Colorado state Sen. Janice Marchman on Thursday called for state investigators to review the death of a University of Colorado Boulder student that coroner’s officials ruled as suicide.
Courtesy of University of Colorado Police
University of Colorado student Megan Trussell. (Courtesy of University of Colorado Police)
The death of Megan Trussell and the following investigation by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office raised several concerns and exposed potential gaps in Colorado’s laws and policies, Marchman wrote in an email to Attorney General Phil Weiser.
Marchman, who represents portions of Boulder and Larimer Counties in Colorado’s District 15, said she’s heard from constituents across her district who were “deeply concerned” about how Trussell’s case was handled.
“As a state senator, I don’t have authority over local law enforcement or coroner offices. But I do have a responsibility to ask questions, review state laws and look for policy changes that might help families in future cases,” Marchman said in an email to The Denver Post.
She said she wants to work with Weiser to identify areas where state protocols could be stronger.
In Trussell’s case, the sheriff’s office’s delay in requesting help from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, several pieces of untested evidence and the “lack of clear protocols ensuring minimum forensic procedures before ruling a death a suicide” were all concerning, Marchman said.
Marchman wants to create stronger laws and policies surrounding:
- When and how CBI should get involved in missing persons cases involving vulnerable individuals,
- What legal standards apply to determining the cause of death when circumstances are unclear,
- And how state officials can improve communication between agencies, families and the community in high-stakes investigations.
Trussell was last seen leaving her campus dorm room at about 9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9. Six days later, her body was found on “hard-to-reach terrain” in Boulder Canyon.
The Boulder County Coroner’s Office ruled Trussell’s death a suicide in late May.
In Colorado, pathologists can label a decedent’s manner of death as suicide, natural, accident, homicide or undetermined.
“Total BS! She did not take her life,” Marchman commented on a Facebook post by the CU Police Department about the ruling. “She was murdered and the entire investigation was botched from the beginning based on bias. As a parent to a student who shared a quad with Megan, I’m terrified for the safety of the students at CU.”
Trussell died from a combination of the toxic effects of amphetamines and hypothermia, coroner officials said, adding that undigested prescription medication was found in her body during the autopsy.
Vanessa Diaz, Trussell’s mother, told the Daily Camera the CU student was prescribed amphetamines to treat her ADHD. Diaz ordered a second, independent autopsy and hired a private investigator to look into her daughter’s death.
“Megan was so vibrant and just a happy, happy child,” Diaz previously told the Daily Camera. “Anybody who knows her knows she was not suicidal. She wouldn’t kill herself. She’s never had any history of that.”
Marchman said she’s working on legislation to strengthen statewide investigatory standards in youth and Indigenous death cases to protect other victims moving forward.
“People want to know that when someone goes missing, especially a young person, every possible step is taken — quickly, thoroughly, and with care,” she said.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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