Heritage High mourns loss of teacher believed killed in Florida

Courtesy Rogers Public Schools Linda Allen
Courtesy Rogers Public Schools Linda Allen

Counselors are available at Rogers Heritage High School today to help students and staff deal with the reported death of a teacher.

The Brevard County Sheriff's Office believes Linda Woods Allen, 39, of Bella Vista was one of three people killed in Malabar, Fla.

"The Rogers Public Schools family is heartbroken at media reports of the death of one of its teachers, Linda Woods Allen," the school district said in a news release.

The release states Allen has worked in the Rogers School District since 2005, first as a special education teacher and most recently as a social studies teacher at Rogers Heritage High School. Allen taught AP World History and World History classes and was a past advisor for the Quiz Bowl team.

"Linda has been a strong teacher at our school since it opened in 2008," Karen Steen, Heritage High School principal, said in the release. "She was loved by students and staff and will be greatly missed by her Heritage family."

Deputies with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office said Woods was in Malabar visiting her sister, Chrissy Hughes, 39. The bodies of the women and Hughes' 9-year-old son, Sebastian Meachum, were discovered Sunday night after firefighters responded to a fire call at Hughes' home.

A preliminary examination of the women's bodies revealed trauma indicating they were killed before the fire started.

Hughes' husband, Tony Hughes, 39, is missing, according to Sheriff's Office spokesman Tod Goodyear. Authorities found a boat belonging to the couple Sunday afternoon about 7 miles offshore. No one was on board.

Goodyear said they believe Tony Hughes might have killed all three people at the residence, set the home on fire, then killed himself.

The investigation is ongoing.

NW News on 06/14/2017

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