Alexa Bartell.Photo: Jeffco Sheriff/Twitter

Alexa Bartell, dead after rock-hurling attacks on moving vehicles in west metro Denver crime spree

A 20-year-old Colorado woman was killed when someone hurled a large rock through her windshield on a desolate stretch of highway.

On Wednesday at 10:45 p.m., Alexa Bartell was driving on Indiana Street, a long stretch of highway in Jefferson County, when the unthinkable happened.

She was talking on the phone with a close friend — but then stopped responding and the phone went silent, Jacki Kelley, a spokesperson for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said,CBS Newsreports.

The worried friend used an app to track Bartell’s phone and drove to the 10600 block of Indiana Street, the location of the phone.

There she spotted Bartell’s Chevy Spark, off the road and in a field.

“As she approached, she could see Alexa was inside and was dead,” Kelley said,The Denver Postreports.

“This is absolutely devastating,” Kelley said. “They lost their daughter. I can tell you Jefferson County has put a lot of resources into this.”

“These rocks are found inside the victim’s vehicles after coming through the windshields,” Kelley said.

Police are looking for “a light-colored pick-up truck or SUV,” that may have been involved in the attacks, the JCSO said in a release.

Bartell’s car was one of several hit with rocks starting on Wednesday night, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Two other drivers were hurt in the attacks and suffered minor injuries.

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As police continue to investigate, Bartell’s family and friends are reeling from her senseless death.

“It just doesn’t feel real,” former high school classmate Emily Audette toldFox 31.“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.

“It’s just so unfortunate she was taken away from us.”

Investigators need the public’s help identifying and locating the suspects involved in these crimes, the JCSO said in a release.

“If you were in any of these areas and witnessed anything related to the suspect vehicle or the suspects who may have been inside, call the JCSO tip line at 303-271-5612.

source: people.com