Megan Trussell Obituary, Cause of Death; Missing CU Student Found Dead in Boulder Canyon; Loved Ones Mourns
The University of Colorado Boulder community is mourning the tragic loss of 18-year-old Megan Trussell, a promising student who passed away after she was reported missing and later found dead in Boulder Canyon.
Megan’s disappearance had prompted an extensive search involving multiple law enforcement agencies, volunteers, and her concerned family members. Rangers discovered a body believed to be Megan’s in a remote and rugged area of Boulder Canyon around 10:41 a.m. on Saturday.
The location, described as “hard-to-reach terrain” near the 40-mile marker of Boulder Canyon Drive, required a technical evacuation involving rappelling efforts by first responders.
Although the authorities have yet to officially confirm the identity, the description of the recovered individual closely matched that of Megan Trussell. The Boulder County Coroner’s Office is conducting an investigation to determine the exact cause and manner of her death.
Megan was last seen around 9 p.m. on Sunday, February 9, when she left Hallett Hall, her dormitory on the CU Boulder campus. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a blue jacket, dark-colored yoga-style pants, and white platform sneakers.
Her abrupt absence raised immediate concerns among her family, friends, and campus authorities. The search for Megan was a determined and coordinated effort. CU Boulder police, local and state law enforcement agencies, and volunteer groups conducted multiple searches throughout the Boulder area, deploying drones, search and rescue dogs, and a dive team along Boulder Canyon Drive.
Her parents, Vanessa Diaz and Joe Trussell, remained deeply involved in the search efforts, staying in a CU Boulder Police conference room as authorities worked tirelessly to find their daughter.
The FBI provided a significant lead when they tracked Megan’s phone activity and discovered that her phone had last pinged from a cell tower in Boulder Canyon around midnight on Sunday. Concerned by her lack of response for several days, Megan’s mother, Vanessa Diaz, checked her T-Mobile phone records and realized that her daughter had not made any calls or sent messages since Sunday.
