Dylan Rounds missing: Utah deputies names squatter James Brenner as suspect following 19 year old's disappearance 

There seems to be a breakthrough in the Dylan Rounds disappearance case, as the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office, along with the FBI, announced a suspect. The 19-year-old from Utah went missing along the Utah-Nevada border around May 28, 2022.

Police began entertaining the possibility of Rounds being a victim of hate-crime around mid-June.

In a joint release issued, the police stated that James Brenner is now a suspect in the case. The 58-year-old suspect is currently being held at the Weber County jail on federal firearm charges.

The release states:

“The current totality of information gathered from the many interviews and searches, along with the analysis of both physical evidence and forensic data, has identified James Brenner as a suspect. Brenner is currently being held in the Weber County Jail on unrelated federal firearm charges. No criminal charges have been filed specifically regarding the Dylan Rounds case. ”

Candice Cooley, the missing persons' mother, has identified Brenner as an "acquaintance" with her son.

Dylan Rounds was last seen at a bar in Montello, Nevada, on May 26 and last heard from on Saturday, May 28 when he called his grandma early in the morning. It is believed that he was at his farm in Lucin at that time.

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James Brenner is the suspect in the Dylan Rounds missing case

According to police records, Brenner is a “friend” and “neighbor” who lived near Dylan Rounds. The FBI allegedly claimed that Brenner was “squatting in a trailer” on Rounds’ property.

It was here that deputies found the missing teenager's grain truck and boots.

Brenner's past criminal records include malicious shooting, malicious wounding, and three prior convictions for possession of a firearm. Court records state that the defendant has no work history, is unemployed and has "no verifiable residence." The records further claim that Brenner was tresspassing and squatting on Rounds' property.

According to a neighbor, shortly after Dylan Rounds' disappearance, Brenner had asked him to conceal three black powder guns and a .22-caliber rifle without a serial number. The weapons have been handed over to the authorities. Citing past felon convictions, Brenner was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

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Family hopes for Dylan's safe return post his disappearance in May 2022

Candance Cooley, the grieving mother of Dylan Rounds, said that he was "out building his own life." The 19-year-old had spent the last two summers trying to build his "dream farm" and this year his grain was finally coming up.

A long period of silence raised suspicions that something was not right as the teen was always in contact with someone from the family.

Cooley added:

"I would go three or four days without talking to him and then I'd talk to him five days in a row. But he was always in contact with somebody. So, when we all put together that nobody talked to him, that's when we all headed down to the farm."

Cooley is confident that her son will never run off without informing anyone. She said in a statement:

"That kid was so dedicated. That farm was his life. You're talking about a kid who's got access to $60,000 for tractor parts and all kinds of stuff. And nothing, no money has been spent. Nothing's been touched, nothing like that."

The teen's mother says that wishes she could say that he was out gambling, but she knows her son would not do that. Cooley hopes to find answers soon, but she fears that her son could have been murdered.

His parents are offering a $100,000 reward for his return, as posted on the official "Find Dyland Rounds" Facebook page