JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Friends of 20-year-old Alexa Bartell, the woman killed by a thrown rock in Jefferson County, remember her as someone who left a mark.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Bartell, of Arvada, was driving northbound near the 10600 block of Indiana Street. The Sheriff’s Office believes the suspects threw a large rock either from a vehicle or the side of the road at Bartell’s car.
Those who knew Alexa, like former high school classmate Emily Audette, are still in shock.
“It just doesn’t feel real,” Audette said. “She was always just someone you could go to about anything, someone you could always talk to. She was just friends with everybody and made everybody laugh.”
“She really left a mark on a lot of people, and I hope that inspires people moving forward to be more like she was,” Audette said.
‘She just uplifted people all the time’
Audette said she and Bartell lost touch after high school but said she can vividly remember her infectious personality.
“She was always super nice, super sweet, high energy. Always smiling. I mean, I used to see her every day at school, and I don’t ever remember seeing her sad or being negative about anything. She just uplifted people all the time,” Audette said.
Police said Bartell was on the phone with a friend when that rock was thrown into her vehicle. The call went silent on her end. The friend tracked her location and found her car with Bartell still inside.
Audette said Bartell was loved by many, including a longtime girlfriend.
“She had a girlfriend that they seemed so in love, and it just makes me so sad for her, because I looked at her social media not that long ago and her whole feed was her girlfriend. She was just such a loving person, I guess it makes me happy that she passed happy,” she said.
Police are asking any other victims or anyone who may know something about the crimes or anyone who may be involved to call the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 303-271-5612. If you have home security or dash cameras that may have caught the crimes, deputies want to talk to you.