Haunting cause of death revealed for Colorado woman, 20, whose car was found submerged in canal after dropping her father off at bus stop

A search for a missing Colorado woman ended in heartbreak after her car was found submerged in a canal.

Kaylee Russell, 20, went missing on November 30 after she dropped her father off at a Park-N-Ride parking lot.

After changing her tire in the lot, Russell left for a friend’s home but never arrived, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Later that day the 20-year-old’s phone ‘stopped sharing any data,’ and she didn’t show up for work the following day, her GoFundMe stated.

A multi-day investigation erupted for Russell, and on December 4 police found a black 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan overturned and partially submerged in a canal with a body inside.

Although the body was not immediately identified, police deactivated the missing persons alert for the 20-year-old.

An autopsy was conducted the next day and the Larimer Coroner’s Office confirmed it was Russell’s lifeless body in the car.

Kaylee Russell, 20, went missing on November 30 after she dropped her father off at a Park-N-Ride

The search ended tragically after they found her car submerged in a canal

The report said she died the day she disappeared, and investigators believe her car remained overturned in the lake for days before being found.

Russell’s tragic death was ruled as an accident and the cause was ‘combined effects of blunt force injuries and cold exposure,’ the coroner’s office said.

The 20-year-old’s distraught mother, Rebecca, remembered her daughter as a ‘beautiful soul’ who ‘loved hard.’

‘She called me daily to tell me even the smallest things or when her bosses praised her,’ Rebecca told FOX31.

‘You never had to wonder where you stood with her. She stood up for what she believed.’

Tributes poured in from the community, with her high school writing a condolence post on Facebook.

Russell’s tragic death was ruled as an accident, tributes the from the community poured in, mourning the loss of the 20-year-old

Kaylee Russell and her father, he helped change her tire in the Park-N-Ride before she disappeared

After a multi-day search police discovered a black Volkswagen overturned and submerged in a canal

Russell’s black 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan, she was last seen by her father before her disappearance

‘The Weld RE-9 School District is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of our 2024 graduates, Kaylee Russell,’ the district said in a Friday Facebook post.

‘We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, classmates, and all who were touched by her life. This loss impacts our entire school community.’

Russell’s family confirmed her death in the GoFundMe, which has already generated $23,000 of their $24,000 goal.