What to Know
- On July 23, Susan Ledyard was found dead in the Brandywine River in Wilmington, Delaware.
- Police later found Ledyard's unoccupied vehicle about three miles away.
- Police don't believe Ledyard took her own life but have not determined a cause or manner of death.
Nearly two months after a Delaware teacher was found dead in a river, police and loved ones are still searching for answers in the unsolved mystery.
“Susan was the love of my life,” Ben Ledyard said while fighting back tears during a Wednesday press conference. “My best friend.”
The body of Ledyard’s 50-year-old wife Susan Ledyard was discovered in the Brandywine River near Northeast Boulevard in Wilmington, Delaware, back on July 23 around 7:40 a.m.
More than an hour later, State Troopers responded to Walkers Mill Road in the area of the Rising Sun Lane Bridge in Wilmington for a report of a suspicious vehicle. When they arrived, they found Ledyard’s unoccupied black, 2016 Honda Civic. The location where the vehicle was recovered is approximately three miles upriver from where Ledyard’s body was found.
Officials have not determined the cause and manner of Ledyard’s death and have not released information on her injuries pending further investigation.
While investigators created a timeline of Ledyard’s activities on July 23, a gap remains between the hours of 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. that day. Police don’t believe Ledyard took her own life and they also said the text messages she made shortly before her death weren’t anything out of the ordinary for her.
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Police also don’t believe she went into the river in the area where she left her car. The Brandywine River is normally shallow and while it had rained, the river’s levels weren’t above average that day, according to investigators.
Ledyard was a well-respected teacher at Academy Park High School in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Police said she didn’t have any obvious problems with anyone.
“Our family is so heartbroken and not having closure about how she passed away, it’s been really difficult,” Ben Ledyard said.
If you have any information on Ledyard’s death, please call Detective D. Grassi of the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit at 302-365-8441 or Detective A. Lloyd of the Troop 2 Major Crimes Unit at 302-365-8411. You can also call the Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or submit a tip on their website.
