A Final Text Sent to Her Sister Was Able to Help Police Find Laura Wallen's Killer

The last person to see Laura Wallen alive was her boyfriend, Tyler Tessier. He was taking her to a secluded spot in Damascus, Md. where he planned to build them a house someday.

Wallen was confused but went along with the adventure, taking a moment to text her sister. "I’m not sure why we’re up here, but he’s taken me to this place in the middle of nowhere," she wrote. Less than two weeks later, she was dead. What happened to Laura Wallen? It's a story full of deception.

Wallen's sister reported her missing on Sept. 4, 2017, reported Fox 5 DC. When authorities checked her bank information, they found she had visited a Safeway grocery store in Olney, Md. on Sept. 4. Security cameras show Wallen and Tessier were shopping together. Soon, her apartment property manager informed police that he found Wallen's license in front of the building's dumpster. Her car was also at the complex.

A week after she disappeared, Tessier, along with Wallen's parents held a news conference. According to Fox 5 DC, they offered a $25,000 for any information related to her disappearance. A tearful Tessier begged Wallen to come home, saying, "There are so many people, so many people that miss you, so many people who were out, who haven't slept. We haven't eaten. We are just looking or praying that you are safe." He later sat next to the Wallens while they comforted him. It was all a ruse.

Police suspected Tessier was involved in Wallen's disappearance after they interviewed him several times between September 5 and 11. His story kept changing and Tessier admitted to driving her car back to Columbia, then throwing out her cell phone and driver's license. They set up the new conference to see if he would crack. "We were pretty sure it was Tyler but we didn't know where she was and you can't put somebody away on a missing person," said Wallen's father.

Authorities also took note of the fact that Tessier repeatedly returned to the area where Wallen's body would eventually be found, in a shallow grave. Tessier also asked a friend to lie to the police if they asked about giving him a ride. When added up, it was pretty clear Tessier did something. Once police found Wallen's body on September 13, they immediately arrested Tessier 45 minutes later, per WJLA.

At time the time of her murder, Wallen was four months pregnant. It was later revealed that Tessier had a fiancée and possibly other girlfriends. Police believe he killed Wallen to prevent her from telling his fiancée about her pregnancy, then sent a series of bizarre texts attempting to blame it on an ex-boyfriend Wallen hadn't spoken to in years. Obviously, it didn't work.

Mere hours before his murder trial was scheduled to begin in September 2018, ABC News reported that Tessier was found dead in his jail cell. He had hanged himself with a bedsheet. This was devastating news for Wallen's family who were hoping for justice. Not only were they mourning Wallen, but the grandchild they never knew.