Coroner determines cause in death of missing Colorado girl Kaylee Russell

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DENVER (KDVR) — On Monday, the Larimer County Coroner’s Office announced it has determined the cause of death for Kaylee Russell, following an autopsy conducted on Dec. 5.

The coroner determined that her death was caused by the crash, with the official cause of death released as a combination of blunt-force injuries and exposure to the cold. The manner of death was an accident.

Russell was reported as missing after last being seen on Nov. 30, around 6 p.m., near the intersection of Colorado Highway 402 and Interstate 25, after dropping her father off at the Loveland/Johnstown Park-N-Ride.

On Dec. 4, law enforcement responded to a report of a car that had crashed and was submerged in a canal near the Timnath Reservoir off Larimer County Road 1. The vehicle was identified as Russell’s 2016 black Volkswagen Tiguan.

Investigators found a body in the Volkswagen, but did not immediately determine the identity.

A GoFundMe set up by a friend of the Russell family, to support the mother, stated that she had been found dead.

“Kaylee has been found and unfortunately, she did not survive,” said the GoFundMe.

The coroner’s report stated the decedent is positively identified as Kaylee Juanita Russell of Evans, Colorado.

The report stated that the coroner believes she died on Nov. 30.

West

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