Mystery of the bloody boots: Missing Utah teen Dylan Rounds' parents float theories about what happened to son
LUCIN, UTAH: Missing Utah farmer Dylan Rounds' parents have shared new theories about what they think may have happened to their son, who disappeared in May. Rounds' family last heard from him as he worked on his farm in Lucin, Utah. His parents, Justin Rounds and Candice Cooley, have now said a pair of bloody boots and the location of Rounds' phone may hold some clues to what may have happened to the then 19-year-old.
The parents told The East Idaho News the evidence has a link to James Brenner, who has not been charged in the case yet. Brenner is thought to have had contact with Rounds before he went missing. He was arrested for felony gun crimes along with 41-year-old Chase Venstra.
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Rounds' disappearance is now being treated as a homicide investigation, and his parents believe Brenner knows what happened to him. A pair of Rounds' boots, which was apparently bloody, was reportedly discovered close to Brenner's property. Candice said: "Brenner has admitted he’s the one who took the boots out there. He said he found them by the shed (on the property), picked them up, moved them by his camper somewhere, and then decided Dylan wasn’t coming back for them."
Rounds' phone was found at the bottom of a pond on June 18. Justin has claimed his son called Brenner on the day he vanished. Previously, The US Sun reported cops interviewed Brenner only on June 7, as many as 10 days after Rounds last spoke to anyone. Rounds turned 20 in August.
On June 16, the FBI executed a search warrant at Brenner's trailer, following which ammunition, ignition caps, and black powder associated with muzzleloader firearms were found. The teen's truck also appeared to have been tampered with. According to his parents, the vehicle appeared too clean and was put in four-wheel drive after Rounds claimed the feature was not working.
Justin and Candice have said the investigation is riddled with “multiple errors, omissions, lies, [and] misconduct". They claimed the key fob to Rounds' truck was brought back and placed in his camp trailer, but that investigators seemed not to care. “That happened on day number three after Dylan was gone. They didn’t even think to treat anything suspicious,” Candice said.
She added, "They didn’t start thinking, ‘Something’s not right. Somebody’s bringing this kid’s stuff back now and he’s missing.’ No, nothing. They just continued on their merry way."
Earlier, Candice told East Idaho News she believes her son did not leave his place willingly, but must have been taken. He was last seen working on his farm. Reportedly, he had a eerie encounter with an unidentified man days earlier at the farm.
"The man was walking down the gravel road barefoot. He flagged Dylan down, who was in his truck," Rounds' aunt Katie Wells told East Idaho News. She said Rounds told many of his family members about the man. "He asked to use Dylan’s phone and was acting erratically," Katie said. "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." Since his disappearance, there has been no cellphone or bank account activity.
Box Elder County Utah Sheriff’s Office has now said, "Locating Dylan Rounds, protecting the integrity of the investigation, and our ability to impose criminal responsibility upon anyone involved in his disappearance are our utmost priorities.”