The tragic shooting death of 21-year-old college student and track athlete Lauren McCluskey has left people in shock. McCluskey was on her way home from a night class on Monday when 37-year-old Melvin Rowland allegedly shot her and left her body in the back of a car, later turning the gun on himself. Now, new reports show McCluskey once dated Rowland and that she'd contacted police for help multiple times after they broke up.
McCluskey's mother, Jill, wrote on Twitter that she was on the phone with her daughter when she was murdered.
"Suddenly, I heard her yell, 'No, no, no!' I thought she might have been in a car accident. That was the last I heard from her," the heartbroken mom wrote. She also revealed that McCluskey knew her alleged attacker. They had dated for about a month and stopped seeing each other around October 9 after the 21-year-old found out that Rowland had a criminal history and had also lied about his age and name.
Rowland was a registered sex offender who was convicted of enticing a minor and attempted forcible sexual abuse in 2004, per CNN.
On October 10, McCluskey reportedly requested a police escort to accompany her to get her car back after she let Rowland borrow it. In the following days, she also blocked his and his friend's phone numbers and made two additional reports of harassment to the University of Utah police. After McCluskey was found dead on Monday night, police began a search for Rowland, who was found dead in a nearby church of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Since McCluskey's death, the outpouring of love and support has been immense.
The University of Utah cancelled classes on Tuesday and held a candlelight vigil on Wednesday. The university'’s president, Ruth V. Watkins, also released a statement about the murder, noting that McCluskey was “a highly regarded member of the university’s track and field team and an outstanding scholar, a senior majoring in communication.”
The school's athletic director, Mark Harlan, wrote on Twitter, "This news has shaken not only myself but our entire University of Utah athletics family to its core."
Lauren's mother described her on Twitter as an "outstanding student" who "loved to sing and had strength and determination."
In a post on Facebook, a pastor at McCluskey's former church wrote simply, "Lauren was a part of our Capital family, and we are at a loss for words to say and prayers to pray. So, we look to the Lord for his comfort and grace."