Missing North Bay Teacher's Death Was Suicide
SAN RAFAEL (CBS 5) -- The Marin County Coroner on Friday officially ruled the death of a missing San Rafael teacher, whose body was later found in a creek near her Ross home, a suicide.
The coroner's office told CBS 5 that 53-year-old Debra Schmitt died from "acute alcohol and prescription drug intoxication," which was self-induced.
Students in Schmitt's Terra Linda High School English class told police they found the cryptic message "Thank you everyone" on the chalkboard when they showed up for class on Jan. 20. She was last seen a day earlier.
Schmitt's family and friends said the teacher was going through a divorce and had recently lost three close relatives.
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