Frozen Colorado university student declared dead by suicide. Then her parents said the clues don’t add up

Content warning: This article mentions suicide. Please take care while reading.

Authorities in Boulder County, Colorado, have ruled the death of 18-year-old University of Colorado Boulder freshman Megan Trussell a suicide caused by amphetamine toxicity and hypothermia. But according to her parents, the conclusion doesn’t make sense, and they’re urging officials to reopen the case.

Searchers found Trussell’s body on February 15, 2025, in rugged, snow-covered terrain about 40 miles up Boulder Canyon Drive in unincorporated Boulder County. Recovery teams from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and Rocky Mountain Rescue Group had to rappel into a steep ravine to retrieve her remains, an area authorities described as “extremely difficult to access.”

Trussell reportedly left her CU Boulder dorm on February 9, after a disagreement with her roommate. Surveillance video showed her heading off campus alone. Her phone stopped pinging cellular networks a few days later near Boulder Canyon. Officials believe she may have wandered off the road in subfreezing weather and become disoriented.

Official cause of death: “toxic effects of amphetamine”

In May, the Boulder County Coroner’s Office concluded that Trussell died from “toxic effects of amphetamine” with hypothermia as a contributing factor, ruling her death a suicide. Investigators said a detailed review of surveillance footage, cell phone records, keycard logs, and witness interviews found no evidence of foul play.

But Joe Trussell and Vanessa Diaz, Megan’s parents, insist key questions remain unanswered. They have since hired a private investigator and petitioned for furthesr forensic testing, including the analysis of a softball-sized mass of undigested material found in her stomach that the coroner’s office initially declined to examine.

Authorities later tested The “softball-sized mass of undigested material.” An updated autopsy report, released after the initial May ruling, confirmed the presence of amphetamine in the stomach contents at a very high concentration, which the coroner used to reaffirm the suicide ruling. The ruling said the amphetamine was believed to be from her prescribed Adderall.

According to a Boulder Reporting Lab investigation, the family disputes the coroner’s findings for several reasons. They say Megan had no history of depression or suicidal behavior and was thriving academically and socially. They also question whether the amphetamine level listed in her autopsy was definitively lethal, noting that an outside toxicologist described it as “high, but not necessarily toxic,” and whether or not someone may have force-fed Trussell the pills.

Signs of violence, or evidence of a fall?

Added to that, the autopsy also documented bruises, scrapes, and chipped teeth that her parents say could indicate a struggle or fall from a height. The coroner said her injuries were consistent with tumbling down rocky slopes in freezing conditions.

Another concern involves Megan’s belongings: authorities traced her cellphone to a resale kiosk at a Boulder grocery store and found her purse some distance away from where searchers recovered her body. Her parents say those details raise doubts about the official timeline.

A state senator is now involved

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office has closed the investigation, reaffirming the suicide finding and saying no evidence supports reopening the case. Still, public debate has continued. A Colorado state senator has called for an independent review of student death investigations in the county, according to CBS News Colorado.

For now, Megan’s family remains unconvinced. “We’re not trying to create a conspiracy,” her father told the Boulder Reporting Lab. “We just want to know what happened to our daughter.”

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