A photography teacher at El Dorado High School hung herself in her classroom Monday and was discovered by students arriving for their first class of the morning, police said.
The students and another teacher got Jillian Jacobson down to the floor and called 911 about 8:40 a.m., according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi.
Paramedics tried to revive the 31-year-old Anaheim resident, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, Placentia police Lt. Eric Point said.
“It’s still an ongoing investigation, but everything points to suicide,” Point said. “There’s no indication of foul play.”
A note was not recovered in the room, but investigators were looking for one elsewhere, Point said, adding that no information had surfaced to explain why Jacobson would take her own life.
“From what I gather, she was very popular, well-liked by the students and faculty,” Point said. “It was definitely a shock to everybody.”
The entire student body was brought into the campus gymnasium and told what happened, then were sent home for the rest of the day about 11 a.m., according to Kevin Lee, assistant superintendent of personnel for Placentia- Yorba Linda Unified School District.
Jacobson, whose husband was notified of her death, started working for the school district in the 2008-09 year, teaching art, Lee said. She taught photography to students in all grades, he said.
Grief counselors were sent to the campus this morning to assist grieving students and staffers. They will remain on campus throughout the week, Lee said.
— City News Service