Driven by tragedy: Dylan Rounds’ mom advocates for new Utah law, plans law enforcement training
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IDAHO FALLS — Since her son was found dead nearly a year ago in the Utah desert, Candice Cooley has been working to get legislation passed that will help when people go missing.
Dylan Rounds, 19, vanished in Lucin, Utah in May 2022. His family and law enforcement spent nearly two years searching for him. His remains were discovered April 9, 2024, and James Brenner, 61, is serving a prison sentence in Utah after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
Cooley has spent the past year meeting with Utah lawmakers, and in May, H.B. 366 will become law.
“What this bill states is if you go missing tomorrow and police think it’s foul play, or you’re just missing under extreme circumstances, they’re able to pull phone data immediately with an undeniable warrant,” Cooley tells EastIdahoNews.com.
After her son disappeared, Cooley says it took a couple of weeks to get a warrant for his cell phone data, leading to the discovery of his phone in a pond near Brenner’s trailer.
The new bill would dramatically speed up the time, not just when people are missing under suspicious circumstances but also if hunters, skiers, campers, snowmobilers or others become lost in remote areas.
“A mobile telecommunications service shall provide all communication device location information as quickly as possible regarding a telecommunication device user or a communication device user whom a law enforcement agency has reason to believe is in need of services,” the bill states.
That information includes call logs, GPS tracking data, application data, browser history, email records, photos and videos SMS and MMS messages and contact details.
Cooley will now work to get a similar law passed in Idaho.
“I have no doubt it will cruise right through session next year and we’ll have it here in Idaho,” Cooley says. “There are a lot of missing people that have never been found that could have been…(by) obtaining these warrants without a judge saying no – this fringes on the right of a person’s privacy. When you’re missing, you don’t care about your privacy.”
Cooley has also been working closely with the Missing in America Network and helping other families with missing loved ones. Through Dylan’s Legacy, a non-profit organization created in her son’s honor, Cooley is organizing a workshop for law enforcement officers featuring Texas Det. Aaron Benzick. Benzick created Badge Apps, a data tracking system for law enforcement, and the training will focus on using location data during police investigations.
“We got this bill passed and now these officers (in Utah) have access to it. Half of them don’t know what it is, so what good does that do?” Cooley says. “We’re bringing in officers from Elko County, Arizona, Colorado and other places. It’s a two-day training that goes through so much and helps educate them on how to gather and use all this data.”
The workshop will be held April 1-2 in the Salt Lake area. The cost is $250 per participant and Cooley is looking for sponsors to help as many officers and deputies attend as possible. She hopes at least four officers from eastern Idaho can participate.
If you’re interested in learning more or want to sponsor an officer, visit https://dylanroundslegacy.org.
Watch our entire interview with Cooley in the video player above.
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