Missing Dylan Rounds: Utah deputies seek public's help in search for teen farmer
Dylan Rounds has been missing from his Utah farm since late May
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Deputies are asking for the public’s help in the search for missing teenage Utah farmer Dylan Rounds, who vanished from his Lucin property late last month and was last seen in public three weeks ago.
"If you have knowledge regarding the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Dylan Rounds, or his current location, call the Box Edler County Sheriff’s Office," Chief Deputy Cade Palmer said in a statement.
After friends and family grew concerned about his whereabouts, a search team found his boots in the dirt roughly 100 yards from his truck – in the opposite direction of his camper, according to his mother Candice Cooley.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Her son has farming in his blood, she said, and has been entirely focused on working his land, foregoing other activities young men his age might be doing instead, including video games, drugs and social media.
Dylan Rounds, a 19-year-old Idaho native who struck off on his own as a farmer in Utah, last spoke to family on May 28, according to authorities. (Box Elder County Sheriff's Department)
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"Dylan had a farm, Dylan had a goal, and he had a drive in life so that he would absolutely not let anything, anything, take him away," she said. "This is a kid that the last three years has been out in the desolate desert tearing out new ground."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cooley says she suspects foul play but doesn’t know who would have wanted to harm her son. On Thursday, she said she was also thankful for increased help from volunteers and investigators.
Dylan Rounds and his mom, Candice Cooley, in an undated photo. (Candice Cooley)
"Today we have dogs and much more assistance from law enforcement," she told Fox News Digital.
She had been expecting help from aerial drones but said the day turned out to be too windy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}EquuSearch and K-9 teams from her son’s native Idaho have joined in the effort, she said.
The Box Elder County Sheriff's Office in Utah, the case’s lead agency, said it would only be releasing updates "that do not have the potential to compromise the investigation."
Since authorities received the missing person report, volunteer search teams have clocked in more than 300 hours to cover more than 3,000 miles, authorities said. That comes in addition to the 650 hours county deputies have spent on the case, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Dylan Rounds, a 19-year-old Idaho native who struck off on his own as a farmer in Utah, last spoke to family on May 28, according to authorities. (Box Elder County Sheriff's Department)
Outside agencies from neighboring jurisdictions are also involved, including the Elko County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada and the FBI.
Elko deputies said they became involved in the case after a report of a hostage situation in Montello on May 31, but it turned out to be nothing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Family members called it in," Undersheriff Justin Ames told Fox News Digital Thursday. "The house was cleared with consent from the homeowner, and it was misinformation passed around in a small town."
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But Elko investigators also discovered that the missing teen had visited the area on May 26, when he was seen at a restaurant. Phone records show he returned home to Utah and later called family members from there.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Anyone with information on Rounds’ whereabouts is asked to call the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office at 435-734-3800.