Her Dead Body Was An Adult Toy For Them | True Crime Documentary
University police security opening office. >> I’ve been getting these texts about from from these numbers of different people. Hi, I would like to request some help from my daughter. I got a text about, you know, asking if I wanted to go to a funeral, his funeral, and I think they’re trying to lure me somewhere.
>> She started dating this guy like a bad person. I don’t want her to go there by herself and have like something bad happen to her. Do you feel comfortable with him doing that? >> I know your mom was really concerned about it. [music] >> I’m worried because I’ve been working with the campus police and I haven’t gotten an update.
I’m uh dealing with the situations um where I’m being blackmailed money and I’m concerned there might be an insider um who’s letting them know about the the case >> trying to reach is not available >> the University of Utah October 22nd 2018 21-year-old Lauren McCcluskey is making her way back to her dorm After an evening class, she is speaking with her mother on the phone.
Her voice remains calm as they discuss school, her future plans, and the normal events of her day. Then, in a matter of seconds, everything changes. A terrified scream suddenly interrupts the call. No, no, no. The phone falls to the ground. The sounds of a struggle can be heard and then silence. Within minutes, the entire university campus is placed under a complete lockdown.
Students say they heard gunshots. Police begin a massive search, but Lauren has already disappeared. It does not take investigators long to discover a disturbing pattern. For weeks, Lauren had repeatedly told authorities that she was being stalked, threatened, blackmailed, and that she feared for her life. She named one specific person.
She pleaded for assistance. She warned that the situation was becoming more dangerous with every passing day. Her ex-boyfriend had been using a false identity, had a criminal history, and had been following her across campus. According to Lauren, he had no plans to stop. Every single report she made had been recorded.
Yet, none of them were enough to keep her safe. And by the time surveillance footage showed Lauren entering her dorm building for the final time, the man she had been desperately trying to get away from was already standing directly behind her. >> Hi, my daughter Lauren McCloski uh was talking to her mom and then she just started saying, “No, no, no, no, no.
” And it sounded someone might have been grabbing her or something. >> All units attempt to locate a suspect involved in possible kidnapping. The victim is alar. Her mother heard her yell, “No, no,” on the phone. Then the line went quiet. >> At that moment, Lauren could not have been far from her dorm because she had only just been speaking with her mother on the phone.
But if someone had forced her into a vehicle, she could have already been miles away. Without her phone available to track her location, every second became critical. As everyone rushed to bring in more resources and pursue every possible lead, investigators suddenly noticed a strange sound coming from Lauren’s phone. >> Someone’s been talking on her phone.
Hello. >> Hi. >> But it wasn’t Lauren. >> University police. >> Hi. I just found a whole bunch of stuff spread out all over the ground and a phone that had an active call. I picked it up. [music] >> Okay. >> Um this says >> I was just on the phone with her parents. >> Okay. I’m having officers responding up that way.
>> On that cold October night, while police officers, journalists, and students worked to understand what had taken place, Lauren McCluskey remained missing. But a simple search of her name quickly revealed how serious the situation truly was. Even more troubling, investigators began to realize that the warning signs had existed for a long time.
From a young age, one quality stood out about Lauren more than anything else. Her incredible determination, especially in athletics. Her mother said Lauren was climbing trees by the time she was only 2 years old. After that, she developed a love for nearly anything that involved sports or physical activity, and not in the ordinary way most people experience it.
For Lauren, athletics became her passion and the force that motivated her throughout life. She was constantly challenging herself, trying to improve, and aiming to become the best version of herself. Even as a young girl, she was recognized for her extraordinary persistence and powerful determination. When she was 8 years old, her mother Jill entered her in three track and field events.
The 400 meter race, the high jump, and the long jump. Lauren did not simply take first place. She broke records in all three competitions. Several years later, she placed second at the Junior Olympic Nationals. She never complained, even when conditions were difficult or training sessions became incredibly demanding. While many of her friends spent their weekends resting at home, Lauren, fueled by an uncommon level of ambition, was outside practicing and pushing herself, and she truly enjoyed every moment of it.
Although Lauren was full of energy, her father Matt said she was also an extremely compassionate and sensitive person. She gave everything she had to whatever she pursued. But she also carefully considered every choice she made. Before long, Lauren had created such a strong reputation that people recognized her name far beyond her small hometown school.
Matt remembered introducing himself to others and hearing them reply, “Oh, McCcluskey, you’re Laurens’s dad.” She also had a deep affection for animals and volunteered at the Wittman County Humane Society, where she helped socialize cats and gave them a better chance of being adopted into caring homes. Lauren was attracted to the University of Utah largely because of its exceptional athletic program.
She received a full track and field scholarship and decided to study communications. One of her close friends, Diamond Jackson, described Lauren as extremely intelligent and intensely motivated. She always understood exactly what she wanted and had a clear plan for how she would accomplish it. Lauren was deeply committed to her church, her friends, and her family.
And she wanted to fully experience everything her college years had to offer. She ranked 10th in University of Utah history in the women’s heptathlon and maintained a 3.77 gradepoint average while studying communications. Of course, photographs and videos can only reveal a small glimpse of who someone truly was. A few moments taken from an entire lifetime, but even those moments are enough to show that Lauren McCcluskey was living a meaningful, accomplished, and truly happy life. October 22nd.
>> Hi. Um, my name is Matt McCcluskey. Uh, my daughter is Lauren McCcluskey and she went missing tonight and we reported it to the University of Utah police. She’s a student there. >> Police vehicles rushed onto the campus, their flashing lights illuminating the area as fear and confusion quickly spread across the grounds.
Around the same time Lauren was believed to have been taken. Students also reported hearing gunshots. >> Shots fired. >> Were these two events related? At the time, nobody had the answer, but the university quickly moved into a complete lockdown. All evening classes were cancelled. Students were instructed to remain indoors, secure their doors and windows, and stay in place until authorities confirmed that it was safe to leave.
>> I’m calling my daughter Lauren, a puppy that’s missing. >> We do have officers on scene handling right now. We’re actively looking for her. We’re doing everything we can to track her down. >> Campus police and the Salt Lake City Police Department began going through every report they had documented. What they uncovered was an extensive record of incidents Lauren had reported during the previous several weeks.
She had contacted police so many times that the number of calls was hard to track. Her ex-boyfriend had been stalking her, harassing her, threatening her, and using blackmail against her. He had used fake phone numbers, followed her throughout campus, and even disguised himself on several occasions. Every one of those encounters had been recorded.
Yet no significant action had ever been taken. Lauren, along with the people closest to her, was truly frightened for her safety. According to her family and friends, the first person investigators should have been searching for was her ex-boyfriend. The University of Utah shared his description through its Twitter account.
Police identified the suspect as a black male, 37 years old, about 6′ 3 in tall, weighing approximately 250 lb. He was last seen wearing a gray knit beanie, black pants, white shoes, and a white hooded sweatshirt. A large-scale manhunt began right away. Lauren first met Sha Fields on September 1st at a bar where he worked as a security guard.
The two connected almost immediately. Lauren gave him her phone number and the following day they went on their first date. Sha told her he was attending Salt Lake Community College while also working at a call center. Lauren’s friend Regina said the entire situation felt like something from a fairy tale. Everyone was excited for her.
Lauren was completely captivated by him. There were flowers, romantic outings, and thoughtful surprises. He appeared [music] caring, attentive, and eager to meet everyone in her life. He even made an effort to get acquainted with other students in her dorm, building people Lauren herself hardly knew. But the honeymoon period did not last.
Soon, Lauren began noticing an entirely different side of Shahwan that was controlling and possessive. At first, he repeatedly called her and became upset whenever she did not answer. Before long, he began insisting that she answer within only a few rings, wear clothing that covered as much of her body as possible, and he even gave her pepper spray because he claimed other men would inevitably bother her.
Later, he started bringing up guns and insisted that Lauren should keep a handgun inside her dorm room. Those actions immediately concerned the people around her. Her friends saw that the 21-year-old was becoming more isolated, distant, and nervous. They did not want to ignore the warning signs. One of them, Diamond, who worked in the university’s student housing office, decided to tell her supervisors what was happening.
She sent an email outlining her concerns about Sha. But shortly afterward, Lauren discovered something that completely changed everything. She found Sha’s identification card. That was when she learned he was not the person he claimed to be. The man she knew as 28-year-old Shaw Fields was actually 37year-old Melvin Roland.
And that was not even the most disturbing discovery. When Lauren searched his real name, she found that he was registered on the official sex offender registry. In 2003, he had been charged with raping and online enticement of a 17-year-old college student. At the time, he was also a college student and was allowed to continue attending classes while wearing an electronic monitoring device.
However, investigators and prosecutors eventually decided that forcing the victim to go through a trial would be too traumatic, leading them to reach a plea agreement instead. Melvin pleaded guilty to online enticement of a minor and attempted forcible sexual abuse. He served his sentence from 2004 through 2013, but after being released, he repeatedly violated the conditions of his parole and was returned to prison multiple times.
One of his parole hearings was recorded, and it offers a disturbing look into Melvin’s history, his mindset, and the many women he had harmed throughout the years. >> They didn’t tell me how many victims you have. Uh, so, uh, I’d like you to give me kind of a idea of what we’re looking at victim-wise. >> I would say every female that I came across dating or met on the internet, [music] I’d say every woman I’ve met or I came across that I I used my manipulation tactics to get what I wanted.
>> Mhm. >> How many How many did you out and out rape like [music] the one young lady? Well, not like that. But me being a womanizer, you [music] know, I I use other taxes to get what I wanted with them. I’d say some similar. So, I’d say [music] uh two >> two others. >> But I see it in general just how I manipulated and used women in general.
>> How many How many women in general did you convince to have sex with you by manipulation? [music] >> I got locked up at 22. And my sexual experience, I’d say [music] about 50. >> Okay. Hopefully uh when you get out you’ll uh have learned from [music] uh this experience. Only time’s going to tell. >> Yeah, I know I’m I have that capability reoffending, [music] but again it’s something I’ll have to prove.
>> Melvin had also faced accusations of attempted rape and another woman had secured a protective order against him. Only a few months after his release from prison, his parole officer, Megan, gave him a serious warning. She described him as arrogant and excessively confident and she made it completely clear that she expected him to follow every condition of his release and avoid any further violations.
But just a few months later, Melvin met Lauren. After discovering the truth about his past, Lauren was shocked and decided to go home for several days. While she tried to make sense of everything, she told her mother what had happened and said she could not continue the relationship. She made the decision to end things on October 9th. There was only one issue.
While Lauren was away at home, Melvin still had her car, meaning she needed to get it back before she could fully move on. After returning to the university, she asked him to come meet with her. Melvin went to her room where the two of them sat down and talked. Lauren confronted him with everything she had discovered.
His response came almost immediately. According to him, the entire situation was simply a major misunderstanding. He claimed that years earlier, he had met a young woman at a college party who had convincingly lied about her age. He insisted that he had never assaulted her. The following morning, Lauren called one of her friends and explained how the conversation had gone.
But no matter what explanation he gave, her decision had already been made. The relationship was finished. Melvin left, but he still had possession of her car. Lauren’s mother, Jill, was extremely worried about that. So, she contacted campus police and asked whether officers could be present when the vehicle was returned.
>> Hi, I would like to request some help from my daughter who’s a student at University of Utah and she started dating this guy who’s like a bad [music] person. Okay. And found out he’s a bad person and she broke up with him and he has her car. If he was lying to her, tell him he’s actually a sexual offender.
I don’t want her to go there by herself and have like something bad happen to her. >> About 20 minutes later, campus police called Lauren to discuss the safest way they could help her get her car back. >> Hi, this is Lauren. [music] Your ex-boyfriend’s dropping off your car. Do you feel comfortable with him doing that? I know your mom was really concerned about it.
Um, but I think I think it’s okay. >> At first, Lauren said she would pick up the car on her own, but then she changed her mind and asked the officers to drive her there instead. >> We have um a security officer that’s just in charge of escorts tonight. Do you want him to wait with you as well when the car is getting dropped off? >> The car was returned without any issues.
Lauren hoped that this would finally mark the end of her relationship with Melvin. But only 2 days later, she began receiving text messages from unfamiliar phone numbers. The messages claimed that Melvin had died and asked whether someone could pick Lauren up and bring her to his funeral. Then she received another message.
This one allegedly from Melvin himself. It said he was still alive but had been badly hurt in a car accident and that the crash was somehow Lauren’s fault. Lauren blocked the numbers and reached out to campus police again. >> I’ve been getting these texts about from these numbers of different people. They were saying that he was in the hospital and then saying that like that he passed away.
But then I got a text from him and he seems to be alive. I got a text about, you know, asking if I wanted to go to a funeral, his funeral. And I think they’re trying to lure me somewhere. >> Okay. Have you asked them to stop texting you? >> I have not, but I’ve I’ve blocked a few of the numbers already. [music] >> All right.
Um, I will send this through an officer uh to give you a call. Is that okay? >> The dispatcher informed Lauren that a police officer would reach out to her, but that call never happened. The following morning, Lauren contacted police again. She had just woken up and discovered another series of text messages waiting for her.
This time, the situation had escalated to something much more serious. >> So, I’m uh dealing with a situation where I’m being blackmailed. >> Someone sent Lauren a message claiming they possessed intimate photos of her and Melvin. The sender threatened that if she did not pay, the images would be distributed throughout the entire campus.
Shortly afterward, Melvin contacted Lauren, saying that he had received the exact same message. Lauren believed that either Melvin himself or someone associated with him was responsible for what was happening. At the same time, she was extremely frightened. She sent $1,000 through Venmo to the unknown person behind the threats, but the black mailer then demanded additional money.
Lauren sent another $1,000. Upset by how officers had responded to her previous calls, Lauren and her friend Alex went directly to the police station. Alex later remembered how challenging it was to make officers understand that the situation was genuinely serious. They told them it was most likely just another scam.
Given how frequently these types of extortion schemes occur, that conclusion was not unreasonable on its own. But Lauren explained that her ex-boyfriend had been using a false identity, was registered as a sex offender, and still had unrestricted access to the university campus. In her view, every detail pointed back to him.
She submitted an official police report. She was told that someone would reach out to her on Tuesday. Since it was only Saturday, she was expected to wait several more days. Lauren’s case was assigned to Detective Kayla Doof, but she was not working that day. Her supervisor had directed her to remain at home, and she followed those instructions.
No one searched Melvin’s name through police databases or examined his criminal background. None of his previous convictions or multiple parole violations were considered. Meanwhile, the messages continued. Lauren became increasingly desperate because she felt that nobody was taking her concerns seriously. Later that same day at 5:45 in the evening, she was walking past the university police department when she decided to call 911 so she could speak directly with the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Ultimately, she was transferred back to campus police once again. She felt like she was stuck in a neverending cycle. On October 16th, Melvin confessed what he had been doing to one of his co-workers and his supervisor. His employer was aware that he was on parole. Yet, despite knowing that, nobody reported his statements to the parole [music] officer assigned to oversee him.
He just told me that he had gotten into some trouble over the weekend and that he was dating a girl from university and he had lied to her about his age and she had recently found out that he lied and she broke up with him. And so he got angry and over the weekend he had sent her messages from another phone and that he wanted money so that he wouldn’t release them.
So he said that she sent him money through Venmo. He sent $1,000 is what he said she sent him. And then she sent him another $1,000. And the second time he said he kind of freaked out. Um he knew that he was going to be in trouble. So he tried to send the money back to her. He said that he had access to her email on his phone because she had logged into her email from his phone before.
>> And he said that he could see that she sent messages to the campus police of screenshots of the conversation. So he knew that she had contacted authorities about it. And so he said he was afraid. He didn’t want to go back to jail. And he knew we couldn’t run forever. Melvin said, “Yeah, I don’t want to go.
I don’t want to resign. Can I just go on a leave of absence?” And I said, “I’m okay with that.” >> Melvin’s parole officer later stated that she had no doubt about what would have happened. If she had been aware of any of this at the time, Melvin would have been immediately sent back to prison, but she was never informed.
After making repeated attempts to get help, Lauren eventually felt she had no other option but to step back. She told her friends that the appropriate people were handling the situation now, so she was going to trust them and allow them to do their jobs. But there was something Lauren did not know. At one point, she had signed into her email account using Melvin’s laptop.
Because of that, he still had access to her account. He could see everything, every screenshot, every email she exchanged with university police and the Salt Lake City Police Department. He was always several steps ahead of her. A week went by, October 19th, 2018. 3:16 in the afternoon. Melvin was standing outside Lauren’s dorm wearing a Deadpool costume.
He walked around the area searching for her. At 4:02 that afternoon, Lauren entered her residence hall. Just 1 minute later, surveillance cameras captured Melvin looking through the building’s glass doors. Not long after that, Lauren received another message from him. I know everything. Why did you go to the police? Terrified, Lauren and her friend Alex called the Salt Lake City Police Department once again.
>> I’m worried because I’ve been working with the campus police um at the UH. >> And uh last Saturday I reported and I haven’t gotten an update. So the the case it involves extortion and those people u are still here to me. But but someone contacted me today. Someone [music] who was harassed said that that they know everything about the police.
>> Okay. So, you already spoke to the campus police? >> Yes. And they haven’t updated or done anything. >> What prompted you to call Salt Lake City Police? Well, I thought it was weird that there are people who know about the entire case and the harassers seem to know about it more than me. And I’m concerned there might be an insider um who’s letting them know about the the case.
>> Okay. With something like that, you would want to contact the campus police back and ask to speak to your detective. >> How could he possibly know that? Lauren kept asking herself. Was someone on the inside actually giving him information? But once again, she was sent back to campus police.
Detective Kayla Duoff apologized and explained that she had not yet been able to fully review the case. Lauren had to repeat the entire situation from the beginning. After hearing everything, Kayla asked Lauren to organize all the details into one email. So, shortly after 7 that evening, Lauren sent it. Later, Lauren told her mother, Jill, that she felt like she had become a burden to everyone.
She believed she was only causing problems for campus police and getting in their way. Jill replied, “They’re just doing their job. You have every right to ask for help, and they have a responsibility to help you.” October 22nd arrived. At 6:06 that morning, Melvin left his apartment using a friend’s car.
He drove to Laurens’s residence hall about a 20-minute drive away. After parking, he began walking around the area near her building. Shortly before 9 that morning, Lauren received a text message that appeared to come from Assistant Police Chief Rick Mlennon, who was also involved in her case. Finally, she thought maybe something was actually starting to happen.
The message instructed her to come to the police department right away. It claimed there was something important she needed to see. But the more closely Lauren examined the message, the more unusual details she noticed. There were spelling errors, grammatical mistakes. Even Rick Mlennon’s name was written incorrectly. It looked nothing like the earlier messages she had received from police.
Instead, it closely matched the messages connected to the extortion and resembled Melvin’s style of writing. It was not surprising when investigators later discovered that the message had not been sent from the assistant police chief’s actual phone number. Lauren was simply told to disregard it, but no one made an effort to find out where the message had really originated.
At 9:11 that morning, Lauren left her residence hall. She was carrying her school materials, ready for what she believed would be another normal day filled with classes and training. A few minutes later, Lauren met with her counselor, someone she had also been updating about everything she was experiencing. Shortly after 10:00, she went to class.
At that exact moment, Melvin entered the university campus. They came within minutes of passing each other, but instead, Melvin spent the next several hours walking around campus, searching for Lauren. Around 2:00 that afternoon, he was already inside the residence hall where Lauren lived. He briefly stepped outside before returning.
Another student, someone he apparently knew, allowed him access to the building. Melvin stayed inside for nearly 6 hours. He walked through the hallways and tried one door after another. That evening, Lauren finished class slightly earlier than normal. She was happy about it. On her way back, she called her mother. She was already thinking about going to sleep early that night.
The next surveillance video has never been made public. What is known is that Lauren arrived at the entrance of her residence hall at 8:17 that evening. Surveillance footage captured only Melvin’s legs, concealed in the darkness behind Lauren as she stood just steps from the dorm entrance. Within moments, he grabbed her and began forcing her away.
And this is where we return to that devastating night. The campus remained under full lockdown, but police were no closer to locating either Melvin or Lauren. >> It’s looking like this might be kidnapping. >> Lauren’s father, Matt, later recalled sitting by the phone, staring out the window, and praying that every minute that passed without a police car pulling up to their house meant only one thing, that his daughter was still alive.
>> Hi. Um, my name’s Matt McCcluskey. Uh, my daughter is Lauren McCcluskey and she went missing tonight. >> Uhhuh. >> And I’m just make I just want to make sure that you guys know about that. >> Um, so we wouldn’t really need to other than her being listed. Um, she would be listed as a missing person on the national database if you made a missing person’s report.
But >> okay. >> Um, otherwise I mean there’s not else anything else. >> So this is this is No. No. Okay. So, this is more than that. She was abducted while we were talking to her on the telephone. >> So, so we heard her being assaulted and they called the uh University of Utah campus police >> and I’m just calling you to let you know >> that this just happened like a an hour ago.
>> Was it that they were in that silver Buer? developing situation. >> Uh, I don’t know anything about a silver Buick. >> Yeah. University let us know about it and we had our units. Um, we notified them as well. >> Uhhuh. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Uhhuh. All right. >> Meanwhile, at around 10:00 that night, a new call came over the radio on campus.
>> Hey, can you come to my location? car. >> It was Lauren’s coach who discovered her in the back seat of a silver vehicle parked near one of the university’s residence halls. It was the same car Melvin had borrowed from a friend. Lauren had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics arrived within minutes, but there was nothing they could do. Lauren was dead.
Later, prosecutors pieced together the timeline of what had happened. Roland confronted Lauren, who was on the phone with her mother, in the parking lot right outside of her residence hall, where we had viewed him on camera several days prior. In the altercation, she dropped her cell phone and her belongings.
He dragged Lauren to a different spot in the parking lot where he forced her into the backseat of a car. Excuse me. that he had driven to campus and he shot her in the car multiple times. >> It became clear that Melvin had arrived on campus that day with one purpose, to kill Lauren. He waited for her while carrying a gun.
He forced her into the vehicle. Then, almost instantly, he began shooting. Only 3 minutes later, surveillance cameras recorded him running across a parking lot toward a nearby train station. After that, he met with a woman he had recently connected with through a dating website. The two went out for dinner together. Later, Melvin returned to her home where he took a shower.
Afterward, she drove him to a coffee shop. Not long after leaving him there, she saw news reports about the shooting and the extensive search for the suspect. She immediately recognized the man she had just spent the evening with. Without hesitation, she contacted police. Finally, investigators had confirmed his identity.
Officers followed Melvin as he moved through the city streets. They chased him on foot until he reached a small church. To enter the building, he broke the lock on one of the doors. >> I have officers chasing your suspect on the shooting. He [music] is in foot pursuit right now. >> When officers entered the building, they found him. >> We have the suspect inside the the church.
It looks like he has a gunshot wound where himself inflicted. Melvin Roland was lying dead on the floor. He had taken his own life by shooting himself in the head. Investigators later learned that he had borrowed the gun from an acquaintance. Melvin had told him he wanted to teach his girlfriend how to shoot. >> Police in Salt Lake City, Utah, say the man accused of shooting and killing a student at the University of Utah last night has taken his own life.
Investigators say 37year-old Melvin Roland’s body was found at a church in the city’s downtown area. >> They were chasing him on foot. Um they chased him to this location. After making entry into the church and officers then coming >> shortly thereafter um in clearing the building, they found our suspect deceased in a room in the church.
>> The university identified the victim as Lauren McCcluskey from Pullman, Washington. Police say McCcluskey had previously been in a relationship with Roland. [music] They’d gotten into a dispute earlier in the evening. The campus was placed on a temporary lockdown, which was lifted shortly after 11:00 p.m.
>> Coming to a college, you never want to be in a situation like this, especially in I mean, there’s more and more every day, but this is insane. >> Roland was not a student at the university, according to police. He’s currently listed on the Utah sex offender registry for a 2004 conviction involving a minor.
>> News of Lauren’s death spread across the campus almost instantly. The athletic director at the University of Utah delivered an emotional statement and paid tribute to her memory. >> You know, I don’t really have any words. um my heart and our entire department uh goes out to her family who I’ve been texting [music] with her mom.
You know, we’re blessed every day educators uh and then in my role as director and all the coaches and staff to be around an elite group of students and student athletes. So when when something like this happens, it uh it just defies any logic, any reason. I mean, every single counselor that the university had showed up this morning.
Um, and there were some hugs and [music] words and and uh, you know, they’re trying to figure it out. Their kids, this doesn’t make any sense. Um, [snorts] but our focus, my focus as leader of the department will be making sure they’re okay. The rest of our student athletes are gathering. You know, we’re we’re not one team. I mean, we’re not 20 teams.
We’re one we’re one team. And uh so we’ll we’ll work really hard uh to make sure that they’re okay. Um we’ll honor her. We’ll we’ll we’ll figure those things out. So we’ll get through this. These are strong young people. They’re resilient [snorts] and we’re going to just do everything the rest of the year in in Lauren’s memory. Thank you.
>> Lauren did everything she could possibly do. Despite being afraid and feeling as though she was facing the situation by herself, she handled every step with extraordinary courage and dignity. Melvin worked for a security company that did not hold the required license. His employers were aware of the violations he had committed, yet they never reported them to the parole officer assigned to supervise him.
Lauren placed her trust in the system, but the system failed her. unbridled tears as students mourn a star athlete shot dead by her ex-boyfriend. >> We’ll always miss her and we [snorts] will always always love her. She was an amazing, genuine, and caring person [snorts] and she will be really missed. >> After this tragic and completely preventable loss, two separate investigations were opened.
Both were designed to answer the questions Laurens’s family, students, and the public had been asking since her death. The first investigation was carried out by the state’s Department of Public Safety. Its purpose was to determine how Melvin had been able to use a false identity for years, repeatedly violate his parole conditions, and still remain outside meaningful supervision.
Investigators carefully reviewed his criminal background, the actions of government agencies, and every circumstance that allowed him to avoid proper oversight for such a long period of time. The second investigation was ordered by the University of Utah itself. Its goal was to examine how the university responded to Lauren’s repeated attempts to seek help, or why those requests were not handled properly.
Investigators closely analyzed every interaction Lauren had with campus police, as well as every decision made after each report she submitted about stalking and threats. The officers who responded to her complaints were found to have acted improperly. The investigation determined that serious errors occurred throughout the process of handling Laurens’s reports, allowing a credible and growing threat to receive significantly less attention than the situation required.
Those findings eventually became the basis for a major reform of the university’s internal policies and the way it handles cases like this in the future. >> It is very important that our students know that I have confidence in our department of public safety and that our students and staff and faculty should not hesitate to reach out to our department as needed.
I want to be clear that safety on our campus is a top priority for me and for my administration. This report does not offer us a reason to believe that this tragedy could have prevent been prevented. >> However, during a press conference, university President Ruth Watkins stated that from the university’s perspective, the tragedy could not have been prevented.
That statement came shortly after Lauren’s death and immediately triggered strong criticism from her family and from those familiar with the details of the case. Her words shocked Lauren’s loved ones and friends. To them, it appeared as though the university was unwilling to recognize its own failures or take responsibility for the events that led to Laurens’s murder.
Lauren’s friend, Diamond, who also worked at the university, was furious. She understood the system from the inside and believed the outcome could have been completely different if Lauren’s repeated requests for help had been handled correctly. In her opinion, it was simply an attempt to avoid accountability. Rather than openly admitting where the system had failed, she believed university leadership was trying to present the tragedy as something that could not have been avoided.
She said Detective Kayla Doth, who had been assigned to Lauren’s case, was eventually fired. Her termination became one of the consequences of the extensive investigation into the university police department that followed the tragedy and attracted national attention. Her career with campus police ended after investigators discovered serious failures in the way law enforcement responded to Laurens’s repeated reports.
The investigation determined that a series of decisions and failures to take action during crucial moments played a significant role in the chain of events that led to the tragedy. Later, another case involving Kayla also came to light where she was accused of failing to take proper action to protect a student. That discovery only increased public scrutiny surrounding her work and led to a closer review of other cases where victims also claimed their reports [music] were not treated seriously.
As additional details emerged, concerns continued to grow because the situation was no longer viewed as one isolated incident, but rather as another case involving similar allegations. The existence of another comparable case raised deeper questions about whether these failures were simply individual mistakes or signs of much larger systemic issues.
All of this created even more pressure on the university and law enforcement agencies which were forced to respond to growing questions about how they handled reports from students who had reached out for help. The former University of Utah detective who was warned about her handling of the Lauren [music] McCcluskey case and fired over her handling of another case now has a new job.
>> She unanimously lost her appeal, challenging her termination. The court’s ruling permanently upheld her dismissal, and every effort she made to return to her former position was unsuccessful. It appeared that this would be the final chapter in the story of her time with the University Police Department, but later she was hired by the Weber County Sheriff’s Office.
That decision sparked significant concern because someone whose actions in Laurens’s case had already faced widespread public criticism was once again placed in a law enforcement role. To many people, it suggested that the consequences of those failures were not nearly as serious as the public had expected them to be. Following that, the university police department began receiving an increasing number of complaints from students.
More and more individuals came forward with experiences they had kept hidden for years. Many explained that they had remained silent because they were afraid they would not be believed or that no real help would come. Students described situations where reports of stalking, abuse, and mistreatment were also not handled seriously.
According to many of them, they repeatedly sought assistance but were met with indifference, delays, or a failure to take meaningful action. Some said that even after reporting situations that truly frightened them, they still did not feel protected. As more of these accounts became public, it became harder to ignore the possibility that the issue extended far beyond one individual case.
One story after another began revealing a deeply concerning pattern, creating even more questions about how the entire response system was functioning. And then the case took an even more shocking turn. Published today, an investigation by our content partners at the Salt Lake Tribune, uncovered that days before Lauren McCluskey was killed, Miguel Daryus, one of the campus officers assigned to investigate her being blackmailed over explicit photos, showed off at least one of the images to a male co-worker and bragged about getting to look at them
whenever he wanted. According to the Tribune, the university confirmed that information. >> Daryus is currently working for the Logan Police Department. Today they posted on Facebook about [music] this report saying in part, “We are very concerned about this allegation and are starting our own internal investigation to determine the facts.
” At the end of the investigation, “We will take whatever action is appropriate based on the facts we discover.” And also tonight, the University of Utah releasing a statement in response to the article and said after an internal affairs investigation, they quote, “Found no evidence that a former officer had bragged or shared any image from the investigation that wasn’t considered a legitimate law enforcement reason.
” >> In June 2019, Matt and Jill McCluskkey filed a $56 million lawsuit against the university. It was more than a legal battle. It was an attempt to hold the university responsible for a chain of events they believed could have been prevented before the unimaginable occurred. In October 2020, the University of Utah officially accepted responsibility.
The university acknowledged that Lauren’s murder could have been prevented. It was a major admission because for the first time, the university publicly recognized that serious failures within its system had played a role in the tragic outcome. The lawsuit was settled for $13.5 million. Ruth Watkins stated, “The University of Utah acknowledges and deeply regrets that we did not handle Lauren’s case the way we should have.
At the time, our staff failed to fully understand the seriousness of her situation and did not respond appropriately. As a result, we failed Lauren and her family.” Those words represented an official acknowledgment that the assistance Lauren desperately needed was not given when it mattered most. The university also stated that if its employees had received stronger training and had more clearly defined response procedures, they believed they would have been much better prepared to protect Lauren.
Along with the financial settlement, the university agreed to donate $3 million to the Lauren McCcluskey Foundation. Because of that, Lauren’s legacy continues far beyond the tragedy itself. The Lauren McCcluskey Foundation was created by her parents. Today, the organization works to improve safety on college campuses and provide support for individuals affected by relationship violence.
Its mission is to ensure that no other student is ever left without the protection and assistance they need. A legislative effort known as Laurens’s Promise was also created to improve cooperation between universities and law enforcement while strengthening protections for students facing dangerous situations. It became another significant step toward lasting systemic changes intended to make college campuses safer for everyone.
The University of Utah also created scholarship and memorial funds in Lauren McCcluskeyy’s name. These funds provide financial support to female track and field athletes, helping young women continue their education while following their athletic ambitions. At the University of Idaho, the running track was named in Laurens’s honor.
A special room for cats at an animal shelter was also established in her memory. These different but equally meaningful tributes serve as a reminder of how many people Lauren affected during her short life. During the summer before Lauren was murdered, another University of Utah student, McKenzie Luick, whose case we have also covered and linked in the description, was killed as well.
Two major tragedies occurring so close together, forced the university to take a serious look at its campus safety system. Afterward, an independent commission released 30 recommendations for improving campus safety. Within less than a year and a half, the university had implemented every single one of them.
Those changes resulted in a complete transformation of university procedures and the campus police department. The university invested significant resources into a new police headquarters, created modern interview rooms, appointed a new police chief, and hired a new detective specializing in domestic and interpersonal violence cases.
All of these changes were designed not only to address the failures of the past, but also to help prevent similar tragedies from happening again. To this day, Lauren’s room remains exactly the way she left it. It feels as though time stopped at the moment she walked out for the final time. Her medals still hang where she proudly placed them.
The trophies she earned through years of dedication remain displayed on the shelves. Her college memories are still there as well, reminders of her student life and the dreams she never had the opportunity to achieve. Every detail inside that room reflects how deeply she loved the life she was creating. It has become a place where time remains frozen.
Every object tells the story of a young woman with endless potential who gave everything she had to her dreams and worked relentlessly toward her future. Lauren was an extraordinary athlete, a committed student, a loving daughter, and a devoted friend. To those who knew and loved her, she was far more than a gifted track and field athlete.
She was someone who inspired others through her kindness, her determination, and her genuine joy for life. And although her room remains frozen in time, Lauren’s story did not end there. It continues every time a student’s request for help is taken seriously. Every time someone is believed before it is too late.
And every time another young athlete steps onto a college campus carrying the same ambition, determination, and passion that once pushed Lauren forward. That is how Lauren’s legacy continues. Not only through the memories of those who loved her, but also through the changes that continue protecting others from facing the same tragedy.
