale, both 16, face a count each of homicide in the first degree, and conspiracy to commit homicide in the first degree, said the city. Online records show they face murder in the first degree, and conspiracy to commit forcible felony. Law&Crime is naming the minors because prosecutors are charging them as adults.
“Ms. Graber was employed as a Spanish teacher at Fairfield High School, where Miller and Goodale were students,” authorities said. “Based on the circumstances and their ages, Miller and Goodale are being criminally charged as adults.”
Graber frequently walked in the park during afternoons, according to court documents obtained by The Ottumwa Courier. It was there she was found hidden under a tarp, wheelbarrow and railroad ties, authorities said. She suffered “trauma to the head,” authorities added.
Investigators said they got a tip about Goodale on social media, and this evidence allegedly included plans about the murder and the motive, which authorities did not reveal. Law enforcement said they executed a search warrant at the boys’ homes, discovering clothing items that seemed to have blood on them.
The school district reportedly said Graber had taught Spanish at Fairfield High since 2012. Prior to that, she worked at the Ottumwa Community School District.
Students were dismissed from school Thursday morning, and classes were canceled for Friday. School nonetheless remained open for staff and students to get counseling.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of Mrs. Graber,” Fairfield superintendent Laurie Noll said, according to the outlet. “At this time our students’ and staffs’ well-being is our top priority. As a community, we will remain united in this time of tragedy.”
[Image via City of Fairfield, Iowa; Willard Noble Chaiden Miller and Jeremy Everett Goodale via Jefferson County Jail]