A University of Utah student was apparently abducted by an older ex-boyfriend while she was talking to her mother on the phone. Her body was found a few hours later.
Lauren McCluskey, 21, was found dead in her car outside the Medical Plaza dorms on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Monday night, Oct. 22.
She was apparently murdered by Melvin Rowland, a man she had dated briefly. Rowland was a convicted sex offender who had lied to McCluskey about his name, his age, and his past.
Her alleged killer’s body was found a few hours later in a local church, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot.
Heart-Rending Phone Call
The McCluskeys posted a statement on Twitter describing their daughter and the incident that ended her life.The statement says McCluskey dated Rowland for about a month, then tried to break up with him when she learned about his criminal history.
Rowland had borrowed her car; McCluskey had University Police escort her while she retrieved it, on Oct. 10.
Apparently Rowland and some of his friends began harassing McCluskey by phone, so she blocked his and their numbers. She then reported this harassment to the University Police.
According to the statement, McCluskey was on the phone with her mother shortly before 9 p.m. on the night of Oct. 22 when her mother heard her yell, “No, no, no!”
Her mother thought she might have been in a car wreck. She told her husband call 911 while she stayed on the line, hoping to hear from her daughter.
Several minutes later, an unknown lady picked up the phone as said that all of Lauren’s things were lying on the ground, but Lauren was not around.
McCluskey’s body was found in a car parked near the Medical Plaza Towers dorms a few hours later.
McCluskey had come to U of U from Pullman, Washington, where she first established herself as an outstanding student and athlete. She graduated with honors, while also setting a state record in the high jump and a school record in the 100-meter hurdles.
According to the family statement, McCluskey attended Capital Church in Salt Lake City.
“She loved to sing,” the statement said, “and had both strength and determination.”
“She was dearly loved and will be greatly missed,” it continued.
Convicted Sex Offender
Rowland was a 37-year-old registered sex offender who had been convicted of trying to lure a minor into a sexual situation and attempted forcible sex abuse in 2004.Rowland had lied about his name, age, and past to McCluskey, who was only 21. Apparently the two met near the start of the fall semester, but when someone told McCluskey about Rowland’s past, she stopped seeing him. The two were involved for about a month.
Police received reports of a possible abduction on campus around 8:20 p.m. Students called in reports of possible gunshots around 9 p.m.
Rowland broke down the back door to the church and made his way to the pastor’s study, where he shot himself with the same gun he had used to kill McCluskey.
