Colorado authorities ruled that college student Megan Trussell died from a suicide after her body was discovered in “hard-to-reach” terrain nearly four months ago — but her parents are demanding a further investigation into their daughter’s death.
Trussell, a freshman at the University of Colorado Boulder, died “as the result of the toxic effects of amphetamine” and hypothermia was a contributing factor, Boulder County Coroner Jeff Martin wrote in a press release published on Tuesday.
“It is a further opinion, that the manner of death is Suicide. 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,” Martin said.
Police don’t believe Trussell was physically harmed or killed based on their “comprehensive investigation and forensic findings.”
“We have found no evidence to suggest that Megan was physically harmed or killed by another person,” police claimed.
The 18-year-old was last seen leaving the university’s Boulder campus, located 30 miles northwest of Denver, alone wearing dark-colored yoga pants, a blue/gray jacket and white sneakers on Feb. 9.
On Feb 12, Trussell was reported missing. Her body was found on Boulder Canyon Drive, just outside of the city, on Feb. 15.
“The decedent was found in hard-to-reach terrain, requiring a technical evacuation including the need to rappel,” according to the sheriff’s office.
In the findings released on Tuesday, Martin acknowledged that the “heartbreaking” investigation took longer than many hoped, but wished that this would give Trussell’s loved ones closure.
Officials arrested Elliot Michael Beafore, a 50-year-old homeless man, and accused him of stealing Megan’s phone and selling it at a grocery store kiosk in Boulder.
Beafore was charged with theft and false declaration to a pawnbroker and has been released on bond.
Vanessa Diaz and Joe Trussell do not believe their daughter died by self-harm and accused officials of rushing to their findings.
“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 9 News Denver.
“There was a conversation in which we were told that, based on the evidence that they had, they believed that it was a suicide, and that was two weeks after Megan was found. So, it seemed like kind of a rush to judgment.”
Megan’s parents insisted there were no signs that she wanted to end her life.
“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 told 9 News Denver.
Megan’s parents claimed the coroner informed them on Tuesday morning that the teen had bruising on the back of her head, chipped teeth and blunt force trauma, but the coroner did not think those injuries contributed to her death, according to 9 News Denver.
“That, to me, also sounds like a struggle or something that was happening to her against her will, like shoving pills down her throat and holding her mouth with force to cause bruising on her head,” Diaz told the outlet while adding that there was a missing shoe that seemingly was not recovered.
The Post has reached out to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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