Latest news with #MeganTrussell
CBS News
21-06-2025
- CBS News
"Justice for Megan Essentials Bag Project" launched by family of University of Colorado student
The family of a University of Colorado Boulder student who was found deceased earlier this year hopes that helping others may help them find answers to her death. Trussell went missing in February, and her body was later found in Boulder Canyon in an area that her family says is known for encampments. Her death was ruled a suicide, but her family disputes that ruling. Megan Trussell's family launched the Justice for Megan Essentials Bag Project in hopes of connecting with the unhoused community, which may lead to information about her death. They said her phone was later discovered to have been sold by someone connected to that community. "We're approaching this drive with care and hope—believing that someone out there may remember something. Even the smallest detail could matter," said Trussell's mother, Vanessa Diaz. They're handing out essentials to the unhoused community and letting them know about a $1,000 reward for tips. The bags will contain hygiene items and snacks along with a flyer with Megan's story and photo and details on the reward. Her family hopes to assemble 50 bags and distribute them in early July.
CBS News
13-06-2025
- CBS News
Colorado state senator pushes for new laws as parents dispute Megan Trussell case
As Megan Trussell's family continues to dispute the cause of death in their daughter's Boulder County Sheriff's Office investigation, a Colorado state senator is pushing for new legislation in an effort to support families in the future. Trussell was a freshman at CU Boulder when she disappeared on a cold February day. Search parties scoured the area where her phone last pinged, and the Boulder County Sheriff's Office got involved. After days of searching, Megan's body was found in Boulder Canyon, and months later, officers closed the case and ruled it a suicide. Since the case closed, her parents, Vanessa Diaz and Joe Trussell, have spent hours reading over the more than 250-page case file. "It's like a full-time job," Diaz added. It's a job no parent would ever wish for, but one that also allows Diaz to grieve her daughter. "Megan was very smart, very funny," she said, "She listened and she was there for people all the time." Megan Trussell is seen in a handout photo after she was reported missing. University of Colorado Police Department The Boulder County Coroner says Megan Trussell died by suicide because of the effects of amphetamines and hypothermia. Megan's parents not only disagree but are frustrated with how the case was handled. "Easiest way from point A to point B for them was to prove it was suicide," Joe Trussell said. "I mean, they followed up on a few leads. We know that we appreciate the work that they did do. They just didn't do enough of it." One point of frustration Diaz and Trussell point to in the investigation is when they found Megan's missing cell phone before deputies did. "Vanessa and her friends were basically lapping the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. They were doing a better job. They were finding more evidence," Joe Trussell said. Vanessa Diaz and Joe Trussell talk about their frustration with the handling of the investigation into the death of their daughter Megan Trussell. CBS The Boulder County Sheriff's Office declined to interview but shared the following statement: "Out of respect for the family of the decedent, we will not be conducting interviews on or off camera regarding the press release you received concerning Megan Trussell. It is standard practice for our agency to limit public comment in cases involving suicide in order to maintain a sense of dignity for those affected and to handle these situations with the seriousness they deserve." Colorado state Sen. Janice Marchman says she started asking questions about Megan Trussell's case shortly after she first disappeared. Now, Marchman wants to create more transparency about how missing persons cases and death investigations are handled in our state. "I've asked for the attorney general to take this situation, my unique experience as a legislator, and then someone who walks side by side with the family, and let's try to figure out under this lens: what we can fix," Marchman said. Marchman says her daughter also goes to CU Boulder and lived near Megan on campus. She had been in contact with the search party at the time. She's now working on new bills to address how evidence is logged, how families get information from police, and give options to loved ones who may dispute a cause of death. "(Vanessa) said she's not even being treated as a person. (She's) treated as a problem. And walking that with her in the unique role also as a side gig that I get to write some laws in the state of Colorado," Marchman said, "We're going to make something happen here so that, so that we can prevent this for other families in the future." Marchman says she's working with other legislators and law enforcement officials to create these new bills for the next legislative session. The Boulder County Coroner's Office has agreed to further analyze the pill material found during Megan's autopsy, but emphasized that the cause of death was based on what was already found in her bloodstream. A memorial for Megan Trussell is displayed near Boulder Canyon after the University of Colorado student was found dead. Her parents are calling for more transparency in the handling of the investigation. CBS Megan's parents are also looking into possibly hiring a private investigator and getting a private autopsy review, both of which community members have donated to support. "There's so many supporters, which- you know, that really gives us a lot of strength to work through something so difficult as this," Diaz said. For now, the family continues to search through hundreds of pages for answers on how to grieve their daughter. "I'm a grieving parent," Joe Trussell said. "No grieving parent wants to believe that their kid took their own life. However, if you can convince me that that's the case, then I'll accept it."
CBS News
05-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Colorado senator raises concerns over investigation into death of University of Colorado Boulder student
Sen. Janice Marchman, who serves Colorado's 15th district, is questioning whether the investigation into the death of University of Colorado Boulder student Megan Trussell was handled properly. CU Boulder Trussell went missing from her residence hall on Feb. 9, prompting community members to search for her for days. The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks rangers notified law enforcement that they found Trussell's body near the 40-mile marker of Boulder Canyon one week later. After an investigation, the Boulder County Coroner ruled her death as a suicide. Her family said they plan to dispute the coroner's report. Deputies find woman's body in Boulder Canyon Boulder County Sheriff's Office In a Facebook comment, Marchman claimed that Trussell did not take her own life and insisted she was murdered. She said "the entire investigation was botched from the beginning based on bias" and that she's afraid for the safety of the campus's students. In a press release Thursday, Marchman said that, although she doesn't have authority over law enforcement or coroner's offices, she's looking for policy changes that could affect future cases. She reached out to Attorney General Phil Weiser to question how cases like Trussell's are handled and where state protocols could be improved. Some points of concern she raised in the release are: When and how the CBI gets involved in missing persons cases involving vulnerable individuals What legal standards apply to determine a cause of death when circumstances are unclear Possible improvements to communication between agencies, families and the community in high-stakes investigations Marchman said she wants to facilitate faster coordination, clearer alerts, and better follow-up in cases like this.
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Missing girl's death sparks mystery in the desert as parents reject coroner's suicide claims
The death of a University of Colorado freshman who went missing in the Boulder Canyon desert has been ruled a suicide - but her parents say they don't believe she killed herself. Megan Trussell, 18, was discovered four months ago in a 'hard-to-reach' area of the snow-packed desert after she disappeared from her dorm room on February 9. In a newly released coroner's report, it was ruled that Trussell died 'as the result of the toxic effects of amphetamines', with hypothermia also found to be a contributing factor as she laid in heavy snow in the desert. The Boulder County Coroner Jeff Martin also found 'undigested prescription medication' in her system that they said validated their conclusion that the 18-year-old took her own life. But while investigators say they have 'found no evidence to suggest that Megan was physically harmed or killed by another person', Trussell's parents Joe Trussell and Venessa Diaz say they do not accept the official findings. The grieving parents say their daughter's death still has many unanswered questions, including why her purse was found miles from her body, why Megan had mysterious injuries, and why she was missing a shoe that has never been found. 'We just got the impression that maybe they were either over their heads or too busy with other cases to give this case the attention that it deserved,' Joe told 9News Denver. He said investigators appeared to decide it was a suicide just two weeks after Megan was found, and officials 'rushed to judgement' instead of looking into other theories. Trussell's loved ones say they have no answers as to why she left her dorm room on February 9, as surveillance footage saw her leaving campus in dark yoga pants, a blue jacket and white sneakers. She was reported missing three days later, and her body was found in a remote area near Boulder Canyon Drive just outside Denver on February 15. Police say that when her body was discovered, it was in 'hard-to-reach terrain, requiring a technical evacuation including the need to rappel.' In the coroner's report released on Tuesday, it was ruled that the 18-year-old suffered severe hypothermia when she died in a creek near the road. Martin admitted in his findings released four months after her body was found that his investigation took longer than expected, but hoped that the 'heartbreaking' findings would bring closure to her family. But Trussell's parents say it has done the opposite, as they allege that a number of mysterious factors were not resolved by the report. 'There's too much outstanding evidence, too many strings attached [and] too many things that don't add up with her behavior with her history [and] with where she was found,' her father said. Megan's parents said they didn't know until Tuesday morning that their daughter suffered injuries including bruising on the back of her head, chipped teeth and blunt force trauma. The coroner called them to inform them of the injuries, but said he did not believe they contributed to her death, a conclusion that her parents say they are not convinced by. 'That, to me, also sounds like a struggle or something that was happening to her against her will,' her mother said. The evidence of undigested prescription pills was also called into question by the parents, who say investigators didn't look into the possibility that someone 'shoved pills down her throat and held her mouth shut with force, causing bruising on her head.' One of Megan's white shoes that she was wearing when she left campus has also never been found, alongside her phone that was initially missing. Police reportedly stopped looking for the phone as they surmised that it had fallen down a creek, but one of Megan's friends did their own investigating and found the device before cops did. They discovered that the phone had been sold in a smartphone kiosk, which was found to have been sold by 50-year-old homeless man Elliot Michael Beafore. Megan's phone was missing, but after cops decided it was likely lost in a creek, one of the teen's friends reportedly discovered it had been sold in a smartphone kiosk. Cops charged a homeless man with stealing the phone and selling it, but say he had no contact with the teen Megan's parents said they didn't know until Tuesday morning that their daughter suffered injuries including bruising on the back of her head, chipped teeth and blunt force trauma, which investigators decided did not contribute to her death Megan's family have launched a fundraiser to pay for private forensic testing in the hopes of finding new evidence that would lead cops to re-open her case However, police do not believe Beafore ever had contact with Trussell, but did charge him with stealing the student's phone and with false declarations to a pawnbroker. The homeless man told cops he got the phone from another homeless man, and investigators said they traced the back-and-forth and decided neither man had any contact with Trussell. The tragic death is now concluded in the eyes of officials, but Megan's family have launched a campaign to re-examine the case. In a GoFundMe set up by her loved ones, over $70,000 has been raised so far to pay for a private lab investigation to obtain 'comprehensive forensic testing of evidence.' A $1,000 reward was also set up for information leading to Megan's shoe, a 'critical piece of the puzzle' to determining what happened to her, the fundraiser says. The family say they hope to uncover more evidence that would force investigators to re-open their investigation.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Yahoo
Body found in search for missing University of Colorado student
Feb. 17 (UPI) -- A body matching the description of a University of Colorado Boulder student, reported missing last week, was found in "hard-to-reach terrain" over the weekend in Boulder Canyon, according to police. The body, which has yet to be identified, was located Saturday at the 40-mile mark of Boulder Canyon Drive following a coordinated search for Megan Trussell. Trussell, 18, was last seen in her dormitory on Feb. 9, wearing a blue or gray jacket, dark red yoga-style pants and white sneakers, according to the university. She was declared missing Thursday by campus police. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued a Missing Indigenous Person Alert on Friday, in a post on X, showing a photo of Trussell and the "distinct blue purse with pink star" that she was carrying when she was last seen. Boulder Canyon Drive was closed Saturday as investigators recovered the body from "hard-to-reach terrain, requiring a technical evacuation including the need to rappel," according to the sheriff's office. With the road closure, "investigators were able to recover the decedent, conduct the investigation and provide safety of first responders working in the area due to hazardous road conditions created by the weather." "The decedent's name is not being released at this time, pending identification confirmation and notification of next of kin," the sheriff's office added in a statement. "The Boulder County Coroner's Office will also determine the cause and manner of death." A strong storm system brought heavy snow to parts of Colorado over the weekend. A family friend told Denver7 that Trussell "wasn't much of a hiker." "It is very perplexing how she just seems to have disappeared," Judy Brocato said. "It doesn't make sense. So, we're just trying to piece that together." "The loss of a member of our community impacts our campus," the University of Colorado said in a statement as administrators announced the discovery of the body matching Trussell. "Our hearts go out to family, friends and community members of those that we lose. We also have support resources available in the coming days, weeks and months to support community members as they process grief."
