Mother-of-three teacher ‘kills herself as cops approach her house to quiz her over trysts with a male student’
Gretchen Krohnfeldt, 47, was placed on leave from her job at Drake Middle School in Arvada, Colorado, USA on Monday
A TEACHER killed herself as cops approached her home to quiz her over allegations she had an inappropriate relationship with a male student, relatives have said.
Gretchen Krohnfeldt, 47, was placed on leave from her eighth-grade (year nine) teaching position at Drake Middle School in Arvada, Colorado, on Monday after cops were told of an alleged tryst with a student, reports.
A joint probe by Arvada police and the local sheriff’s office revealed the alleged physical relationship began when the boy — who is now in high school — attended Krohnfeldt’s school.
Krohnfeldt and the student are said to have met for trysts at her home in Arvada, sources told the station.
In a letter sent home to parents at the school, officials declined to share any details about Krohnfeldt’s death.
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Mental health counsellors were provided to students at the school on Wednesday and will be available for the rest of the week.
The statement released by Drake Middle School read: “Our hearts go out to her family at this painful time, and I know many will feel this loss deeply.
“We are not sure what type of support would help the family right now, but if they convey any needs we will share that information as well.”
Krohnfeldt was pronounced dead at her home Tuesday afternoon, the reports.
The cause of death is pending, according to Dan Pruett, chief deputy coroner for the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.
The website for Drake Middle School no longer contains Krohnfeldt’s name on its staff list, but the mum-of-three had previously been listed as a language arts teacher there.
Her teacher page was removed on Wednesday, according to the .
She had been teaching in the district since 1993, reports.
Meanwhile, a psychologist told the station teacher-student relationships can have a long-lasting impact on students, regardless of their gender.
Max Wachtel said: “People don’t realise the male victims, the boys are just as negatively affected as the girls, the female victims, so they have the same kind of mental health issues in life – post-traumatic stress, eating disorders, problems with their own relationships.”
He added: “In the moment, a lot of times they do not think of themselves as a victim.
“They think that they are in love too, and don’t think that they are being taken advantage of. It’s not until later on that some of the major problems hit.”
A version of this story originally appeared on .
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