Lauren McCluskey wasn’t someone I was familiar with until Oct. 22 — the day she was murdered.
McCluskey, a 21-year-old Pullman native and University of Utah fourth-year student, died at the hands of her former boyfriend, Melvin Rowland, a 37-year-old registered sex offender, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Rowland shot her before later killing himself, stashing her body in a car. The track and field athlete was on the phone
with her mother at the time of her death, who reported hearing McCluskey say, “No, no, no.” It was the last words she would ever hear from her daughter.
McCluskey ended their one- month relationship after she learned Rowland had lied about his name, age and criminal history. He pled guilty to attempted forcible sex abuse and enticing a minor over the internet in 2003.
She reported Rowland began to harass her, threatening to release private photos if she didn’t pay him $1,000 — she complied out of fear.
McCluskey filed an official report Oct. 13 and told campus police, who informed her they couldn’t do much. She was slain nine days later.
Throughout the United States, around 20 people are abused by an intimate partner per minute, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence — a statistic that translates to more than 10 million men and women each year. Many of which die at the hands of their current and former partners, like McCluskey.
In an effort to remember her legacy, the University of Idaho track and field team dedicated their indoor season opener last Saturday to McCluskey, which shared her namesake.
“When we got here in 2014, Lauren was a senior in high school, and we recruited her,” said Idaho track and field Director Tim Cawley in a Vandal Athletics news release. “I think she was one of the first athletes I met. She and her mom were out on the track train- ing, because she was over here training all the time. She competed at all of the indoor meets. She was just a fixture around the Dome and we wanted to honor her this year, just do something to honor her memory.”
In the middle of the meet, officials showed a video of McCluskey and a set aside time for a moment of silence.
The event not only shed light on the tragedy behind McCluskey’s death, but other victims of domestic violence — as it should. It is not talked about nearly enough.
Unless people are personally affected — either directly or indirectly — by this type of abuse, they may not understand the insidious nature of it, as well as the ripple effects. No one should have to suffer at the hands of someone they once trusted or manipulated them into doing so.
It is incredibly important to draw attention to these victims. But first, we need to believe them when they come forward and do everything we can to protect them because it could be the difference between life and death.
And when tragedies such as McCluskey’s unfortunately occur, we can’t let their deaths be in vain — we must commit to doing better, so it truly doesn’t happen again, putting an end to the cycle of violence.
Olivia Heersink can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @heersinkolivia