BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — Family and friends of a missing University of Colorado Boulder student came together to honor her life Monday after authorities found the body of a woman matching her description over the weekend, which remains under investigation.
Under a memorial sign with pictures of 18-year-old Megan Trussell, loved ones placed her favorite stuffed animals and candles in her honor along Boulder Canyon.
“This is a different kind of bad,” Trussell’s father Joe said. “This is grief and this is knowing what happened. And that’s so much easier to deal with and not knowing anything, that was terrible.”
Trussell’s dad told FOX31 he texted his two daughters last week to make plans to take them out to lunch.
“When she didn’t respond, I texted her mom and said, ‘Have you heard from Megan? Because it’s kind of weird that I haven’t heard from her,’” he said. “And from there, we started looking for her immediately. It’s like, I feel like something’s wrong. And we looked at her phone data and found that she hadn’t heard anything since Sunday.”
Boulder County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating after a body was found Saturday near mile marker 40 along Boulder Canyon that they say matches the missing CU Boulder student’s description.
“There’s still a lot of unanswered questions right now,” Trussell’s cousin Rebecca Perez said. “We haven’t gotten any more new updates yet.”
“My ex-wife, she continues to talk, to stay on the police,” Joe said. “And I will too. It’s about processing this. It’s about dealing with the grief. It’s about, for me, it’s about finding ways to help other people when the time comes. I don’t know what’s next. Every day has been different. I was balled up on the floor for most of yesterday.”
Monday, Trussell’s parents share hugs and memories under the snow with those who loved and knew their daughter.
“She always could sense the humor in a situation and play it to the hill,” Joe said. “She just made people happy. The best way that I can help Megan, is to show Grace and love to everybody who has shown us so much grace and love and help anybody who needs help. I believe that Megan is in a better place.”
While the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said the body found matches the missing student’s description, FOX31 is still waiting on official confirmation of the woman’s identity from the Boulder County Coroner’s Office. The sheriff’s office released a statement Monday about the body found and said it is still an active investigation.
“We understand the community’s concerns and are committed to gathering all relevant facts,” the sheriff’s office said. “Unfortunately, it is too soon to determine what caused the death.”
The agency also said it has contacted the family and asked for patience in the investigation. Trussell’s family is asking anyone who was in the Boulder Canyon area the night of Feb. 9, to reach out to the sheriff’s office and save any surveillance video from the area that night.
