A body matching the description of a University of Colorado student who went missing last week was found in a “hard-to-reach” area of Boulder Canyon, authorities said.
City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks rangers alerted authorities shortly after 10:40 a.m. local time on Saturday that a deceased female was discovered near the 40-mile marker of Boulder Canyon, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said.
When investigators arrived at the scene, they found a body that matched the description of 18-year-old Megan Trussell, who went missing on Feb. 9. A GoFundMe page on Sunday transitioned from helping find her to memorializing her. “We will always cherish the memories of Megan’s vibrant spirit and the love she shared with us,” the organizer wrote.
“The decedent’s name is not being released at this time, pending identification confirmation and notification of next of kin,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Saturday. “The Boulder County Coroner’s Office will also determine the cause and manner of death.”
Megan Trussell, 18, was last seen at her residence hall on the University of Colorado Boulder campus on Feb. 9, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.GoFundMe page)
The body was found in “hard-to-reach terrain” that required first responders to rappel and conduct a technical evacuation, according to the sheriff’s office.
Missing University of Colorado student last seen on campus
Trussell was last seen on Feb. 9 at around 10 p.m. on the University of Colorado Boulder campus, according to several law enforcement agencies. Authorities described her as an indigenous female with red hair and brown eyes.
She was last seen at her residence hall on campus, wearing a blue or gray jacket, dark-colored or red yoga-style pants and white platform sneakers, authorities said. She was also carrying a “distinct” blue purse with a pink star, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
The CU Boulder Police Department reported Trussell’s disappearance on Thursday and said the department was working with “local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and first responders on campus, on the ground and in the air.”
The FBI’s field office in Denver also said it was assisting in the search for her. On Friday, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued a statewide Missing Indigenous Person Alert for Trussell.
Megan Trussell, 18, was last seen at her residence hall on the University of Colorado Boulder campus on Feb. 9, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
A family friend of the Trussell family, Judy Brocato, told television station Denver7 that Trussell’s phone had pinged in Boulder Canyon the night she disappeared. Brocato had helped with the volunteer search on Saturday.
Brocato noted that Trussell “wasn’t much of a hiker” and that it was cold that evening, according to Denver7. A strong storm system has blanketed parts of Colorado over the weekend, bringing cold temperatures and periods of heavy snow over, the National Weather Service in Boulder said.
“It is very perplexing how she just seems to have disappeared,” she told Denver7. “It doesn’t make sense. So, we’re just trying to piece that together.”
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Investigation and recovery of remains
A stretch of Boulder Canyon Drive, also known as Highway 119, was temporarily closed between the city of Boulder and the town of Nederland during the investigation, the Colorado Department of Transportation said.
Megan Trussell, 18, was last seen at her residence hall on the University of Colorado Boulder campus on Feb. 9, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
The Boulder Canyon Trail, a 2.6 mile trail that runs along Boulder Creek and Boulder Canyon Drive, was also temporarily closed, according to Boulder County Parks and Open Space. The trail reopened shortly after 4 p.m. on Saturday.
The road closure allowed “investigators access to recover the decedent, conduct the investigation, and for the safety of first responders working in the area due hazardous road conditions created by the weather,” the sheriff’s office said.
Several local agencies and volunteer groups assisted in the investigation, which is being led by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Police recover body matching missing CU Boulder student Megan Trussell
