An Ault woman who was found dead in a vehicle in a rural Weld County ditch was found to have been speeding and using her phone at the time of the crash. Toxicology results also indicated she had used marijuana before the crash. A Colorado State Patrol investigation shows that Kaylee Russell, 20, was driving northbound on Larimer County Road 1 in a Volkswagen Tiguan and was approaching a left curve, according to a Colorado State Patrol news release. Russell, who was found dead on Dec. 4, was reportedly traveling at 60 mph, over the advised speed limit of 25 mph for the curve, where she failed to get the car to turn. She then drove off the right side of the road, going over an embankment before crashing into a utility marker before rolling into the canal. The Tiguan landed on its roof, partially submerged in water in the canal, according to the release. Marijuana use was also confirmed, and investigators suspect impaired driving was a contributing factor to the crash. Russell was also actively sending text messages at the time of the crash, according to the release. Russell was last seen at the Loveland/Johnstown Park-N-Ride, as her dad, Richard Russell, joined her during her route as a package delivery driver on Nov. 30. She was then going to a friend’s house in Pierce at about 6 p.m., when her dad briefly called her around 6:10 p.m. to make sure a headlight he had adjusted earlier was working properly. That was the last time anyone contacted her. Friends and family searched for her for several days, along Weld County Road 13, a route her father recommended to her to get to her friend’s house in Pierce. They searched many parking lots and various hotels in the area. Her car was not found until Dec. 4, and the Larimer County Coroner’s Office determined she died Nov. 30 from combined effects of blunt force injuries and cold exposure, according to a Larimer County news release. ...read more read less