COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A Colorado Springs man was recently the victim of a murder, but not in Colorado.

Authorities in Mississippi are working the case of 23-year-old Elias Trudell who was found shot and left inside of a burning car at Luxapalila Park; just south of Columbus, Mississippi.

The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office says it all stems from a drug deal gone bad.

On September 2nd, authorities were called to the scene of a burning car at an abandoned park. To their surprise, the body of a Colorado Springs man, Elias Trudell, was inside. 

According to the sheriff’s office, Trudell and Malachi Salus drove from Colorado Springs to Columbus, Mississippi to transport drugs.

Investigators say the pair then devised a plan to rip off one of the people they were meeting.

Trudell’s family says they had no idea why he was going to Mississippi, “My cousin just told me it was like an easy way to get money, and that’s all he told me. He never mentioned anything about drugs,” Micaela Pritchard said.

Things didn’t go as planned and Trudell was shot before being placed into a car and set to flames.

His family tells KRDO13 that he was a good person at heart, but he hung around the wrong crowd, “Nobody deserves to die like that viciously…you guys didn’t even give us a chance for him to be buried properly and he was ashes, like, that is not okay,” Pritchard said.

The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office has made 7 arrests in connection to Trudell’s death.

They are Malachi Salus, 22, Jaleen Young, 24, and Kenneth Jones, 20, Issac Harris, 19, Treveon Little, 23, Makye Butler, 19, and David Hall, 25.

Charges they are facing range from conspiracy to traffic a controlled substance to accessory after the fact of murder.

THORNTON, Colo — Riverdale Ridge High School was packed Friday morning as nearly 1,000 people received care from a free dental clinic. It’s the 17th year the Colorado Mission of Mercy (COMOM) has hosted the free clinic.

More than 200 volunteer dentists provided free dental treatment for families. The care included crowns, fillings and even free dentures. The value of the provided care is around $1 million.

“Being able to come here today is really helpful financially,” said Aleya Patrick, a Colorado resident who needed a filling.

Although Patrick is from Colorado, many of the patients made the long drive from out of state. COMOM staff confirmed to Denver7 that some of the patients came from California, Iowa and Texas. Additionally, some families camped out the night before.

“Today is one of the busiest days we’ve had in a long time,” said Dr. Nathaniel Kunzman, a dentist providing care at the event.

Colorado Mission of Mercy hosts free dental clinic at a Thornton high school

Kunzman has participated in nine of the previous dental clinics.

“It’s not just heart warming, it’s soul uplifting,” said Kunzman.

The event will continue Saturday morning starting at 6 a.m. Patients are advised to arrive early for treatment since supplies can run out quickly.

You can find out more about COMOM here.

The 2024 Colorado high school football season continues this week with several big matchups across the state, including a big matchup with Cherry Creek hosting Pine Creek on Friday (September 27).

Another sizable Friday matchup is Ralston Valley vs Valor Christian. Both teams remained undefeated last week as Ralston Valley took care of ThunderRidge 39-2 and Valor Christian came out on top against Mullen 46-20.

You can follow all of the CHSAA football games and get updated scores by tracking the SBLive Colorado High School Football Scoreboard. We will have in-game score updates and all of the final scores from every corner of the state. You can also search for full schedules and complete scores from all of your favorite teams.

Here’s a guide to following all of the Colorado high school football action on Friday night:

COLORADO CHSAA FOOTBALL SCORES:

STATEWIDE COLORADO FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD

CLASS 5A SCORES | CLASS 4A SCORES

CLASS 3A SCORES | CLASS 2A SCORES

CLASS 1A SCORES

CLASS A – 6 MAN | CLASS A – 8 MAN 

2024 COLORADO FOOTBALL SCHEDULES: FIND YOUR TEAM

Can’t make it to your favorite team’s game but still want to watch them live? You can watch dozens of Colorado high school football games live on the NFHS Network:

WATCH CHSAA GAMES LIVE ON NFHS NETWORK

DOWNLOAD THE SBLIVE APP

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App

SBLIVE SPORTS LAUNCHES HIGH SCHOOL ON SI

High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before. For more information, visit si.com/high-school.

— Ben Dagg | @sblivesports