Slain Utah Student Was Abducted While on the Phone With Her Mom

Lauren McCluskey, the University of Utah student who was shot and killed Monday night by her ex-boyfriend, was on the phone with her mother when she was abducted outside a residence hall, according to reports. “Suddenly I heard her yell, ‘No, no no!’’ her mother said in a statement. “I thought she might have been in a car accident. That was the last I heard from her.” McCluskey’s body was found later that night after her mother called 911, and her suspected killer, 37-year-old ex-boyfriend Melvin Rowland, was found dead in an apparent suicide Tuesday morning. McCluskey’s mother said that Rowland, a convicted sex offender, had lied to her daughter about his age and criminal past, and that McCluskey broke up with him two weeks ago when she discovered the truth. A vigil for McCluskey will be held Wednesday. “As a campus community, we share grief over this tragic loss of life,” the school said. “Our deepest sympathy is extended to Lauren’s family and friends.”