*UPDATE* - Vehicle belonging to a woman missing from Evans has been found submerged in Weld County canal - body discovered inside

UPDATE - *The Weld County woman found dead in an overturned vehicle late last week has been identified as 20-year-old Kaylee Russell of Evans, who had been missing since November 30th.

The Larimer County Coroner’s Office confirmed her identity Monday. Russell was last seen around 6 p.m. that Sunday at the Loveland–Johnstown Park-N-Ride, after finishing a package delivery route with her father. She told him she was heading to a friend’s home in Pierce. He spoke with her briefly around 6:10 — the last time anyone heard from her.

Her vehicle wasn’t discovered until Thursday afternoon, overturned in a ditch in rural Weld County. The coroner says she died later that night from a combination of blunt-force injuries and cold exposure.

Kaylee’s mother, Rebecca Russell, described her daughter as a “beautiful soul” who “loved hard,” saying she was independent, stubborn at times, and always stood up for what she believed. The family is also grieving another loss — Kaylee’s brother Isaiah died in March of 2023.

The Colorado State Patrol’s Vehicular Crimes Unit is now leading the crash investigation. The coroner’s office says no further information will be released.*

An Evans woman who had been missing since Sunday, November 30th, has been found, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, though officials have not said whether she is safe.

20-year-old Kaylee Russell, was last seen around 6 p.m. Sunday at the Loveland/Johnstown Park-N-Ride. On Thursday afternoon, searchers located the 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan she was driving, submerged in a canal off the east side of Colorado Boulevard near Weld County Road 80, the Colorado State Patrol said.

Divers discovered a body inside the vehicle, but authorities have not confirmed the identity. The Weld County Coroner’s Office will determine who was found in the car and the cause and manner of death. Family friend Josh Schweitzer, who was at the scene, said Russell’s loved ones believe the body is hers.

Russell disappeared shortly after dropping off her father at the park-n-ride. He had accompanied her on her delivery route earlier in the day and helped her replace a headlight and tire before she left for a friend’s home in Pierce. He spoke to her briefly at 6:10 p.m., the last known contact anyone had with her.

Family, friends and community volunteers spent days searching along Weld County Road 13—the route her father suggested she take—as well as parking lots across the region, including Centerra, Medical Center of the Rockies and various hotels.

The Colorado State Patrol’s Vehicular Crimes Unit is investigating the crash. CBI agents and Evans Police officers, who had been leading the missing-person investigation, assisted Larimer County Sheriff’s deputies at the scene where the submerged vehicle was found.