Squatter Killed 19-Year-Old Farmer Boy

The Box Elder County Sheriff's Office announced the discovery of presumed skeletal remains believed to be those of 19-year-old Dylan Rounds, who went missing over Memorial Day weekend in 2022. His alleged killer, James Brenner, 60, led investigators to the burial site in a remote area near the Utah-Nevada border.

“On April 9, 2024, skeletal remains presumed to belong to Dylan Rounds were recovered in the remote western Box Elder County area of Lucin,” stated the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office.

“We thank everyone for their support and love,” said Rounds’ mother, Candice Cooley. “We are grateful we now have Dylan’s body and can bring him home as we continue our fight for justice.”

Brenner, already in jail since June 2022 for firearms violations, was charged with Rounds’ death in March 2023, facing charges of aggravated murder and abuse or desecration of a human body.

Rounds was last heard from on May 30, 2022, when he spoke to his grandmother over the phone, saying he was “putting the grain truck into shelter.”

Brenner and another individual were described as “family friends” of Rounds, squatting on land near the teen’s farm. The investigation, spanning nine months, led to the recovery of several guns from Brenner’s property, as well as DNA evidence linking him to Rounds’ disappearance.

“Our hearts go out to the family of Dylan Rounds,” expressed the sheriff’s office in a statement. “We offer our sincerest condolences for the loss of their family member. We understand that the pain of their loss is immeasurable, and we want to express our deepest sympathies to them. It is our hope that they can find peace moving forward.”