Facebook/University of Utah Lauren McCluskey
Lauren McCluskey was a senior track standout at the University of Utah with everything going for her. She was nearing graduation, was well-liked on campus, and she was a successful student with a 3.75 GPA.
The daughter of professors from Washington State, McCluskey, 21, was majoring in Communication. However she was also dealing with a frightening situation; her mother, Jill McCluskey says in a statement that Lauren had discovered a man she dated briefly was using a false name and lied to her about his criminal history. When she broke off the relationship, the registered sex offender began harassing her.
That man’s name was Melvin Rowland, 37, and, authorities say, on October 22, 2018 he confronted Lauren as she walked home from a night class on campus, shooting her to death in the backseat of a car. The campus community is shaken. You can see photos throughout this article to remember the life of Lauren McCluskey.
We are absolutely devastated about the loss of one of our own. Lauren McCluskey, we will miss you more than anyone could ever imagine. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family through this difficult time. #utefamily
The shooting broke out on the evening of October 22, 2018, and it caused a lock down and search for the shooter, who initially fled on foot. Rowland was located deceased by authorities and is no longer considered a threat, according to the university and news reports. He killed himself after forcing his way into a church.
Lauren McCluskey
Here’s what you need to know:
Lauren McCluskey Was an ‘Accomplished Student Athlete’ & She Set Records in High School
The university released a statement mourning the death of Lauren McCluskey. “It is with tremendous sadness that I share the news that Lauren McCluskey, an accomplished student athlete who came to the University of Utah from Pullman, Washington, was killed Monday night on our campus,” the University of Utah wrote.
“Lauren was a highly regarded member of the university’s track and field team and an outstanding scholar, a senior majoring in communication,” continued the university’s statement.
Lauren’s mother said in a statement that Lauren McCluskey “was a senior student athlete on the University of Utah track team. She was an outstanding student with a 3.75 GPA majoring in Communication and was excited to graduate in May 2019. She was a 2015 honors graduate of Pullman High School where she was Washington state champion in the high jump and the school record holder in the 100 meter hurdles. She attended Capital Church in Salt Lake City. She loved to sing and had strength and determination. She was dearly loved and will be greatly missed.”
Lauren McCluskey
On Facebook, Lauren wrote that she lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she was a student. She went to Pullman High School and Andrews Osborne Academy. Her top post on Facebook thanked people for birthday wishes. She did not have many publicly visible posts. One post from 2017 read, “Please take a 5 minute survey on your social media use for my communication research class.”
In 2011, she declared on Facebook, “I got tickets for a Demi Lovato concert in New York City next month!” That same year, she wrote, “I am going to the Whitman County Humane Society volunteer orientation today. Is anybody else going?”
The athletic director also offered a tribute to Lauren McCluskey.
“Lauren was a proud Ute heading into her senior year,” said Athletic Director Mark Harlan. “An incredible student.” He said that the university’s student athletes were gathering and “we will honor her….we will do everything for the rest of the year in Lauren’s memory.”
The Family of Lauren McCluskey Says That Rowland Lied to McCluskey About His Criminal History
Lauren’s mother paints a disturbing narrative about the weeks leading up to the murder. She says that Lauren discovered that Rowland had lied to her and then began to harass her. The family turned to campus police for help. On Facebook, Jill McCluskey says she is an economics professor at Washington State University and the mother of two children.
In a statement, Lauren’s mother, wrote, “Lauren previously dated her killer for about one month. He lied to her about his name, his age, and his criminal history. Lauren was informed by a friend about his criminal history, and she ended the relationship with her killer on October 9, 2018.”
The statement continues, “He had borrowed her car, and she requested for the University of Utah police (to) accompany her on October 10, 2018 to get the car back. She blocked his and his friends’ phone numbers and complained to University of Utah police that she was being harassed. Last night a little before 9 p.m., she was returning to her university apartment from her night class and talking to me on the phone. Suddenly, I heard her yell, ‘No, no, no!’”
Statement from the family of Lauren McCluskey, the University of Utah star student athlete, who was killed on campus Monday night. The suspect is her ex-boyfriend, a registered sex offender, who lied to her about his age and criminal history, according to her family.
Lauren’s mother says, “I thought she might have been in a car accident. That was the last I heard from her. My husband called 911. I kept the line open and in a few minutes, a young woman picked up the phone and said all of Lauren’s things were on the ground.”
The university has reached out to McCluskey’s devastated family.
“Several members of our university administration spoke with Lauren’s family last night and I have also reached out to them. Her family is understandably in shock at this news about their daughter. They are heartbroken. We have and continue to offer our full support to them at this terrible time,” the university said in the statement.
Lauren McCluskey
“We have canceled day and evening classes for Tuesday, Oct. 23, to allow our campus community to grieve the senseless loss of this bright, young woman. We have made our counseling and support services available to students, staff and faculty.”
The university continued: “The Associated Students of the University of Utah and our Athletics Department are planning a vigil for Lauren on Wednesday at 5 p.m. on the steps of the Park Building. I will be joining them to pay my respects and offer my support to Lauren’s friends, family and the entire campus community.”
Facebook/U of ULauren McCluskey
The shooting death came almost a year after another U of U student was shot and killed. Police say Rowland and the victim had a “previous relationship.”
The accused suspect Melvin Rowland was 37-years-old. You can see Rowland’s sex offender registry information here.
The sex offender registry gives the following details of his background:
• Description: 76-4-401 – ENTICING A MINOR/2ND DEGREE FELONY
• Date Convicted: 07/19/2004
• Conviction State: Utah
• Release Date: 09/03/2013
• Description: 76-5-404 – FORCIBLE SEXUAL ABUSE-ATTEMPTED/3RD DEGREE FELONY (attempted)
• Date Convicted: 07/19/2004
• Conviction State: Utah
There was an open investigation into Rowland at the time of McCluskey’s death; she had reported him to authorities for harassment, according to the university police chief, speaking in a news conference. University of Utah Police Chief Dale Brophy declined to provide many details about the previous complaint.
“We did have a case that was a police report filed on October 12 and the 13. There was some follow up. It was assigned out to a detective. The detective had been in contact with Miss McCluskey, and they were working to build a case against our suspect at that time,” said Brophy.
He added, “We’re not going to discuss the details of those cases at this point in time.”
He continued, “We don’t have a correct address for him. He was a walk away from Fortitude, which is a halfway house here. Didn’t have a correct address for him at that particular time.”
Brophy said that the way it works is that they take a police report and then it’s forwarded to an investigator, who reaches out to the victim. He says that happened in this case.
Lauren McCluskey
Asked if the harassment was severe enough where the university police provided protection for her, he said, “I’m not going to divulge those details at this point in time.”
He said authorities would provide everything they have on the situation once the investigation is complete.
“We suspected it may be a boyfriend once we found out Miss McCluskey was deceased. We were able to identify who that boyfriend was and place him at the scene,” said Brophy.
READ NEXT: Crime Scene Photos in Steven Avery/Teresa Halbach Case & Murder