ELKO – The family of a missing 19-year-old Utah resident is asking the public to leave the investigation to law enforcement agencies as speculation over the case continues to generate publicity.
“As a family, we are not asking for, or requesting any additional public searches for Dylan Rounds at this time,” said the statement released through the Elko County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday. “We request that everyone allow law enforcement to continue their organized investigation without any hindrance or interference, in order to avoid jeopardizing the investigation.”
The ECSO is not the primary investigating agency in the case, because the last known contact with Rounds took place in Utah’s Box Elder County. However, Rounds had visited Montello in Elko County two days before his disappearance and the Elko sheriff’s office stated “We have open communications with his family and are still diligently assisting Utah authorities with this case.”
East Idaho News reported that Rounds’ grandmother last spoke with him on May 28 and nobody has heard from him since then. There has been no sign of Rounds anywhere and no activity on his cellphone or bank account, according to his parents.
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The FBI is involved in the search for Rounds, who farmed in Lucin, Utah, but is originally from Rigby, Idaho.
Fox News has reported on the case, and numerous YouTube videos have been posted about the young man’s mysterious disappearance. Last week, family members had an attorney send a cease-and-desist order to a private investigator who has made public statements about the case, according to ABC News 4 in Salt Lake City.
Box Elder County authorities have not named any suspects. A man who was living near Rounds when he went missing has been charged in federal court with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Rounds’ parents have offered a $20,000 reward for his return, but they are not asking for financial assistance. They told Fox News that there are a number of false rumors and fake fundraisers circulating on social media.
“We thank everyone for their continued support in finding Dylan Rounds,” family members stated Wednesday.