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Family of CU Boulder Student Found Deceased in Canyon Receive “Promising Tips” After Demanding Reinvestigation
Boulder, CO – The family of Megan Trussell, an 18-year-old University of Colorado Boulder student found deceased in Boulder Canyon, has reportedly received four “promising tips” regarding her death. This development comes after the family vocally challenged the initial ruling of suicide and pressed authorities to reopen the case.
Megan Trussell was discovered on February 15, 2025, approximately 40 miles from her dorm room, days after her mother, Vanessa Diaz, reported her missing. Trussell had left her dorm on February 9, 2025, following an argument with her roommate. Her phone subsequently became inactive, prompting her mother to contact the police.
Initially, Megan’s death was attributed to suicide, with amphetamine toxicity and hypothermia cited as contributing factors. However, her family, including her mother Vanessa and father Joe, strongly dispute this conclusion, believing “at least one other person” was involved. They contend that the evidence does not support a suicide ruling and have initiated their own investigation.
To gather more information, the family established a tip line and enlisted a private investigator. Vanessa Diaz, a school principal from Denver, expressed optimism about the new leads.
“So far, we have received four promising tips that are very interesting and very reliable,” she stated. “I am hopeful that we will get more answers than what the police are giving us.”
Diaz emphasized her and her husband’s unwavering commitment to finding answers. “I am relentless, and so is Megan’s dad, Joe.
We are never going to let this rest until we have answers – there are answers to be had,” she affirmed. She maintains a firm belief that “someone wanted to hurt Megan,” and that “there is no way that Megan could have gotten to that location alone.”
Megan Trussell was a freshman film major at CU Boulder, described by her mother as “incredibly intelligent,” “very creative,” and “incredibly kind, sweet, and compassionate.”
According to authorities, Megan was last seen on security footage at 9:52 p.m. on February 9, heading in the direction of her sister’s off-campus apartment, though she never arrived. Her phone was later located three miles from her dorm.
Vanessa Diaz recounted the harrowing days following her daughter’s disappearance, describing them as “sheer misery.” Despite a mass search involving dogs and drones on February 13, Megan was not found until two days later when a park ranger discovered her body in a remote part of Boulder Canyon Drive.
The coroner’s report indicated a blood amphetamine level of 1,900 ng/mL and a stomach concentration of 1,700,000 ng/mL. However, the family argues that these levels are not consistent with a lethal overdose.
“For them to say Megan died of suicide is appalling,” Diaz said. “Megan did not die from an overdose – it would have had to be a lethal amount to be in her system, and she did not have that much amphetamine.”
She also highlighted Megan’s lack of suicidal ideation, self-harm history, or drug and alcohol abuse.
Further discrepancies cited by the family include blunt force injuries – bruising, abrasions, and a broken tooth – noted in the coroner’s report. While these were deemed consistent with a fall, Megan’s family believes otherwise.
They point to additional evidence: Megan’s purse, found ripped five miles away from her body and in the opposite direction of her travel, and what they describe as “so much pill material in her throat that it caused her to hemorrhage and her scalp was pulled from the cranium.” Diaz asserts, “That is not from falling from a rock; that is from violent hair pulling.
This all looks staged to me.”
The family is actively campaigning for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to launch an independent investigation and for Megan’s cause of death to be reclassified. “I believe that someone wanted to hurt Megan that night,” Diaz reiterated. “We want the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to open up a case and do their own separate investigation into Megan’s death.”
In response, a spokesperson for the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office stated that Sheriff Johnson believes his detectives and deputies conducted a thorough investigation based on available evidence. They confirmed that the cause and manner of death were determined by the Boulder County Coroner’s Office and that discussions have taken place with the Trussell family’s attorneys. The Sheriff’s Office concluded by saying, “As with any case, the Sheriff’s Office will evaluate new evidence that comes to light and determine if additional investigation is warranted.”