The death of the University of Colorado Boulder student who was found dead in Boulder Canyon in February has been ruled a suicide, according to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.
Megan Trussell, 18, died as a result of the toxic effects of amphetamine, and exposure to a cold environment, or hypothermia, contributed to her death, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a release. The manner of death was ruled a suicide, according to the release.
“Our opinion was based on several factors including but not limited to toxicology results and the presence of undigested prescription medication found during the examination,” Boulder County Coroner Jeff Martin stated in the release.
Vanessa Diaz, Trussell’s mother, said she does not believe her daughter committed suicide and is seeking a private autopsy.
Diaz noted that her daughter was prescribed amphetamines to treat her ADHD.
“This has been extremely painful and I feel like the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office has been extremely dismissive and disrespectful. I feel powerless,” said Diaz, who also had hired a private investigator and a lawyer to look into Trussell’s death.
“Megan was so vibrant and just a happy, happy child,” Diaz said. “Anybody who knows her knows she was not suicidal. She wouldn’t kill herself. She’s never had any history of that.”
In Colorado, pathologists have five options available to them to label a decedent’s manner of death: suicide, natural, accident, homicide or undetermined.
Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson stated in the release that the office typically refrains from releasing detailed information in suicide cases out of respect for the family and to prevent further harm, but that they were sharing additional details because of the widespread public concern.
“We understand this investigation took longer than many hoped,” Johnson stated. “This outcome is heartbreaking, and our hope is that the findings may bring some closure to Megan’s loved ones and to the broader community.”
Trussell was seen at 9 p.m. Feb. 9 while leaving her campus dorm, Hallett Hall. On Feb. 15, she was found on “hard-to-reach” terrain near the 40-mile marker of Boulder Canyon Drive, just west of the intersection of Cañon Park Drive and Boulder Canyon Drive. The recovery effort included a technical evacuation, including rappelling.
According to Tuesday’s release, investigators discovered that at 9:36 p.m. Feb. 9, Trussell was seen leaving her dorm and walking alone on campus. She was last seen on security footage at 9:52 that night.
Her cellphone showed that she traveled west toward Boulder Canyon Drive, where her phone was last signaled near the 40-mile marker. The phone stopped connecting to networks on Feb. 12.
On March 2, Trussell’s phone was tracked to a resale kiosk at a Boulder grocery store after it was sold by a 50-year-old unhoused man who said he had received it from another unhoused man, according to the release. The 50-year-old man was arrested on May 14 and charged with theft and false declaration to a pawnbroker, according to the release. He has since been released on bond.
Diaz said on Tuesday that her friend was the one who tracked the phone to the kiosk after asking unhoused people in the area what they would do if they found a phone.
Three days later, Trussell’s purse was found along a bike path by a woman near the 39.6 mile marker of U.S. 36, just southeast of Table Mesa Drive by the Dry Creek Ditch Number 2. In the purse, an empty prescription bottle was found with Trussell’s name on it, prompting the woman to call dispatch.
Despite Trussell’s belongings being found in locations other than where she was, sheriff’s officials wrote in the release that neither of the individuals who had her belongings is believed to have had any direct contact with her.
“Based on the comprehensive investigation and forensic findings from the Coroner’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, as well as a review by the District Attorney’s Office, we have found no evidence to suggest that Megan was physically harmed or killed by another person,” officials wrote in the release.
The office encouraged anyone experiencing a mental health crisis, or anyone who knows someone who is, to reach out for help. Free and confidential mental health support is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988 or chatting online at 988lifeline.org, according to the office.
