BOX ELDER COUNTY — Law enforcement have located the skeletal remains presumed to be those belonging to 19-year-old Dylan Rounds, who has been missing since 2022. They were found Tuesday in a remote area of northwestern Utah, near the Nevada border.
The Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office reported finding the remains near the town of Lucin. Rounds was last seen on his farm in Lucin and reported missing on May 30, 2022.
In March 2023, James Brenner was formally charged with first-degree aggravated murder and abuse or desecration of a human body for killing Rounds and disposing of his body.
Brenner, who lived near Rounds, was considered by officials as a suspect in Rounds’ disappearance in July 2022. According to a probable cause statement, Rounds’ last signal to his phone was pinged to a Lucin pond not far from where Brenner was staying.
Box Elder County deputies were assisted by the FBI on Tuesday to process the area and recover the remains, which were sent to the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner for confirmation of identity.
“Our hearts go out to the family of Dylan Rounds. We offer our sincerest condolences for the loss of their family member,” a press release from the sheriff’s office read. “We understand that the pain of their loss is immeasurable, and we want to express our deepest sympathies to them. It is our hope that they can find peace moving forward.”
Deputies also expressed gratitude for everyone who supported their investigation into “this exceptionally challenging case.”