Joyful — that's how friends of Alexa Bartell, 20, described her to Denver7.
"She was a friend to everyone and brought so much joy into everyone's lives," a friend who asked not to be identified said.
An assortment of flowers line a broken fence just off the roadway near the 10600 block of Indiana Street in Jefferson County. Bartell's car veered into a fence around 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, before traveling about 100 yards into an open field.
"She was a very big personality. Everybody loved her," Bartell's friend, Samantha Motisi, said during a visit to a makeshift memorial Saturday.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, someone was either standing on the side of the road or passing by in another vehicle when they threw a large rock through Bartell's windshield, which struck and killed her.
Deputies said Bartell was on her phone talking to a friend when the phone went silent. That friend then tracked her phone and drove to the location on Indiana Street. She found her dead inside her car.
“This appears to be part of an overnight crime series,” deputies initially said, adding they believe there could be more victims.
The suspect, believed to be responsible for other attacks across the metro remains at-large. Those attacks include:
- 10:04 p.m. on April 19 – Westminster - 100th Ave. & Simms St. – rock through windshield – driver not injured
- 10:26 p.m. on April 19 - Arvada - Hwy 93 at Hwy 72 – rock through windshield – minor injuries to driver
- 10:30 p.m. on April 19 – Boulder County - McCaslin Blvd & S. Indiana St. (entrance to Rock Creek neighborhood) rock through windshield – minor injuries to driver
- 10:31 p.m. on April 19 – Boulder County – McCaslin Blvd & S. Indiana St. (entrance to Rock Creek neighborhood) - rock vs.Toyota 4-Runner – body damage to vehicle, driver not injured
- 10:45 p.m. – Jefferson County – 10600 block of Indiana St. – rock through windshield of yellow Chevy Spark – homicide
Crime
Woman killed by large rock thrown at her vehicle in JeffCo., deputies say
Authorities are still working to determine a suspect description as of Friday. It's unclear how many people were involved in the deadly spree.
On Friday, the sheriff's office asked owners of Tesla vehicles in Jefferson County to review their system for footage, since the vehicles "constantly [record] activity while driving."
#Updated screenshot of the interactive map below. For active, live crime-mapping please use this link to view: https://t.co/bzfnFlraCH. Please view updated press release details at https://t.co/EDpQ53NDjO pic.twitter.com/U3fkraowxI
— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) April 21, 2023
"She was just someone who you can hang out with and smile," Motisi said. "She makes you laugh, no matter how much of a bad day you had."
Commercial Flooring Services announced Friday it is offering a $15,000 reward for information in honor of their "youngest, brightest employee." Alexa's mother, Kelly, is also a CFS employee, according to the company.
JCSO is offering a $2,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the suspect(s). Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office tipline at 303-271-5612.
