A body matching the description of a missing University of Colorado student was found on Saturday morning in “hard-to-reach terrain” in Boulder County, officials said.
Megan Trussell, 18, was declared missing by the University of Colorado Police Department on Thursday. She was last seen at her residence hall on Feb. 9, according to the university.
Trussell’s parents told NBC affiliate KUSA in Denver that they contacted police on Wednesday after realizing their daughter was not responding to their messages. After checking her daughter’s phone account, Vanessa Diaz, Trussell’s mother, told KUSA that her phone had not been used since Feb. 9 at 8:45 p.m.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued a Missing Indigenous Person Activation for Trussell on Friday.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on Saturday saying that a body matching the description of a missing CU Boulder student was found near the 40-mile marker of Boulder Canyon Drive, approximately 14 minutes from campus.
The sheriff’s office and the Boulder County Coroner’s Office are conducting a joint investigation regarding the cause of death, the statement said.
Boulder Canyon Drive was temporarily closed to allow investigators to recover the body and due to hazardous road conditions created by weather. The body was found in “hard-to-reach terrain, requiring a technical evacuation including the need to rappel,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The University of Colorado Boulder released a statement on Saturday informing their campus about the discovery.
“The loss of a member of our community impacts our campus. Our hearts go out to family, friends and community members of those that we lose,” the university said. “We also have support resources available in the coming days, weeks and months to support community members as they process grief.”
Multiple agencies are assisting in the investigation, including the City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks, University of Colorado Police Department, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Boulder Emergency Squad, Nederland Fire Protection District, Boulder County Coroner’s Office and the Boulder Police Department.