Elementary school teacher accused of abusing teen student after victim's father makes astonishing discovery
An elementary school teacher was arrested for abusing young student after the victim's father found a picture of the woman's 5-year-old child on Facebook that looked exactly like his son.
The New Jersey teacher stands accused of a years-long betrayal of trust after authorities say she sexually abused a former student in her care, beginning when he was just 11 years old.
Police began their investigation last year after the father made a post on Facebook.
'Tell me y'all don't see (what) I see. If that ain't my exact DNA it's definitely my son's and we both know I never touched you,' the post read.
Last week, a Cape May County grand jury indicted Laura Caron, 34, of Cape May Court House, on two counts of aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to court documents, the abuse began in 2016, when Caron was 28 and the victim just 11 years old.
The charges stem from what prosecutors have alleged was a years-long sexual relationship that Caron initiated and maintained with a boy who had once been her student.
'These allegations are deeply disturbing, particularly given the position of trust the defendant held in relation to the victim,' said Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland in a statement following the indictment.
'Our office remains committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community.'
The New Jersey elementary school teacher stands accused of a shocking and years-long betrayal of trust after authorities say she sexually abused a former student in her care, beginning when he was just 11 years old and later giving birth to his child
The victim and his siblings, who had previously been Caron's students, began staying at her home intermittently, reportedly due to instability within their biological family.
Over time, that arrangement became more permanent, and by 2016 the children were living with Caron full-time.
Investigators allege how behind the closed doors of her Middle Township home, Caron began grooming the boy, eventually initiating a sexual relationship that continued for four years, until 2020.
Prosecutors say Caron gave birth to a daughter in 2019, when the boy was just 13 years old.
At the time, Caron was still employed as a fifth-grade teacher in the Middle Township School District, where she had taught for over a decade.
What shattered the years of silence was the father's Facebook post.
The post gained traction and raised immediate concerns.
It was this viral accusation, suggesting that Caron's daughter resembled both the father and his son, that led police to open an investigation.
The resulting probe, led by the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office and the Middle Township Police Department's Major Crimes Unit, uncovered what prosecutors now describe as a case of systematic abuse and manipulation.
Court records show that Caron not only taught the victim, but also his younger brother.
Both had been her students before they moved into her home with their sister.
The affidavit of probable cause alleges that other children in the home noticed troubling signs including the victim sleeping in Caron's bed, rather than with his siblings, and showering with her.
One of the victim's brothers reportedly witnessed a sexual encounter, believing Caron and the victim thought he was asleep.
Another sibling reportedly possessed a screenshot of a conversation in which the victim admitted to being the father of Caron's child but pleaded with her not to tell anyone, saying he didn't want Caron to get in trouble.
In January 2025, Caron was arrested. At a detention hearing, her defense attorney, John Tumelty, argued that the state had acted prematurely and that no DNA test had yet confirmed the paternity of the child.
Prosecutors confirmed that a DNA warrant was obtained, but the results have not yet been publicly released.
Despite the gravity of the charges, Caron was released pending trial.
The Middle Township School District has not publicly commented on the indictment but confirmed that Caron was suspended without pay following her arrest.
Tumelty also noted at the time that no complaints had been filed against Caron during her 11-year teaching career and that her mother, who lived in the same house, knew of no abuse.
Still, investigators say the evidence is mounting.
The indictment follows months of forensic analysis, interviews, and affidavits painting a disturbing picture of a teacher who allegedly used her authority and emotional proximity to manipulate and sexually exploit a child entrusted to her care.
Prosecutors say Caron continued to abuse the victim until 2020, when the child was around 14 or 15 years old.
If convicted, Caron faces up to 20 years in prison on the first-degree aggravated sexual assault charge, with an additional 5 to 10 years possible on each of the second-degree charges.
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