Remains found in northern Utah believed to be of missing teen Dylan Rounds

LUCIN, Utah — Police in northern Utah said they have discovered remains believed to be those of Dylan Rounds, a 19-year-old teen who went missing two years ago.

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Rounds was 19 when he went missing near his home in Lucin, Utah on or around May 28, 2022, KSL-TV reported. Lucin is near the Utah-Nevada border. He was last seen in Montello, Nevada -- 30 miles west of Lucin -- where his family said he had moved from Idaho to start his own farm, KSTU-TV reported.

According to a news release from the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, skeletal remains were discovered in Lucin, a small town located approximately 200 miles northwest of Salt Lake City.

The remains have been turned over to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office to confirm the identity, KUTV reported.

James A. Brenner, 60, was formally charged on March 3, 2023, with aggravated murder and abuse or desecration of a human body, the sheriff’s office said.

Police said Brenner was squatting in a trailer and was Rounds’ closest neighbor when he went missing, KSL reported.

Brenner had been considered a suspect on July 23, 2023, according to KUTV. According to a probable cause statement, Rounds’ last signal to his cellphone was pinged to a pond that was close to where Brenner was staying.

According to East Idaho News, Rounds’ family said that Brenner led authorities to where the missing teen was buried as part of a plea agreement. Officials have not confirmed that report.

“Our hearts go out to the family of Dylan Rounds,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “We offer our sincerest condolences for the loss of their family member. 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.

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