Police say none of woman’s belongings are missing
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Deborah Anne Celmer
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
Montgomery County police said Friday that they have no evidence there was foul play in the disappearance of a Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School English teacher reported this week.
Deborah Anne Celmer, 41, was reported missing on Monday after not showing up to work for “several days,” according to police. She was last seen by family at approximately 11 p.m. on Saturday.
In an interview on Friday, Officer Rick Goodale, a spokesman for the department, said, “We don’t have any reason to believe there’s any foul play suspected.”
None of Celmer’s belongings were stolen and there have been no transactions on her credit cards, which would be “warning signs” of foul play, he said.
On Thursday, the staff of B-CC’s student newspaper and its website created a webpage where students, staff and community members can leave messages of support for Celmer.
“Yours would be the true homecoming we all are rooting for,” one comment says.
Others wrote that they are worried about Celmer’s safety and pleaded for the teacher to let them know she is safe.
“Every day, I offer my sincerest prayers and hopes for the well-being and safe return of Ms. Celmer. I am a new teacher here at B-CC and Ms. Celmer went out of her way to welcome me to this community,” one comment says. “She gave me advice for various educational challenges and I am so grateful for her thoughtfulness.”
Celmer, described as an Asian woman about 5 feet, 3 inches tall, has been employed with MCPS and worked at B-CC since 2016.
She has black hair and brown eyes and weighs approximately 150 pounds. Police said she might be driving a blue Toyota Corolla with Maryland license plate 9CN5716.
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@bethesdamagazine.com