LIBERTY — A Pickens County elementary school teacher and her husband were found dead on Monday after an apparent murder-suicide.

According to the Haywood County (N.C.) Sheriff’s Office, deputies found the bodies of Eva Haynie, 51, and her husband, Richard, 54, in a home in the Hemphill community in northern Haywood County.

Pickens County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy Creed Hashe said concerns arose after Haynie did not show up for work on Monday at Chastain Road Elementary School, where she was a fifth-grade teacher.

Hashe said Haynie had last been seen on Sunday afternoon at her second home in Haywood County.

School district spokesman John Eby said the district was “stunned and saddened” by the death of Haynie, who taught in the district for 15 years.

“She will be remembered as a dedicated teacher who loved and cared for all of her students, seeking to always put their needs first,” Eby said. “We extend our deepest sympathies to her family, her friends and her co-workers at CRE.”

Eby said additional guidance counselors would be available at the school to offer support to students and faculty members.

Haywood County deputies said an autopsy was scheduled on Tuesday to verify the causes of death.

No other information was available at press time.