Mother and son killed in crash in Broomfield; suspect detained

 47 years old In the collision, Melissa Powell and her 16-year-old son Riordan Powell perished.

Jose Menjivar, 37, was taken into custody by Broomfield police in relation to the collision that claimed Melissa and Riordan Powell's lives on Tuesday, December 12.

Department of Police in Broomfield

 surrounding the death of a mother and her teenage son in a Broomfield crash on Tuesday afternoon near Broomfield High School as "inconceivable."

According to a social media post on the department's official account, Broomfield police said that Melissa Powell, 47, and her son Riordan Powell, 16, died in a collision at the intersection of Main Street and Miramonte Boulevard on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

Jose Menjivar, 37, was taken into the Broomfield County jail and later released from the hospital, according to a police statement on Friday. According to police, he is being detained on suspicion of reckless vehicular homicide, vehicular homicide with a BAC, and habitual traffic offender.

Menjivar is charged with operating the 2000 Toyota Tundra that killed the mother and son when it crashed into the Powell family's 2016 Mazda CX-5.

Broomfield police posted on social media, saying, "The investigation into the cause is ongoing, but it's believed alcohol/speed were contributing factors."

Official toxicology report processing is still ongoing, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations.

In a GoFundMe page for the family, family friend Jeremiah Garrick wrote, "It is hard to even understand and grasp the situation. Melissa and Riordan were both a light in many of our lives." 

In just one day, Powell's two surviving sons have raised over $13,000 thanks to the GoFundMe.