American Teacher Beaten to Death After Traveling to Nepal to Help Earthquake Victims

Authorities in Nepal are searching for the body of a 25-year-old American teacher after she was reportedly hammered to death and thrown into a river.

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Dahlia Yehia disappeared from the resort town of Pokhara in Western Nepal last month, authorities say. Yehia, a teacher from Austin, Texas, was in the area trying to help victims of April’s devastating earthquake which killed nearly 9,000 people.

Authorities say she was staying with Narayan Paudel, a local teacher, when she vanished.

According to authorities, Paudel confessed to hammering Yehia to death and then threw her body in the Seti River, The Associated Press reported.

Police found blood-soaked clothes and rope they believed were used to tie the young woman's body.

Authorities believe she was killed over money; they say Paudel took cash from Yehia.

They are seeking the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for Paudel if he is convicted, 30, but reportedly need Yehia’s body to build a strong case.

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Paudel was arrested on September 2 and confessed to police the next day, The AP reported.

Friends and family shared their heartbreak on a Facebook page set up to help find the young teacher.

"We are devastated by this senseless loss of a beautiful life," read one post from September 4. "For those who haven’t had the joy of spending time with Dahlia, know that she is a giver, lover, and humanitarian, who devoted her life to others less fortunate both domestic and abroad."

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