Lauren McCluskey Had Asked Police To Stop Her Harasser Days Before She Died
Prior to Lauren McCluskey’s death on October 22, she was both aware of her harasser and frustrated with police for their lack of help regarding him.
According to CNN, Lauren had called the Salt Lake City Police on October 19 and asked for help regarding her harasser. Prior to that, she had also contacted the police at the University of Utah, where she was enrolled as a student. When the campus police were unable to assist, she then turned to 911.
“I’m worried because I’ve been working with the campus police at the U, and last Saturday I reported and I haven’t gotten an update,” Lauren told the Salt Lake City Police dispatch.
“They haven’t updated or done anything.”
The dispatcher instructed Lauren to talk to the University of Utah police.
“I’ve contacted them already, I just wanted to talk to you as well,” McCluskey said in the released phone conversation.
“Yeah, I was just concerned because I wasn’t sure how long they were gonna take.”
When Lauren rang a week afterward to follow up on what police were doing regarding her situation, she was told once more that the jurisdiction fell to the authorities on campus.
Audio of Lauren McCluskey shows she was worried about how long @UUtah police were taking to respond to her reports of harassment and extortion. Three days after her last call asking Salt Lake City police for help, she was killed.https://t.co/F7zxdi7vGT
— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) December 22, 2018
Details of Lauren’s concerns were obtained by CNN after a review of her case from the Utah Department of Public Safety “examined what could have been done differently to prevent her death.”
In addition, during the inquiry, it was discovered that officers at the university “did not know how to look up criminal background or parole information,” according to KUTV.
The university argued that this issue was not confined to the University of Utah but was a widespread issue that occurred system-wide and did not fall to the wrongdoings of an individual.
“The review team’s report identified gaps in training, awareness, and enforcement of certain policies rather than lapses in individual performance,” the university said.
However, Lauren’s parents disagree on these findings and issued the following statement.
“We respectfully disagree with the conclusion that Lauren’s murder could not have been prevented. There were numerous opportunities to protect her during the almost two weeks between the time when our daughter began expressing repeated, elevating and persistent concerns about her situation and the time of her murder.”
It was also revealed that Melvin Rowland, the man accused of Lauren McCluskey’s murder, “had been released on parole three separate times, and had violated his parole and returned to prison twice.”
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Lauren McCluskey had concerns about her ex-boyfriend, Melvin Rowland. She had dated the man for a month prior to ending the relationship when she found out he had lied about his previous criminal record. As CNN points out, Rowland is a convicted sex offender.
On the day Lauren died, she was on the phone with her mother as she was attacked. During their conversation, Jill McCluskey heard her daughter suddenly exclaim “No, no, no.” When there was no response on the phone line, Lauren’s father then called 911. Lauren’s body was discovered soon afterward. Rowland’s body was also found by police, having reportedly taken his own life.
