LAKEWOOD, Colo. — The parents of Megan Trussell, an 18-year-old University of Colorado Boulder student who was found deceased last February, are preparing for an independent review of their daughter's case.
Vanessa Diaz and Joe Trussell spoke outside the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) headquarters in Lakewood on Saturday.
"It's been hard. Not a day goes by that I don't wake up missing her," Diaz said.
Back in May, Boulder County Coroner Jeff Martin stated that his office "has issued an opinion that Trussell died as the result of the toxic effects of amphetamine, and exposure to a cold environment (hypothermia) contributed to her death."
He reported that the manner of death was ruled a suicide.
“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," Martin said at the time.
The sheriff's office, coroner's office and district attorney's office said they had found no evidence that she was harmed or killed by another person.
However, her Trussell's parents stress there are serious gaps in the investigation, from a lack of video surveillance to her autopsy findings.
"What I'm hoping here will happen is that there are people who can take an outside look and really see what I see as confirmation bias throughout the entire investigation, from the minute she went missing," Diaz said.
In a statement Friday, the Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson said, "We welcome the independent review and stands by the thoroughness and outcome of its investigation."
To get to this point, Trussell's family invoked a Colorado law that requires a review when an Indigenous person's death is ruled a suicide or overdose under suspicious circumstances.
Standing alongside the family, State Senator Janice Marchman (D-Boulder) said it shouldn't be up to a family to request such reviews. Therefore, she's working on two new pieces of legislation.
One bill would make it mandatory for CBI to contact families when there's a missing or murdered Indigenous relative. A second would create a rapid alert system for young adults who go missing.
"This will be for 17 to 25 year olds who go missing," Marchman said. "It will allow local law enforcement to immediately contact the CBI and issue a media alert."
While this review isn't a re-investigation, the Trussells hope it will lead to more answers for not only their family, but the Boulder community.
"Her story absolutely deserves to be told, and it just deserves to be told truthfully," said Diaz.