Tragic Tale

Boyfriend charged with murder in death of missing Richardson ISD teacher

UPDATE: An arrest warrant affidavit for Robert Earley was released after this story was published. We have updated the original story to reflect this new information.

A Richardson ISD teacher has been found dead in New Mexico after being reported as a missing person for three days. Her boyfriend has been charged with murder.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Associated Press, Emily Lambert's boyfriend Robert Earley bludgeoned her in the head after an argument and then dragged her alongside his car with a rope tied around her neck.

Lambert, a 30-year-old teacher at O. Henry Elementary School, traveled to Carlsbad, New Mexico, to visit Earley for the weekend. Carlsbad Police reported that Lambert was last seen walking out of the Blue Cactus Bar at 11:30 pm on Saturday, March 1. Earley reported Lambert missing when she didn't return to their hotel, he told police. Lambert's nearly naked body was found along a Carlsbad highway on Tuesday, March 4.

On March 5, authorities in New Mexico arrested Earley, 33, for murder and tampering with evidence. He also faces a charge of being a fugitive from justice in Tarrant County.

Earley told Carlsbad Police that he became upset when another man flirted with Lambert at the bar. Earley reportedly made a series of inconsistent statements to authorities before leading them to Lambert's body on the side of the road and confessing to killing her.

Earley and Lambert had been in a relationship since December 2013. Earley worked as a oil derrickman at Big Dog Drilling and was in New Mexico on business. He has previously been arrested in Tarrant County for failing to properly identify himself.

Lambert is survived by two daughters from a previous relationship. On Facebook, Lambert's family devoted themselves to the page "Finding Emily," where this message was posted March 5:

The essence of Emily is with God. Our family thanks each and everyone one of you for your outpouring of love, prayers, and support over the last few days. It is with our deepest sorrows that we report her body has been found. We don't know any specific details at this time. The detectives will contact us sometime tomorrow. We will use this time to collect our thoughts with our families. Thank you.

Robert Earley's mugshot from a previous arrest in Tarrant County.

Arrests.org

Robert Earley's mugshot from a previous arrest in Tarrant County.

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money woes

Texas is no longer the No. 1 most financially distressed state in U.S.

Photo by Image Source/Getty Images

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After spending an unfortunate year as the No. 1 state with the most people in financial distress, Texas has slightly recovered. But the Lone Star State isn't out of the woods yet: it's still among the five most financially distressed states in America for 2026.

According to WalletHub's 2026 report, Texas sits in the No. 4 spot this year, while Kansas, Louisiana, and Florida moved up to become the top three states with the most financially distressed residents.

The personal finance website's experts compared all 50 states based on residents' average credit scores, the share of people with "accounts in distress" (meaning an account that's in forbearance or has deferred payments), the one-year change in bankruptcy filings from March 2025, and search interest indexes for "debt" and "loans."

Despite improving in the overall ranking, the study found Texas has had the fourth-biggest spike in bankruptcy filings nationally from March 2025 to March 2026. Texas residents also have the 10th worst average credit scores in the country, according to the findings.

This is how Texas ranked across the study's six key dimensions, where No. 1 means "most distressed:"

No. 4 – Change in bankruptcy filings from March 2024 to March 2025 rank
No. 5 – Average number of accounts in distress rank
No. 8 – "Loans" search interest index rank
No. 8 – People with accounts in distress rank
No. 12 – Credit score rank
No. 13 – “Debt” search interest index rank

It feels like inflation and affordability are top-of-mind for many Americans over recent years, and uncertainty around the national economy also adds another level of distress. That's especially true for Dallas residents, which were dubbed the fourth most financially distressed people in America earlier in 2026.

"Americans have faced significant financial challenges in recent years, as inflation, shifting unemployment levels, public health emergencies, and natural disasters have made it more difficult for many households to stay on top of their bills," the report said.

The top three states that have the least financially distressed residents are Maine (No. 50), Rhode Island (No. 49), and Hawaii (No. 48).

The top 10 most financially distressed states in America for 2026 are:

No. 1 – Kansas
No. 2 – Lousiana
No. 3 – Florida
No. 4 – Texas
No. 5 – South Carolina
No. 6 – Wyoming
No. 7 – Georgia
No. 8 – California
No. 9 – North Carolina
No. 10 – Kentucky