Remains found believed to be those of Dylan Rounds, officials say

BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah (KSTU) – In northwestern Utah, authorities have found what they believe are the remains of Dylan Rounds, a 19-year-old who went missing nearly two years ago.

After hundreds of hours of searching with the help from volunteers, the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office said they discovered the human remains in a remote area of the Utah desert on Tuesday.

Box Elder County Sheriff Cade Palmer said the sheriff’s office is relieved to finally find closure in the missing case.

“It’s a very big vast desert, and we missed the needle in a haystack for a long time,” he said.

Rounds originally moved to Utah from Idaho to farm. His land is 150 miles away from the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office in Brigham City.

“Every time we went out there, it’s a big event,” Palmer said. “There’s no facilities. There’s no gas stations. There’s no food.”

Authorities allege Rounds was killed by 60-year-old James Brenner, who has been in police custody since 2022.

Rounds’ mother, Candice Cooley, said Brenner provided the location of her son as part of a plea deal.

“The ultimate goal was get Dylan back,” she said. “And so we said many times we didn’t want to make a deal with the devil, but ultimately get Dylan back and move forward.”

Rounds’ family has publicly voiced their disappointment with law enforcement’s handling of the investigation, claiming deputies didn’t get the word out enough.

Palmer responded to the family’s complaints by saying the sheriff’s office does not have the staff for a missing persons divisions.

“Our detectives and our search and rescue team when there’s a report of a missing person, we go and we try to find them,” he said.

However, just because this chapter is closed doesn’t mean the entirety of Rounds’ story is. Cooley is working with Utah lawmakers and victims’ rights groups to prevent other families from experiencing the same heartbreak.

“With that comes education, with education comes change, and with change, our son might’ve still been here,” she said.

Palmer said the state medical examiner’s office is working to confirm the remains belong to Rounds.

Brenner’s preliminary hearing is set to begin on May 16, but that date could change with the discovery of the remains.

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