Family members say Kaylee Russell, 20, was found inside her SUV; state patrol investigators are examining how the crash occurred.
TIMNATH, CO — A black Volkswagen SUV linked to missing Evans resident Kaylee Russell was pulled from a canal near Timnath on Thursday afternoon, and a body was found inside, according to authorities and relatives. State troopers said the vehicle was discovered around 2 p.m.; family members later confirmed Russell did not survive.
Russell, 20, was the subject of an endangered missing person alert after she vanished Sunday evening near a Loveland-area park-and-ride. The discovery northeast of Timnath Reservoir ended a dayslong search that drew local police, state troopers, divers and volunteers. The Colorado State Patrol’s Vehicular Crimes Unit is now leading the crash investigation. Officials have not publicly identified the person found in the car as of late Thursday, but Russell’s relatives said they were notified by law enforcement on scene. The case has shifted from search to reconstruction, with investigators working to pinpoint the route and events that placed the SUV upside down in the water.
Russell was last seen around 6 p.m. Sunday near the Loveland/Johnstown Park-n-Ride off Highway 402 and Interstate 25 after dropping off her father, who had helped her change a flat tire earlier in the day, relatives said. She planned to see a cousin that evening but never arrived. On Thursday, searchers and agencies screened ponds, ditches and canals across northern Colorado. Shortly after 2 p.m., responders converged on a waterway north of Timnath Reservoir, where an upside-down black 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan was visible below the surface. A tow truck and dive teams worked in cold, cloudy conditions to right the vehicle and winch it to the bank; just before 5 p.m., crews removed it from the canal as roads in the area remained closed.
Authorities said the SUV matched the vehicle described in the state’s alert, including model and temporary plate details. The Colorado State Patrol confirmed divers located a body inside the Tiguan before recovery. As of Thursday night, officials had not released a formal identification or cause of death, pending a coroner’s review. The patrol’s Vehicular Crimes Unit will analyze roadway marks, guardrail damage if any, vehicle telemetry when available, and the canal embankment to determine entry angle and speed. Investigators are also checking traffic and private security cameras along likely routes between the Loveland park-and-ride, the planned family stop, and the Timnath area. Weather, lighting after sunset, and canal flows late this week are among the factors being reviewed.
Relatives and friends who had organized search parties watched from behind barricades as crews worked in the water. Russell’s aunt, Renee Shook, said deputies told the family the car was hers and that she was inside. Earlier Thursday, volunteers had gathered at a separate pond near Johnstown after a tip about a submerged shape; dive and drone teams cleared that site with no vehicle found. By midafternoon, focus moved north to the canal near Timnath, about 15 miles from where Russell was last reported. The Evans Police Department, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the patrol all responded to the canal scene.
Russell’s disappearance drew swift attention in Weld and Larimer counties. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued an endangered alert Tuesday that named Russell, described her height and clothing, and listed the Tiguan’s temporary tag. Family friends said her phone stopped transmitting data Sunday evening. Loved ones said her father had accompanied her on package deliveries after the flat tire, and he last heard from her around 6:10 p.m. The public shared photos of the SUV and routes on social media, and volunteers traced canals, culverts and frontage roads looking for tire tracks or debris. As the alert circulated statewide, tips sent searchers to multiple bodies of water before Thursday’s discovery near Timnath.
Northern Colorado canals and irrigation laterals run parallel to county roads and subdivisions east of Fort Collins and Timnath. In winter, steep, icy banks and low guardrails can turn minor roadway departures into rollovers and submersions. In recent years, investigators have increasingly relied on drones, sonar and volunteer search groups to check ditches and ponds when vehicles or people go missing. Submerged vehicles can be hard to spot from the road; turbid water and snow can hide rooflines until a passerby notices fresh tracks or a reflection. Thursday’s recovery required staged heavy equipment on the canal berm and careful rigging to prevent further damage to the vehicle during extraction.
Procedurally, the Larimer County coroner will handle identification and determine the cause and manner of death. The State Patrol will reconstruct the crash, interview witnesses and family members, and request any available vehicle and phone data. If mechanical issues are suspected, investigators may seek an independent inspection of the tires, steering and brakes. If roadway design or maintenance is a question, reports could be shared with county transportation officials. As of late Thursday, no citations or criminal allegations had been announced. The patrol said updates would come after the coroner’s findings and a preliminary reconstruction report. Any public briefing would likely be scheduled after evidence downloads and scene measurements are complete.
At the canal, deputies maintained a perimeter as a light wind rippled the water and a backhoe idled near the tow truck. A handful of neighbors watched from driveways, while searchers hugged and cried after crews confirmed the body in the car. “We just wanted to bring her home,” family friend Faith Campbell said, describing days spent organizing maps and checking ditches. Another friend, Anne Bauer, said the group had followed every lead they could find and hoped investigators would soon explain how the SUV reached the canal. The GoFundMe created to support Russell’s mother noted a previous family loss and thanked the community for meals, flyers and search help.
As of Thursday night, the vehicle was secured for evidence and transported for examination. Officials said formal identification and preliminary findings from the coroner could come in the next several days. The State Patrol’s Vehicular Crimes Unit will continue analyzing data and scene evidence. Agencies said additional information would be released when available.
Author note: Last updated December 5, 2025.