The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is set to conduct a statutory case review of the investigation into the February 2025 death of 18-year-old University of Colorado Boulder student Megan Trussell.

The request for the review was submitted by Megan’s parents, with the acceptance of the formal request announced on January 9.

Megan was last seen leaving the CU Boulder campus on foot on the night of February 9, 2025. She was reported missing three days later, with her body then discovered in difficult-to-reach terrain near the 40-mile marker of Boulder Canyon Drive on February 15, 2025. Her official cause of death was determined to be the toxic effects of amphetamine with exposure to cold temperatures and hypothermia also said to be contributing factors. Her manner of death was determined to be suicide, with Boulder County Coroner Jeff Martin stating “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” upon the conclusion of the related investigation in May.

Per the official timeline, Megan left her dorm at 9:36 p.m. and was seen walking on campus alone, with the last visual confirmation of her captured on security footage around 9:52 p.m. Cell phone data indicated that she then traveled west with her phone’s last signal recorded near where her body was ultimately discovered, per a press release from Boulder County. Her phone reportedly stopped working on February 12 and was later tracked to a resale kiosk at a Boulder grocery store on March 2, 2025 after being sold by a 50-year-old unhoused individual who reportedly got it from another unhoused man. That 50-year-old man was arrested on charges of theft and false declaration to a pawnbroker – both misdemeanors.

A few days after her phone was found, Megan’s purse was found along a bike path near Highway 36. It had an empty prescription bottle inside of it bearing Megan’s name with the purse ultimately traced back to the same area where Megan’s body was found, per a report from authorities.

While officials “found no evidence to suggest that Megan was physically harmed or killed by another person,” the public sentiment was torn on the results of the investigation. Plenty of people chimed in to share their opinions of case details online, with a subReddit that was created for sharing news and general discussion related to the case highlighting the level of conversation that took place.

Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s formal review is not considered a reopening of the investigation into Megan’s death, nor was it necessarily related to concerns about the investigation’s outcome.

Per a press release on the matter, “the review is mandated under Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S.) § 24-33.5-2602(2)(c)(II), which requires the Department to conduct an independent review for cases involving Indigenous persons whose deaths were ruled as suicide or overdose under suspicious circumstances.” With the request for the review, Megan’s parents identified their daughter as an Indigenous woman.

“Our deepest sympathies are with the Trussell family,” read the announcement from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. “The loss of their loved one is a profound tragedy and we acknowledge their pain following Megan’s death.”

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office is set to make the entire case file available to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

A press release from the sheriff’s office included the following statement:

“The review has the support of Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson, who stated, “We recognize the concerns this case has raised in our community and believe transparency is essential to public trust. We welcome this independent review and stand by the thoroughness and outcome of our investigation.”

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