Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
IDAHO FALLS — Dylan Rounds' mother wants the family members of missing people to know they're not alone. She's working to help families facing similar situations to the one she found herself two years ago.
"When Dylan's case first started, we didn't know what to do. We didn't know who to trust. We were completely lost, and hundreds of people reached out to me saying they could fix everything," Candice Cooley tells EastIdahoNews.com.
"Unfortunately, a lot of organizations come in, and they take advantage of families, in my opinion," said Cooley.
Rounds was laid to rest Saturday following an outdoor memorial service on his family farm. The 19-year-old vanished in the remote desert town of Lucin, in Box Elder County, in May 2022, and his family spent nearly two years searching him. Earlier this year, James Brenner, a 60-year-old man with a violent criminal history, admitted to killing Rounds and led law enforcement to his body. Brenner pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is serving a prison sentence in Utah.
When Rounds first disappeared, Rhonda "Jaz" Dequier reached out to Cooley to offer support. Dequier runs the Missing in America Network, an online organization dedicated mainly to people who have vanished within the past twelve months.
"The biggest thing we do is awareness. We do all the Facebook groups and social media, and we get the word out," Dequier says. "We offer billboards, we offer flyer events where you go in and you flyer a lot of places to help find missing kids or missing adults. We are here to help the families."
Missing in America Network has worked with 314 families since it launched. Cooley and Dequier are now joining forces to provide additional resources in missing persons cases such as drones and K9 dogs. They spoke with EastIdahoNews.com about their plans. Watch the entire conversation on EastIdahoNews.com.
