Elementary School Teacher Accused of Having Child with 13-Year-Old Student Indicted By Jury

In a news release shared last week, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office announced that Laura Caron, 34, will be prosecuted on multiple felony counts after a grand jury returned an indictment on June 17.

According to the release, Caron has been indicted on charges of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

"These allegations are deeply disturbing, particularly given the position of trust the defendant held in relation to the victim," Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland said in the release. "Our office remains committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community and will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who violate that trust."

Per the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office, the charges stemmed from Caron's "inappropriate sexual relationship" with a male student from 2016 to 2020, who was also living with the teacher during that time period, alongside his brother and sister. Caron allegedly began sexually assaulting the student when he was 11.

The victim was allegedly 13 years old when Caron, then 28, was impregnated.

Caron had taught the students and his brother in the fifth grade at Middle Township Elementary School. The family struck up a friendship with the teacher, per court docs seen by ABC affiliate WPVI, with the boys' parents allowing them and their sister to sleep over at her house a couple of nights a week at first.

The siblings allegedly moved in with her permanently in 2016, sharing a bedroom for four years. Caron gave birth to her baby in 2019, while the family's kids were still living with her.

It all began to fall apart for Caron and the child, now 5 years old, when the student's father started to notice uncanny physical similarities between the kid, himself and his son. He went public with what he observed on Facebook in December 2024.

Police quickly got involved and started investigating the matter, which included interviews with the family's three children. The boy's sister reportedly told them she believes her brother started sleeping in the same bed with Caron when he was 11 years old.

She told investigators that while she and her brothers went to bed in the same room on the second floor of Caron's home, she would notice her brother was in Caron's bed the following morning. Additionally, the sister said that when her brother was in the shower, Caron would go into the bathroom and lock the door.

The boy's older brother also said that he witnessed Caron sexually assaulting his brother one night when they thought he was asleep, per the criminal complaint. Finally, the sister allegedly told police that her brother admitted to fathering the child in a text message to her, asking her to keep it a secret.

The unidentified student ultimately told police he had been involved in a sexual relationship with his former teacher, and fathered her child in 2019, per the court docs. He also said that he had remained in contact with her until his father's Facebook post.

However, the alleged victim said in February that all charges against Caron should be dropped.

Speaking with the Daily Mail at the time, the teenager said, "They need to drop all charges. I wasn't groomed or raped or manipulated by her. She never initiated anything."

"I started everything. If it was up to me she wouldn't have been in jail. It's been six or seven years. I'm 19 about to be 20," he continued, also calling allegations any abuse happened when he was as young as 11 -- the age his sister said he was when he allegedly started sleeping in the same bed as Caron -- "crazy."

He told the outlet he can't speak with the child, while Caron has been ordered to have no contact with the teen. "I can't talk to them. I wish I could but I can't and it sucks," he said, blaming his father for her arrest.

"All of this started with a Facebook post from my father. I didn't want her violated like that," he said, telling the publication he and his father are now estranged.

"The world has no idea what she has done for my family. I love her with all my heart. She was there for me and my family," he added.

At the time, Caron's attorne said there's no evidence proving the child is related to the teen.

"And only after the arrest, they get search warrants for her DNA. They got the victim's DNA, voluntarily from him, and they have a search warrant for my client's five-year-old daughter for her DNA," he also told ABC 6. "And that will take months for that evidence, that biological evidence, to be obtained, sent to the lab, and processed."

Those results still haven't been made public.

Following her indictment, Caron faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted, per the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office.

According to People, citing court records, Caron's scheduled to return to court on July 16, and has not entered a plea.

The National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline -- 800.656.HOPE (4673) -- provides free, 24/7 support for those in need.

If you are experiencing or witness child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911.