A Utah family is doing whatever it takes to figure out what happened to their missing son.
According to reports, the family of Dylan Rounds has offered a $20,000 reward for information into his disappearance weeks after the 19-year-old seemingly vanished without a trace.
The family also confirmed that the FBI started to investigate a series of properties in Park Valley — but they noted an official crime scene has yet to be discovered. In a post on a Facebook page dedicated to finding Dylan, family friend Jaz Girlson said a handful of unknown items had been taken into custody as authorities sniffed around the area for clues.
While investigators haven’t declared foul play yet, they haven’t ruled out the possibility either. Chief Deputy Cade Palmer of the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office said at a recent presser:
“If somebody is involved with Dylan’s disappearance, they need to know we’re not going to go away. If this takes months, if it takes years, we’ll keep knocking on doors.”
The update comes weeks after Rounds’ boots were found by police a few feet away from his grain truck in the opposite direction of his RV camper in the city of Lucin.
Chillingly, the boots had a spot of blood on them, which his mother, Candice Cooley, thought would kick the investigation into high gear. She told NewsNation:
“At that point, it should have been treated as foul play. You just don’t see someone’s boots in the desert that’s missing.”
Cooley said she was thankful the FBI has been assisting police in her son’s case, but she’s not as grateful for the local authorities, who she claims haven’t been giving the family the best support amid the search.
She admitted:
“When Box Elder County came out, they came out Monday, May 30… But by the next day, when they come out, and the sheriffs and everybody came back out, it was around 2, 3 in the afternoon — they called it. They literally left our family out in the desert to figure out what happened.”
For its part, the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement:
“Box Elder County volunteer teams have logged over 300 hours searching, covering over 3,000 miles (not including the hours and miles traveled to and from the remote search areas). Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office Detectives and Deputies have also been searching around the clock, weekdays and weekends. So far, detectives have spent over 650 hours investigating this case. These numbers continue to increase daily and do not include the time and resources contributed by assisting law enforcement agencies and search teams.”
Despite the department’s efforts, Rounds’ family is naturally getting antsy as they wait for answers — which is why Dylan’s parents are now offering a reward to anyone who comes forward with information. Cooley added:
“We need to have something. We need a direction. Even if you don’t think it’s important, the smallest little piece of something could help. Please tell us.”
For those who don’t know, Dylan was last seen working on his farm, days after he reportedly had a bizarre encounter with an unknown man. Rounds’ aunt Katie Wells told East Idaho News:
“The man was walking down the gravel road barefoot. He flagged Dylan down, who was in his truck… He asked to use Dylan’s phone and was acting erratically. Dylan felt the man was dangerous and may have been high. When he asked Dylan for a ride, (Dylan) did not give him a ride.”
The man was reportedly seen again in Montello, Nevada a few days later, asking about Rounds. Other reports suggest the mystery man may have found a ride to the teen’s trailer on Saturday.
Our hearts go out to Dylan’s family as the investigation continues.
Related Posts
Source: Read Full Article