The Boulder County Coroner’s Office (BCCO) has agreed to conduct additional testing of the stomach contents of Megan Trussell, a CU Boulder student who was found dead on February 15. Trussell’s death was investigated by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) and the BCCO, and the offices announced on May 27 that the investigation had concluded and her death was ruled a suicide; she died as a result of toxic effects of amphetamine and exposure to a cold environment.
The decision to test the contents of Trussell’s stomach after the conclusion of the investigation comes after Trussell’s parents, Vanesssa Diaz and Joe Trussell, expressed dissatisfaction with the result of the investigation and the manner in which it was conducted.
“The circumstances surrounding Megan’s disappearance, along with the condition and location of her body, make it hard to reconcile suicide as the cause of death,” Diaz and Trussell said in a joint statement. “Megan deserves a full, thorough investigation — one that addresses every red flag. So far, we have not seen that from the BCSO.”
The contents to be tested by the BCCO, according to Issue Wire, include “a softball-sized mass of gray granular material found during autopsy.” Issue Wire reported that a pathologist involved in the case noted that the mass was “larger than anything they had seen in 3,800 autopsies.”
Diaz and Joe Trussell have been working with a PR agency called Vigilante PR to contact media organizations in order to bring attention to the manner in which the initial investigation was conducted and to express their desire to uncover additional answers about their daughter’s death.
“We are actually working for them pro bono,” said Vigilante co-founder Andrea Holt. “I used to live and work in Boulder and like to give back to the community whenever possible. I am also a mother and can’t fathom what they are dealing with.”
Vigilante PR has contacted numerous media outlets describing how there is “glaring evidence pointing to homicide” within Trussell’s case, including things that were “ignored” by the BCSO, like Trussell being found missing a shoe; having sustained “significant physical Injuries inconsistent with suicide,” like severe head trauma and newly chipped teeth; her phone having been sold/pawned by an unhoused individual in the Boulder area; amongst other pieces of evidence.
Issue Wire said that Trussell’s family is also calling for additional testing by the BCSO, claiming “fingernail clippings, various swaps (including a rape kit and DNA swaps), blood found near Megan’s body, as well as a forensic analysis of the injury patterns spread across her body” were not adequately analyzed.
On June 5, the Boulder Daily Camera reported that Senator Janice Marchman called for state investigators to re-review Trussell’s death. According to the Daily Camera, Marchman said she had heard from many constituents who were concerned about how Trussell’s case was handled. CBS News reported that Marchman is “working on new bills to address how evidence is logged, how families get information from police, and give options to loved ones who may dispute a cause of death.” She told CBS that she's “working with other legislators and law enforcement officials to create these new bills for the next legislative session.”
The BCCO has “clear protocols that ensure forensic standards are followed in every investigation,” according to Carrie Haverfield, a senior communications specialist for the BCSO. The office adheres to the Forensic Autopsy Performance Standards and the Guide for Manner of Death Classification, Haverfield said, which are established by the National Association of Medical Examiners, which is a nationally recognized and peer-reviewed framework for forensic pathology.
“Megan had superficial abrasions and bruising (commonly referred to as blunt force trauma within the medical community)... [which] did not contribute to her death,” Haverfield said on behalf of the BCCO. “Megan died as a result of the toxic effects of amphetamine with a contributing condition of exposure to a cold environment (hypothermia).”
The BCCO said that the “critical factor” in determining the cause of Trussell’s death was the “level of amphetamine found in her blood concentration, which represents the amount that had been metabolized by the body.”
In meetings with Megan's parents, the BCCO said that questions were raised about the pill material found in the esophagus and stomach as stated in the autopsy report. “While the office has agreed to submit these specimens for further analysis, it is important to note that the conclusion regarding cause of death was based on the metabolized substances present in the bloodstream,” the BCCO said.
Haverfield said that Sheriff Curtis Johnson believes that his detectives and deputies conducted a thorough investigation of Megan’s death based on the available evidence.
“This was a tragic situation, and the family has been very involved from the beginning,” the BCSO said. “Sheriff’s Office employees, along with investigators from the Coroner’s Office and District Attorney’s Office, met with the Trussell family attorney several times. During these meetings, the facts of the investigation were discussed and there was an opportunity for their attorney to ask questions or present any additional evidence or factual information that pertained to the Sheriff’s Office investigation.”
Havefield said that the BCSO has made the investigative case report available for “anyone who wants to review it.”
Trussell’s family is continuing to push for further investigations into their daughter's death, and they have started a GoFundMe page to raise money to hire private pathologists and investigators. The family and Vigilante PR encourage anyone with tips to contact [email protected].
“We are committed to seeking answers and, ultimately, justice for Megan,” Diaz and Joe Trussell said. “We deeply appreciate the outpouring of love and support from our community during this devastating time.”
