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Dateline: Lauren's Promise aired on NBC in 2021, but its disturbing story still leaves the audience perplexed. The true-crime episode showcased the case of Lauren McCluskey, a college student who was found murdered on her campus in 2018.
McCluskey was killed by her ex-boyfriend, Melvin Rowland, who created a web of lies and manipulated her before his real identity was exposed. Here are five harrowing details about the tragic event, as seen on Dateline: Lauren's Promise.
Disturbing details of Lauren McCluskey’s murder seen on Dateline: Lauren's Promise
1. Lauren warned the campus police many times
Lauren started feeling unsafe after finding out her ex-boyfriend, Melvin Rowland, had lied to her. He said he was younger and had a clean past, but he was actually 37 years old and was a convicted sex offender.
She told campus police at the University of Utah that he was stalking and threatening her, but they did not take her seriously. She asked for help several times, but they did not do enough to protect her, and she ultimately suffered a tragic fate.
2. The university admitted it did not do its job
After Lauren’s death, the university looked into what went wrong. Even though the university president first said the murder could not have been stopped, later reports showed that was not true.
Campus authorities later admitted they had made some mistakes in the case. They said that their police and staff did not have the right training or rules to help Lauren when she needed them most.
3. Lauren was on the phone with her mom when she was killed
As seen on Dateline: Lauren's Promise, on October 22, 2018, Lauren was talking to her mom on the phone while sitting in her car near her dorm.. That is when Rowland showed up, grabbed her, and shot her.
Her mom heard it happen but could not help her. Just three days earlier, Lauren had gone to both the campus and city police to ask for help again. This shows how alone she really was, even though she kept asking for protection.
4. The university gave awards to the police after the murder
The University of Utah held a ceremony where they gave awards to three officers for how they handled Lauren’s case. Her father said this was 'borderline obscene' because those officers were part of the reason she was not protected. The police later said sorry for including Lauren’s name in the program, but they did not take back the awards.
5. The school paid money and promised to change, but too late
As seen on Dateline, two years after Lauren was killed, the university agreed to a $10.5 million settlement with her family. They also gave $3 million to a foundation in her name. The school admitted they failed her.
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Her parents used the money to start the Lauren McCluskey Foundation, which works to make campuses safer. They also started a program called Lauren’s Promise, where teachers promise to help any student who feels scared or threatened.
You can watch Dateline: Lauren's Promise on NBC.com.
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