BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — On Tuesday, the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office said it recovered skeletal remains in a remote part of the county that are believed to be Dylan Rounds.
On Wednesday evening, the sheriff’s office said the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner has confirmed that the remains belonged to Rounds.
Rounds first went missing in May 2022 at the age of 19, and was reportedly living in an RV-camper near the Nevada-Utah border. In March 2023, James Brenner was formally charged with Rounds’ murder.
On April 9, 2024, remains that were believed to be Rounds were “recovered in the remote western Box Elder County area of Lucin,” officials said.
The Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office said the FBI assisted with the investigation and processed the area for evidence, in addition to recovering the remains.
Rounds’ mother, Candice Cooley, confirmed with ABC4.com that Brenner led authorities to the location of Rounds’ body as part of a plea agreement.
Officials said the remains were taken to the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner for confirmation of the identity. The next day, the remains were identified as belonging to Rounds.
“Our hearts go out to the family of Dylan Rounds,” the sheriff’s office said. “We offer our sincerest condolences for the loss of their family member.”
The sheriff’s office said the investigation and search took 23 months, and expressed its gratitude to everyone who has assisted with the investigation.
‘Life taken too soon’: Dylan’s mother speaks out
“To us, this is not a shock,” Cooley told ABC4.com.
Cooley said her family has fought hard and screamed loudly. She said she knew her son’s remains would be found, but she didn’t know when.
“Everybody tells me, ‘I’m sorry.’ And I tell them don’t. Don’t tell me you’re sorry,” Cooley said. “Don’t be sorry that we brought Dylan home. It doesn’t make any sense to me to be sorry for that.”
Cooley said the office of the prosecuting attorney had been a great help throughout the process. She said she and her family were able to be involved at every step of the plea deal.
“It’s crazy how it feels like it’s taken an eternity,” Cooley said. “But I blink, and I’m like, ‘Where did the last 700 days go?'”
Cooley said she learned about the discovery of Rounds’ remains when she got a call from the attorney’s office. She said she still hasn’t finished processing the news.
“It’s so relieving to have him, it’s so much stress off shoulders,” Cooley said. “Every day we were waiting for that phone call.”
Cooley said one book has closed, and Dylan can now be laid to rest. But, she said the next step is working to change the laws in Utah, saying it’s “one ending to a new beginning.” She also said she hopes Dylan knows that his family didn’t lie, and that they were never going to give up.
“Life taken too soon,” Cooley said. “What he did accomplish in his 19 years — almost 20 years — was more than most grown adults do in their whole life.”
She said he was a hard worker and a good farmer who owned more equipment than most people would even think about.
“We’ll make it so the next Dylan Rounds gets to stick around longer,” Cooley said.
Dylan Rounds’ disappearance
Around May 30, 2022, Rounds’ mother first discovered no one had seen her son in a few days. His family reportedly traveled to Utah after not hearing from Rounds and becoming concerned.
“We knew our son,” Cooley said. “Dylan would never walk away from that farm. Ever.”
In June 2022, it was confirmed that a pair of boots belonging to Rounds was found on the property where he was living in a camping trailer.
In July of 2022, a suspect was named in connection to the disappearance of Dylan Rounds. That suspect was James Brenner, who was being held on unrelated federal firearm charges.
Previous reports indicated Brenner was reportedly “squatting” on Rounds’ property. He was also said to have a violent past.
In August 2022, Nevada authorities executed a search warrant on Brenner’s home.
In October 2022, the case was declared a homicide investigation by Box Elder County officials.
In March 2023, Brenner was formally charged with aggravated murder and abuse or desecration of a human body. According to documents, digital forensics revealed a time-lapse video allegedly showing Brenner cleaning a gun with blood on his arms and shirt.
Officials say they obtained Brenner’s shirt, analyzed it and discovered DNA belonging to Rounds.
