Where is Dylan Rounds? Mom Fears Teen Farmer is Murdered, Neighbor Charged With Weapons Crime

The mother of Dylan Rounds, the teen farmer who has been missing in Utah since Memorial Day, strongly fears that the worst has happened to her 19-year-old son. Candice Cooley has reached out to a private investigator to find the boy, but she thinks he might have been murdered.

At first, Cooley didn't find it out of the ordinary when Rounds didn't phone her for three or four days. Speaking with People, the mother said that her son would usually be out of reach for a few days, and then they would talk five days in a row when he'd finally call.

Nevertheless, Rounds was always in contact with someone in their family in Idaho. He last talked with his grandmother on May 28 as he was getting ready to harvest the first crops in his farmland between Utah and Nevada.

But when Cooley visited her son on May 30, she found his property abandoned, and his truck was inside the shed. A search and rescue team was called to track the teen farmer, and they found his only pair of boots amid a pile of dirt close to his RV camper. His other stuff, such as his wallet, cellphone, and pistol, were nowhere to be found.

"As much as I hate to say it, I'm about 99 percent sure somebody murdered my son," Cooley declared.

Arrest Warrant for the Neighbor of Dyland Rounds

For three years, Rounds dreamed of owning a farm as soon as he finished high school. Last year, his mother said that the teenager worked hard to build this dream. Rounds had property along Box Elder County, but he lived in an RV camper as he worked from the ground up to prepare his crops.

Following the search, the Box Elder County Sheriff's Department posted a notice on their social media pages to inform the public that Rounds' case remains an active missing person investigation. Rounds' grandparents, on the other hand, hired private investigator James Terry to help with the case.

One month after Rounds had gone missing, the authorities issued an arrest warrant for his neighbor, James Brenner, 59. According to East Idaho News, the police talked to Brenner on June 7 on his trailer five miles from the teenager's farm. Nine days later, the police issued a search warrant and found Brenner in possession of different weapons. He was previously convicted for possession of a firearm.

A witness named D.H. said that Brenner brought three weapons to him for safekeeping around the time Rounds went missing. D.H. knew that Brenner was not supposed to have any guns due to his criminal records.

However, Brenner explained that the guns were owned by a guy on the property near him. After learning about Rounds, D.H. turned over the firearms to the police, and the warrants were issued.

The police have not yet mentioned whether Brenner is a suspect in the disappearance of the teen farmer.

The Cooley Family Fires Investigator

Meanwhile, ABC 4 reported that the Cooley family had cut their ties with Terry. The boy's mother had accused Terry of spreading unconfirmed stories about what happened to her son.

Cooley claimed that Terry was "sharing these rumors, conspiracy theories and crazy accusations into the public eye" as he indulged TV, YouTube, and social media interviews. The investigator said he's helping trace Rounds by putting the boy's story on the internet. He alleged that Rounds was involved with the wrong crowd in Nevada based on tips he got from the netizens.

Terry also said he wanted to close the case to claim the reward. The Cooley family has offered $100,00 for verified information on the teen farmer.