The search for a young Colorado woman who vanished over the weekend ended in heartbreak Thursday. A body was found inside her overturned vehicle in a Northern Colorado canal. Family members said they are “devastated” by the discovery.
Kaylee Russell, 20, of Evans, was last seen Sunday evening after dropping off her father at a Loveland park-and-ride off Interstate 25. Her father had come to help her change a flat tire. The two spoke briefly before she left to visit a cousin. Russell never arrived at her destination. Her family reported her missing, prompting a multi-day, multi-agency search.
On Tuesday, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued an endangered missing alert. Investigators were increasingly concerned for Russell’s safety. Authorities noted that her phone had stopped sharing location data on Sunday night. Friends said she had not been active on social media — unusual behavior for the 20-year-old. “We were hoping she would walk through the door,” a family friend said Thursday. “But that never happened.”
The discovery came Thursday afternoon when the Colorado State Patrol located Russell’s black Volkswagen in the Timnath area near Larimer County Road 44. The vehicle was found overturned and partially submerged in a canal, on a stretch of rural terrain with narrow shoulders, irrigation ditches, and low visibility at night. CSP said divers were dispatched immediately and “located an occupant inside the vehicle,” though officials did not formally identify the individual pending a coroner’s review.
The area where the car was recovered sits more than a dozen miles from where Russell was last seen, raising new questions about the route she may have taken and the circumstances that led up to the crash. Investigators have not said whether icy surfaces, road curves, or mechanical issues may have contributed. The Colorado State Patrol’s Vehicular Crimes Unit is now leading the investigation, which will include analysis of the car’s onboard systems and data that may indicate speed, braking, or steering activity before the vehicle entered the canal.
Aerial video from the scene captured emergency crews working to stabilize the SUV, which lay flipped in the shallow water. A tow truck later pulled the vehicle onto the bank so investigators could begin documenting evidence. “This is a thorough and delicate process,” a CSP spokesperson said, adding that agencies are coordinating to piece together Russell’s travel path after leaving the Loveland area.
Emotions were raw throughout the day as Russell’s family and supporters gathered near search locations. Many had spent the previous night distributing flyers, retracing possible travel routes, and checking remote areas on foot. “We prayed we would find her safe,” one volunteer said. “None of us wanted the story to end like this.”
Russell’s mother, who publicly pleaded for help the night before the discovery, had urged community members to check ditches, canals, and back roads — areas with poor visibility where drivers can lose control without immediate detection. “We just want her home,” she said during the Wednesday evening appeal, her voice breaking. By Thursday afternoon, several of those who joined the effort said they were grieving the outcome while grateful that community members rallied so quickly. “Everyone hoped the ending would be different,” a searcher told reporters. “But at least now there’s some closure.”
Authorities expect additional information to be released after the Larimer County Coroner’s Office completes its formal identification and reviews the cause and manner of death. For friends, family, and supporters who spent days searching, the confirmation marks the end of an exhaustive effort — and the beginning of a period of mourning.
