Remains presumed to be Dylan Rounds found in Utah desert

(NewsNation) — Authorities say skeletal remains recovered in a remote part of Utah close to Nevada are presumed to be those of Dylan Rounds, who disappeared in 2022.

Rounds, 19, moved from his family’s home in Idaho to Lucin, Utah, an area near the Utah-Nevada border, to start working on his farm. He lived in an RV on the property while working on the land.

Rounds was reported missing after his family failed to hear from him and, on Memorial Day weekend, traveled to his farm to check on him. They found the farm seemingly abandoned, with Rounds’ boots found near the camper he was living in.

In March 2023, 60-year-old James A. Brenner was charged in the case, facing charges of first-degree aggravated murder and abuse or desecration of a human corpse.

Brenner had been squatting on Rounds’ land and led the police to Rounds’ remains as part of a plea deal.

Court documents showed investigators had used the boots along with evidence from Rounds’ phone to lead them to Brenner. Rounds’ blood and Brenner’s DNA were reportedly found on the boots and evidence from Rounds’ phone which was found on a pond on the property.

According to investigators, a time-lapse video timestamped around the time Rounds disappeared showed Brenner cleaning a gun with bloodstains on his arms and shirt.

The remains were sent to the Utah Medical Examiner’s office for processing and to officially confirm Rounds’ identity.