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.
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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 and Emily Lambert began dating in December 2013.
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