1,000 People Attend Funeral For Laura Wallen

SILVER SPRING, MD — Hundreds of mourners gathered recently to say goodbye to Laura Elizabeth Wallen, the beloved Wilde Lake High School teacher killed last month.

Wallen, 31, was found deceased in a field in Damascus, and her boyfriend is charged in her murder. She was four months pregnant.

Wallen was named the senior class teacher of the year in 2016 at Wilde Lake High School, where she taught history. (Get news alerts from Columbia Patchand like us on Facebook.)

More than 1,000 people gathered at the Lutheran Church of St. Andrew in Silver Spring to remember her Saturday morning, according to church officials, who posted the following on the church's Facebook page Sunday:

Former students from Howard County celebrated the life of Wallen along with her relatives and church family. Pupils said Wallen changed their lives, according to WJZ, which reported one of the speakers at the service said the gathering was a "fine homecoming in her honor."

The funeral service for Wallen and her unborn son Reid Wallen was so crowded, the church set up three overflow areas, according to WTOP.

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Wallen's boyfriend, Tyler Tessier, 33, is charged with first-degree murder is being held without bail. He is set to appear for a hearing Oct. 13.

Photo of Laura Wallen courtesy of the Montgomery County Police Department.