Colorado Woman Killed After Manic Episode

Cheyenne Chrisp, a 25-year-old woman from Arvada, Colorado, was struck and killed on Dec. 27, 2024 by a semi-truck during what her family described as a manic episode

Young woman’s death highlights gaps in mental health care

Summary report by Liam Ronan

Cheyenne Chrisp, a 25-year-old woman from Arvada, Colorado, was struck and killed on Dec. 27, 2024 by a semi-truck during what her family described as a manic episode, officials and relatives said CBS News reported.

Chrisp, a former valedictorian from Arvada West High School who had attended the University of Southern California, had recently been diagnosed with bipolar I disorder and admitted to a mental health facility in late November. She left after six days of treatment.

On Dec. 25, Chrisp ran away from her home; the following week, she was seen walking in circles in the area of 52nd Avenue and Ward Road in Arvada before the fatal collision.

Her mother, Lynda Rodriguez, told CBS News her daughter as “brilliant, kind, generous, loving.” Her father, Max Chrisp III, added that “parents should never have to bury their children.”

The family attempted to seek help by calling police and filing a missing person report, but Arvada police said they found she did not meet criteria for involuntary mental-health holds, which in Colorado require imminent danger to herself or others, or being radically unable to care for herself.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said that the case remains under investigation.

Read her obituary here