Mom of dead CU student says missing shoe, damaged purse major clues

Boulder County Sheriff’s Office investigators insist no foul play suspectedA month after the body of a female University of Colorado Boulder student was found in rough terrain just outside of Boulder, her mother is sounding off about what she calls a “dismissive” sheriff’s investigation.

As Vanessa Diaz applies social media pressure on her Facebook page, responses to her frustration have been swift and supportive.

Strangers and friends by the hundreds are sharing and commenting on her posts, the latest of which is a photo of a pair of white platform tennis shoes identical to the ones 18-year-old Megan Trussell wore the night she disappeared.

“If you are in Boulder, please be on the lookout for the missing shoe,” she wrote Wednesday morning, explaining that Trussell only had one shoe on when her body was found.

Trussell loved the sneakers so much that she had two pairs, Diaz said, one of which she was cleaning for her daughter.

“I personally searched the area where she was found with trusted friends this weekend, and that shoe was not there,” according to a social media post. On Feb. 15, Trussell’s body was found near mile marker 40 of Boulder Canyon Drive in unincorporated Boulder County. The area was described to be in terrain so hard to reach, first responders had to utilize the rappel technique during the recovery process.

She had been reported missing to the CU police three days before the discovery, but was last seen alive on Feb. 9 on a surveillance camera in her dorm.

The following day, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued a statewide Missing Indigenous Person Alert for Trussell. CU police said in an update on Feb. 14 that they were “working with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and first responders on campus, on the ground, and in the air.”

Bits of information trickling out about Trussell’s death once her body was found have only fueled the curiosity of internet sleuths. The autopsy has not been released and her cellphone is missing.

On Tuesday, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office officials revealed that they found her purse — which was a bombshell clue — but withheld where they found it or what was inside.

They announced earlier that it was a pink purse with a blue star. The last video of Trussell shows the purse slung tight over her shoulder.

On her Facebook page, Diaz was adamant about the fact that the purse was not found with her daughter’s body, and she revealed that it was found in a tattered condition. She said that the purse was found with the side seam ripped out, a seam that Diaz had reinforced with thick, strong thread.

She is sure that someone ripped it from her daughter.

“Megan called her purse her “security blanket” and she would not have ditched it along with the prized possessions that she carried inside it,” Diaz wrote.

Public reaction over Diaz’s pain has been so massive, the Boulder County Sheriff’ Office put out two consecutive news releases in two days this week, assuring residents that there was no foul play involved in Trussell’s death. As previously stated, we have no reason to believe that there is — or was — a threat to the Boulder County community,” Boulder County Sheriff’s officials stated Wednesday afternoon on its website.

“As with any major ongoing investigation, certain details cannot and should not be released to protect the integrity of the case,” said Detective Commander Jeff Pelletier. “We understand the community’s interest and the desire for information, but we must maintain a careful balance. Based on the circumstances known at this time, foul play is not suspected. However, the case remains open, and under investigation.”

Diaz posted Wednesday’s statement on her Facebook page and characterized it as defensive and vague.

She did not respond to a request from The Denver Gazette for comment.