The family of a college student who died is demanding further investigation after the coroner ruled that she died by suicide. Authorities found Megan Trussell’s body in “hard-to-reach terrain” in February after she had gone missing.
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Coroner Rules College Student’s Death A Suicide
This opposition comes after the Boulder County Coroner, Jeff Martin, issued a news release on Megan’s death. Based on their examinations, they believe that she “died as the result of the toxic effects of amphetamine, and exposure to a cold environment (hypothermia).”
It then wrote that her manner of death was 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.”
Despite these findings, the victim’s family believes there’s more to the story. Parents Vanessa Diaz and Joe Trussell don’t believe their daughter died on her own accord. The duo spoke with 9News about their thoughts on the coroner’s ruling.
“We just got the impression that … maybe they were either over their heads or too busy with other cases to give this case the attention that it deserved,” said Joe. “There was a conversation in which we were told that, based on the evidence that they had, they believed that it was a suicide, and that was two weeks after Megan was found. So, it seemed like kind of a rush to judgment.”
The 18-year-old was last spotted leaving the University of Colorado Boulder’s campus on February 9. Then, she was reported missing on February 12, and they discovered her body on Boulder Canyon Drive three days later.
Parents Demand Investigation After Coroner Rules Daughter’s Death A Suicide
While the cops were investigating, the family and friends of Megan were doing their own investigation. The student’s mother managed to find her missing cellphone. She claimed one of her friends walked around Boulder for weeks asking homeless people what they’d do if they found a cellphone.
One of them said they’d try to sell it at an ecoATM. After contacting ecoATM about the missing device, she got a response two days later. The detectives soon figured out that someone sold her phone on March 2.
Authorities then arrested the man allegedly responsible for selling the phone. It was Elliot Michael Beafore, a 50-year-old homeless man. They charged Beafore with theft and false declaration to a pawnbroker, according to the New York Post. He has since been released on bond.
The police said that Beafore got the phone from someone else in the homeless community. Authorities mentioned they don’t think he had any direct contact with Megan.
Parents Share Even More Evidence
On top of this evidence, the college student’s parents were determined that Megan showed no signs of being suicidal. “There’s too much outstanding evidence, too many strings attached [and] too many things that don’t add up with her behavior with her history [and] with where she was found,” said the father to 9 News Denver.
The parents also believe Megan was involved in a struggle before her death. They claim that the coroner told them on Tuesday that their daughter had chipped teeth, blunt force trauma, and bruising on the back of her head. The coroner didn’t believe these injuries contributed to her death. This made the parents even more suspicious.
“That, to me, also sounds like a struggle or something that was happening to her against her will,” said the mother. “Like shoving pills down her throat and holding her mouth with force to cause bruising on her head.”