Since its debut in 1992, NBC’s “Dateline” has been a mainstay of the newsmagazine genre, featuring tantalising true-crime puzzles, stirring documentaries, and in-depth examinations into real-life puzzling situations. But lately, in order to live up to its promise of “giving viewers narrative at its best,” it has been concentrating more on topics including murder and abductions. This is also true of one of its episodes, “Lauren’s Promise,” which details the death of University of Utah track star athlete Lauren McCluskey, 21, in 2018. So if you’re here wondering about the specifics of her murder, we’ve got you covered.
How Did Lauren McCluskey Die?
Lauren McCluskey was not only brilliant and athletic, but she also seemed to have a decent head on her shoulders. She knew she had to contact her parents and the local authorities when trouble eventually found her in the fall of 2018. As a result, she notified the University of Utah Campus Police as soon as she began receiving questionable text messages. Initially, the messages were solely about her ex-boyfriend, but they quickly evolved into threats of extortion if their compromising photos weren’t kept off the internet. Lauren even paid $1,000 to keep everything a secret. Yet it simply kept going.
In the weeks preceding her death, Lauren reportedly experienced stalking, threats, and sexual and physical assault. She can even be heard saying during one of her recorded talks with the authorities that she “thinks they’re attempting to lure me somewhere…Do you know when an arrest would be made? Despite the fact that the campus police had begun an inquiry, it was already too late. In any case, on October 22, 2018, at around 9:55 p.m., school security discovered Lauren’s body in the backseat of a car parked next to a residence hall. Just there, she had been shot to death.
Who Killed Laren McCluskey?
After 8:20 p.m., Lauren’s father, Matt McCluskey, made the campus police at the University of Utah call. the same day to express his concern that his daughter might be in danger. A few minutes prior to the line being dead due to his wife hearing their daughter scream “no” and/or thrash, Lauren was on the phone with her mother who was on call, he explained to them. When the police arrived at Lauren’s dorm, they discovered that her items had been dumped in the parking lot outside the building. They then searched her room and the area around it for any clues as to her location. They only broadened their search and discovered her body after that.
It was soon discovered that Melvin Rowland, 37, the ex-boyfriend Lauren had been concerned about and whom she had also mentioned in relation to the extortion case, was the offender. After all, surveillance video from the University of Utah campus revealed that he had not only been in several places between October 19 and 22, but that he had also been waiting for Lauren outside her resident hall starting at 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. the day of her passing. About 8:20 p.m., Melvin reportedly confronted his ex-girlfriend. before bringing her to another location and making her drop her possessions. He then shot her after shoving her into the automobile he had driven.
The University of Utah Campus Police were fully aware of Melvin Rowland’s attempts to control Lauren in order to win her back. In fact, the policeman in charge of Lauren’s extortion case even spoke to her about gathering facts in order to perhaps obtain an arrest warrant for Melvin and his buddies, who they believed to be responsible for the threatening letters. The campus police did not get in touch with the Adult Probation and Parole Department despite learning that Melvin was on parole after having been found guilty of a sex crime during their investigations.
Lauren’s parents later filed a lawsuit against the University of Utah for this avoidable tragedy. Melvin Rowland ultimately avoided punishment for what he did to Lauren McCluskey. About midnight on the night Lauren was killed, police in Salt Lake City identified him as the prime suspect in her horrible murder, and they located him about 40 minutes later. Nevertheless, Melvin committed suicide after they chased him on foot into the Trinity A.M.E. Church on Martin Luther King Boulevard.
It’s important to note that Lauren’s death inspired the establishment of the Lauren McCluskey Foundation, which supports and enhances animal welfare, amateur athletics, and campus safety.
