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Crime & Safety

Video: Students, Coworkers Ask Duesterhaus To Come Home

Wednesday vigil for missing teacher draws Bishop O'Connell alumni, students, teachers, friends

Friends, colleagues and current and former students of Tom Duesterhaus didn't come to Tuckahoe Park on Wednesday night for answers.

They knew went missing June 17 and hasn't been spotted for at least a week now – , his alma mater and also where he taught English for more than a decade. They still don't know ; why he chose to disappear without saying goodbye; or where he's headed next.

They didn't come to dwell on these things, but instead to pray, give thanks and keep hope. With guitars, candles, flowers and hand-written notes, they sent a message to Duesterhaus: We want you to be a part of this community, and we want you to come home.

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"Tom Duesterhaus is the heart and soul of Bishop O'Connell High School," said Cheri O'Reilly, an English teacher at the school. "He's loved by the staff, he's loved by the administration, he's certainly loved by his students as witnessed here this afternoon ."

As of Wednesday night, the Facebook group "Find Tom Duesterhaus" had reached 1,880 people.

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Though , Wednesday's event gave the nearly 60 people who attended a chance to take turns addressing the group, sharing their memories of a teacher and friend.

"I was trying to think of what a good thing to do about this was ... ways of fixing it. But I feel like [Duesterhaus] doesn't want it to be fixed. If he wants to be gone maybe he just wants some time to himself," said organizer Mikaela Kelley during the vigil.

Kelley, an O'Connell student, had Duesterhaus as a teacher during this past school year and would have been in his class again in the fall, she said.

"If he doesn't come home he needs to know that we love him," Kelley said.

Some there suggested Wednesday nights at Stacy's Coffee Parlor in Falls Church could be "Mr. D Night" – a time to gather for songs, to talk about books and continue Duesterhaus' legacy, wrote Kathryn Kelley, Mikaela's mother.

"I think he would/will be so happy to know about this," she wrote.

For highlights from the vigil, watch the video in the media player above.

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