I just didnt realize how much endanger she was. One of our friends actually looked him up and was like, this is not the guy that you think he is. He conned women to get what he wanted. He was good at it. He was very good at. If he had been peeking in her dorm room window. Im being blackmailed from for money. Lauren kept saying, well, the police will handle it. We got the notification on our phone a second lockdown. He had been lying in wait. I was like, this isnt real. This isnt happening. How do you not recognize that this girl needs your help . What should scare every parent is that this could be going on at any campus across our country. Hello and welcome to dateline. College senior Lauren Mccluskey was known around campus as a star athlete. But few knew that off the field, she was trapped in a abusive relationship. Lauren turn to Campus Police for protection, not once, but several times. Most of us would agree it was the right thing to do. So, why did things turn out so very wrong . Heres Josh Mankiewicz with laurens promise. Graduation at the University Of Utah inn Salt Lake City, home of the utes. A time for selfies, smiles and celebration. In may 2019, 8500 graduates and their families packed the universities huge arena. Lauren mccluskey should have been here to, receiving her degree in cap and gown. As happy as her classmates. Except she wasnt. And the story of what happened and why is as sad as it is eyeopening. This wasnt one of those things where it was out of everyones control. It wasnt like a natural disaster. How many times two women have to call for help before the University Of Utah realizes, you know what, we ought to step this up . What are the two of you thinking at that point . I couldnt really fathom what had happened. Neither of us slept at all that night. Its a story that could so easily have ended differently. If just one person had stepped up. If just one more phone call had been made. One dot connected. Instead, the repercussions of a preventable murder would continue for years to come. Lauren grew up in the college town of pullman, washington. Her parents both professors. And from early on, lauren was a girl in motion. Her mom, jill. She could climb trees when she was two years old. As lauren growth, she excelled at the hurdles and high jump. A stack of medals tell her story. Which paid off with scholarship money from the University Of Utah. Her dad, matt. One of the attractions of University Of Utah was that it appeared to be very safe. And they actually sell that. You know . Salt lake city is one of the safest cities. This is a safe place. Thats part of the pitch . Yes. As she headed off to college, lauren was a appearance dream. A dedicated athlete, studious, not a partier, not a drinker. Not active on the dating scene. What were you worried about . Anything . The only thing i worried about was an automobile. So, i wanted to resort to really safe car. So, that was my only real worry. Lauren alex on day one of her freshman year. So, we were roommates our freshman year. And august, 2015. And we became instant friends. Alex and lauren hung out together, attended church together, and for the next three years, lauren continue to focus on her studies. Her track events, and her friends. As for boyfriends . Not so much. Was lauren somebody had a lot of boyfriends . I would say no. But i would say she did hang out with her friends a lot. Then came september 2018, the start of senior ear. Lauren and alex went to a bar downtown one night. And lauren met someone. His name was shawn fields, and he was working security at the bar. He let the two women in, kept an eye on them throughout the evening, and then as they were leaving, he made contact with laura. Shes like, i give him my number and i guess we will see if he contacts me. He did. Lauren told alex the next morning. Shes like, oh, he texted me and were going on a date this afternoon. Shawn said he was a car parttime Computer Science student at a nearby community college. He was 28. A little old, but not a big deal. More dates followed and lauren told her appearance about the man in her life. It sounded sort of old fashion, the way that he was paying attention to her and asking her out for dinner. Doing all of these things. Yeah, i used to say oh, shes in lov e. You could hear in her voice . Yeah. Things moved quickly. Lauren and shawn were soon exclusive. When did you realize they were boyfriend and girlfriend . Probably a week and a half after they met. She wanted to be his girlfriend and it made her feel special. That special feeling would not last. Is Lawrence Prince as charming as he seems . Her friends start to worry about her new relationship. Coming up we noticed she was tired. She seemed stressed. You can tell at least, physically in her face, that she was going through emotionally a lot on her mind. You know . With the relationship. And before long, her friends had a new worry. I was told that he was going to give her a gun he had. Which you in any kind of danger that she would meet again . No, we never thought that meghan was necessary. When dateline continues. Like, what is your glucose . And can you have more carbs . Before you decide. With the freestyle libre 2 system know your Glucose Level and where its headed. No fingersticks needed. Manage your diabetes with more confidence. And lower your a1c. The number one doctor prescribed cgm. Freestyle libre 2. Try it for free at freestylelibre. Us dupixent helps you du more with less asthma. And can help you breathe better in as little as two weeks. Dupixent is an addon treatment for specific types of moderatetosevere asthma thats not for sudden breathing problems. Dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. Get help right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. 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The virus that causes shingles is likely already inside of you. 50 years or older . Ask your doctor about shingles. At the start of her senior year at the University Of Utah, Lauren Mccluskey fell hard for a guy named shawn prince. And soon, he was her boyfriend. Matt heard regular updates by phone. Her friends describe learn as kind of smitten with this new guy. Did that come across talking with the two of you . Sure. Yeah. A lot of that happiness was just there already. But she clearly seemed very happy about her relationship with this person. But her parents, hundreds of miles away in washington state, new only what their daughter was telling them. It was different for her good friends at the university. They began noticing that the very independent lauren was now at shawns back and call. Every time he would text her, she would stop what she was doing to make sure she picked up the phone. Or text. Her friend alex said that she was put off by shawns behavior when she and lauren went back to the bar when he where he was working. He was like, dont forget pickmeup at two in the morning. Dont fall asleep. Dont fall asleep. He said it jokingly, but i could tell that he was serious. In other words, pressuring her to stay awake to pick him up in the middle of the night, after his shift ends . Yes. The very next night, alex says, came Something Else that made her uncomfortable. He was asking her where are you, who are you with . That friday and she was just with me the entire time. So, the fact that he kept asking, i guess was also what bothered me. You Say Something to her . I did say it wasnt normal. Then i think she thought he would start to trust her. So theyre brandnew and hes already kind of possessive and controlling . Yes. Another friend, a graduate student named diamond, was thinking the same things. Diamond new lauren didnt have a ton of dating experience. She really went all out for him. Was really investing, i personally think, too much time into it. Telling him where she was going to be and stuff. And to her jet translated as, oh this is a relationship. This is what we do. A lot of, were you with, were you going . You ever say to her, this is not normal, acceptable behavior for a boyfriend, or for any man . Yeah, i did. And i tried to do it as like, im coming to you as a friend. An old friend who has stated quite a few people. And just was presenting, him calling you are asking who you are with and wanting pictures of people around you is not thats not protection. And thats not love . Thats not. No. And shed say . Shes like, oh, no, its fine. He just wants to make sure i am okay. Carmen was in the same circle of friends. She says lauren told her about a fight with shawn. He stormed off and lauren vowed shed be the one to change. She just clearly said to us, i dont want to upset him that way again. I dont want to see him that mad ever again. A couple of weeks into the relationship, shawn was practically living with lauren in her dorm on campus. Hed made friends with other students there and so was able to come and go without a key card. Laurens friends thought she was sleep deprived and she seemed sad. We noticed she was tired. She seemed stress. You could tell, at least physically in her face, that she was going through emotionally, a lot on her mind. You know . With the relationship. Then something more ominous. Lauren told her Friends Shawn wanted to give her a gun for her protection. That immediately that was the first trigger. I was like . A trigger because diamond was then working for the universities housing department. At the time, she was laurens resident assistant, living in a nearby building. Which in any kind of danger that she would need a gun . Not that i know of or just when im with her, no. We never thought that a gun was necessary. Its not illegal to have a gun on campus, but do a lot of students have guns . Not to my knowledge, but it still has to be concealed. So, you have to have a license for that, which means have to y scared. Shawn had a secret. An ugly one. She have any idea what she was going to find when she started searching . No. When dateline continues. By Late September 2018, Lauren Mccluskeys good friends at the University Of Utah were increasingly unhappy about her new relationship with shawn fields. I would make comments like, this guy is literally not good for her. He throws us off. You were afraid of him . Yes. Physically afraid . Yes. He because he was a huge guy. And when laurens friends heard that shawn wanted to give her again, their concern intensified. We would just tell her, no, you dont need it. Your safety is fine. If anything, hes compromising your safety. Then in early october, lauren made a frightening discovery. She had called me and she seemed very shocked and scared. Lauren had seen her boyfriends i d. It had his photo with a different name. Suspicious, she turned to google. Did she have any idea what she was going to find when she started searching . No. Because suddenly, shawn fields is Melvin Rowland. Yes. It was stunning. Most of what she thought she knew about her boyfriend was a lie. From his real name, Melvin Rowland, to his age, 37. 16 years older than lauren. And finally this. Laurens boyfriend was a registered sex offender. Melvin rowland had been convicted of attempted forcible sexual abuse and enticing a minor over the internet. And so you said, youve got to break up with this guy. And she said, i will . Yes, she was going to. Lauren talked with her mom, told her what she learned about her boyfriend and that she wanted to break up with him. And she was asking me advice about the best way to separate sever ties with him. And im thinking you said, get as far away as you can and make sure you never see him again . Yes. That night, rowland should up at laurens room, appearing in her window and startling her. When he finally came in, she confronted him about his place. He was like, i was set up. I was set up. I didnt do it. Theyre trying to free me. Then she kept telling him, they need to break up. And every time he said he was going to leave, he would force himself upon her. Hes twice her size. When dateline continues. Late september 2018, by Late September 2018, Lauren Mccluskeys good friends at the University Of Utah were increasingly unhappy about her new relationship with shawn fields. I would make comments like, this guy is literally not good for her. He throws us off. You were afraid of him . Yes. Physically afraid . Yes. He because he was a huge guy. And when laurens friends heard that shawn wanted to give her again, their concern intensified. We would just tell her, no, you dont need it. Your safety is fine. If anything, hes compromising your safety. Then in early october, lauren made a frightening discovery. She had called me and she seemed very shocked and scared. Lauren had seen her boyfriends i d. It had his photo with a different name. Suspicious, she turned to google. Did she have any idea what she was going to find when she started searching . No. Because suddenly, shawn fields is Melvin Rowland. Yes. It was stunning. Most of what she thought she knew about her boyfriend was a lie. From his real name, Melvin Rowland, to his age, 37. 16 years older than lauren. And finally this. Laurens boyfriend was a registered sex offender. Melvin rowland had been convicted of attempted forcible sexual abuse and enticing a minor over the internet. And so you said, youve got to break up with this guy. And she said, i will . Yes, she was going to. Lauren talked with her mom, told her what she learned about her boyfriend and that she wanted to break up with him. And she was asking me advice about the best way to separate sever ties with him. And im thinking you said, get as far away as you can and make sure you never see him again . Yes. That night, rowland should up at laurens room, appearing in her window and startling her. When he finally came in, she confronted him about his place. He was like, i was set up. I was set up. I didnt do it. Theyre trying to free me. Then she kept telling him, they need to break up. And every time he said he was going to leave, he would force himself upon her. Hes twice her size. I would say maybe four, five times her size. He was a huge guy. Very muscles, very tall. So, she would not have been able to resist a fight. No, there was no way she couldve gotten away. Rowland state until morning. And when he finally did leave, he was driving laurens car. So, letting him use the car was kind of the price of getting him out the door . Yes. So, now, how to get the car back . Whats rowland going to leave it in a Distant University parking lot, where could lauren pick it up. Jill didnt like that plan one bit and thats when she jumped into action. Im worried that hes dangerous. Jill called the University Of UtahCampus Police. Okay, we can definitely have someone help her out. Can you have your daughter give us a call . The dispatcher got laurens contact information. Jill had more. Okay, so let me tell you just a little bit more. So, he was lying to her. Okay. Hes actually a sexual offender. Okay. And lied about his age and things like that. Okay. And he has her car. So, im worried shes going to go there alone and someone is going to hurt her. In the end, Campus Police sent an escort with lauren, the car was retrieved without a hitch. The dispatcher called jill back. She texted me, to, she got a car back. So, thank you so much. You guys are so wonderful. I so much appreciated. No problem. You have a good night, jill. The mccluskeys were relieved. We were assured that they would be in essence, on the lookout. So, we thought the situation was very safe. They were wrong. And had the known what lay ahead, the almost certainly would have been on the next plane to Salt Lake City. Coming up im being blackmailed for money. I didnt know her, but she sounds scared. She sounds scared to the two of you . Yeah. She does. New threats