The campus police officer saving her nudes and showing them to others… that is BEYOND disgusting. He needs to be charged if he hasn’t already. 😡

I'm not even halfway through, but I had to stop and wonder why the hell someone would be eligible for parole after only serving one year for those charges. That's absurd.

In the US, stalkers are pretty much allowed to do as they please even though they've passed specific stalking laws. I was stalked for 22 yr by a dude I dated for one month. He only quit stalking me when he drowned in the river while fishing. The police knew the whole time. I reported him at least 100 times to various law enforcement agencies. I had him beaten up three times. I had him snatched up and dumped outside OKC in December. I had pulled knives on him and twice sicced my Doberman on him. I was not easy to harass, but he kept on until the Ouachita River took care of him for me. I have never been so glad when someone died.

Another officer said he was lucky he got that case because he was able to get nude pics of her?! What a sick, sick world. 🤮

Lauren and I were friends and she was actually was a student in one of the buildings I supervised. I urged the university housing to change her rooms one I found out she was dating a shady man but the university closed ranks and said "unless she comes to us for help we can't do anything." BUT SHE LITERALLY HAD. They just didn't communicate it across the board. The University of Utah is a horrible university.

Omfg. This was beyond maddening. Everyone failed her. Even her parents. If I found out my child was dating a convicted felon and sex offender, I would have taken her to campus, retrieved the car, filed a report, got a restraining order, called his parole officer, stayed in town. I mean. Why is everyone expecting her to take care of this?! It’s like asking a lamb to fight a lion. How horrific.

This made my blood boil. Stalking is not taken seriously enough. Poor Lauren had such a bright life ahead of her and Melvin robbed the world of a unique, bright and strong woman.

This story is actually heartbreaking. So many people failed Lauren. Very scary to know she reached out for help so many times with evidence of crimes and it all went basically ignored.

The officer who kept her nude photos and shared them around should lose their job, and be forced to register as a sex offender themselves.

As someone who has worked at a university for a while, after a few calls like that, everyone in the office ends up becoming familiar with the student and their situation. I imagine there were more calls than what was presented here. The fact that everytime her or her parents called, they had to reiterate the contex and seemingly had no idea about the situation is shocking. At that point, once she says her name, they should know the deal. She should have had a reliable person to contact who was keeping up with the situation, but they dropped the ball there. It is a tragedy seeing how many points in time this could have been prevented.

Man, the way Lauren’s situation unfolded is painful to hear. The year after I left the school, this murder happened. My Friends were in Lauren’s social sphere and had intimate knowledge of the situation. I was upset to discover that college staff and SLC police did not handle the case well, and it took years for Utah to “admit” to the mishandling of the case. Lauren’s mom advocated, publicly and legally, for years for justice. If any lesson could be taken away, it’s that reporting works when the reporting system takes your case seriously.

She literally gave so much evidence but they chose to ignore it and took their sweet time. Disgusting.

I had an aggressive stalker, called the police, and they told me to just buy a gun. They told me that police can’t do anything until AFTER he gets violent. I hired an attorney who sent the stalker a cease and desist. The police were zero help.

Why are they referring to him as a boy, that just makes him sound misunderstood. He is a narcistic, evil, dangerous man who is on the sex offender register. This whole terrible incident never needed to happen if just one person stood up to help her. I am so very sorry Lauren.

This is one of the most upsetting stories you have covered yet. That poor poor girl. My heart goes out to her family and friends.

Telling the blackmailer that what they’re doing is illegal won’t do anything because they probably already know and don’t care. The best course of action is to just ignore them and report their behavior immediately because once you give into their demands, they won’t stop.

Worked for the University off-site and got a lock-down text when the murder happened. More I learned the more I was completely horrified by the whole situation. Lauren did all the right things and the system failed her. Haunted by the fact that her mother was on the phone with her when the attack occurred. RIP Lauren you are not forgotten ❤

As a survivor of domestic violence, I’m not surprised by the lack of action in this case. Too often the signs are ignored till it’s too late. We as a society need to do better. RIP sweet girl. Thanks Adrian for bringing light to this case.

You’re right Adrian, this is infuriating on all levels. The psycho ex-boyfriend, the earnest young lady who’s still learning life lessons, the inadequate but well-meaning parents, the drop-kick campus police and regular police, the complexity of shame, fear and embarrassment when reaching out for help and getting none. They’re all recipes for impending doom. We’ve had another similar case here a few days back. An ex-partner shot his baby mama (toddler unharmed) set the house on fire, drive off and shot himself. What is going on with the world washing their hands of domestic violence?

She was failed by campus security and law enforcement. She was also failed by the system who allowed this predator to roam free. Rest in peace 🌹

Stalking is one of the few crimes that truly terrifies me. Nobody will do anything about it until it's too late. There's almost nothing you can do about it until you really can't do anything at all.

Having been in a abusive relationship, this is awful! This young woman did everything she should have. This story broke my heart.

It’s so scary what obsessed individuals will do. I also had a situation with an individual that had an unhealthy obsession and infatuation with me in college. He was my lab partner and I even failed classes due to the situation. My teacher didn’t believe me, so I went to a lawyer and then I threatened to go to the police and press charges if my stalker didn’t stop. Luckily he listened and left me alone.

This one hit home a little too hard. I was in an 8 year relationship with a man who was emotionally abusive. When I finally had the courage to leave, it took three days to leave him. He would not let me sleep, eat, or potty without him being on the phone until I took him back. After 4 days of not eating, I finally was free. I ate a slice of cake as a reward and got sick from it. That is the proudest moment of my life and I truly hope no one ever has to go through anything like that. I hate that she was in an abusive relationship where he wouldn't let her go. I'm so grateful I didn't die. I now have a 6 month old daughter and a husband I love and job I love. I would never have that opportunity if I met a man like Melvin. I hope Lauren's family finds peace. I can't imagine their pain. I wish he could have just let her go.

The police forces failed terribly. Both campus and city. A beautiful young woman senselessly murdered. And her killer dead by his own hand. No justice for Lauren. Thanks Adrian

I used to date a girl whos ex did a bunch of stalkerish crap. Calling/texting constantly, posting her photos and phone number online as well as showing up at her work. I convinced her to call the cops one night and ended up regretting it. They basically told her to change her phone number and consider trying to find a new job since she 'just works in the mall'. So its easy to see why people dont trust police, cause I certainly don't.

My uncle did something very similar to what Melvin did here with shocking similarities regarding the lack of concern from law enforcement. It is both amazing and disgusting that 25 years later these people can't be stopped before it ends this way

Just about managed to get through the whole video, listening to. This was infuriating. Can't imagine how she must've felt going through all this. RIP, Lauren.

I reported my abusive ex to police several times but they never did anything; we were instructed to “talk it out”. He raped me, broke my jaw, teeth and nose, gave me nerve damage that I still have today, brain damage from a severe concussion as well. Thank you, officers, we sure did talk it out. I’m lucky to be alive, but not all are so lucky, obviously… this is a disturbing reminder of that solemn fact. RIP Lauren… your death was senseless and preventable. 😓 ***UPDATE*** thank you so much for support and kind words for those who showed me love, it means a lot! 💕 If you’ve been through something similar I feel for you and wish you all the best. And for the few who have nothing better to do than victim shame, spew negativity and hatred… You’re part of the problem, nobody is impressed with how “edgey” you think you are. Victim blaming or shaming others who have been through something difficult isn’t cute. Y’all need help. Take care. ✌🏻

The police that took her picture and said they were lucky to get it are DISGUSTING human beings. Law enforcement and campus security really failed her on this one.

This case made me so upset because there were many opportunities to do something to protect her from this tragedy. Makes me worry for my sister who’s in uni and what could happen to her and how little the campus would do if she ever got into a situation like this. RIP Lauren 💔

All that evidence …her voice cracking…you can feel the pain and fear in her voice. Poor girl. Shameful from the law enforcement not doing their job to protect this girl. They should be ashamed and embarrassed! Her death is on their hands. Melvin was a coward. Killing himself before he faced justice. Disgusting. I pray that God gives her family comfort and peace.

My friend's ex trapped her in a room all night like that. I randomly went to her house when she didn't answer my texts and it seemed off. I flipped out made him leave and called the police. If you think someone is dangerous in the slightest don't see them alone please.

I bet the campus would be on her case if she missed a tuition payment....but obviously could have cared less regarding her safety. What a damn shame. Poor Lauren and her family.

Adrian, I'm always impressed by how compassionately you tell the stories of the victims. Thank you. 🌷🕊

21:35 this whole interaction is making my blood boil especially when it gets to the point where the operator on the phone asks her if she texted the literal guy thats been harassing her if she has texted him to stop calling it's like... no um.. the guy is HARASSING me heLLO??

Imagine paying ridiculous amounts of money for an education and when asking security for help you're ignored 😞

My roommate went on a date with this guy just a week before Lauren was murdered. And she matched with him on the local religious dating app. She could tell right away that something was off with him and blocked him after that first date. There were so many other women who came forward with similar stories after Lauren was murdered.

Wild, I was working nearby when we got alerts of a shooting on campus. Security and the law definitely failed her. Wish he hadn't been let free to continue being a monster but also wish she had bailed earlier at signs of control and paranoia and had left school until the issue had a resolution. It's hard with youth and inexperience to know how to handle these terrible situations

As someone who lives in UT and was living there when this happens, it is very frustrating knowing they look they other way when women are in trouble. Way too many cases like this could be and should be prevented.

Killing someone then killing yourself is such a cowardly act. I’m also sick and tired of story after story where people that should clearly be in jail being released so that they can kill. It’s clear that these judges and police either have no common sense or just don’t care, both are deeply concerning.

29:39 Not everyone failed her. During this story I kept thinking of that 1st call handler doing a good job and getting her car picked up. She felt the concern in the situation

This makes me so sad. I dealt with a similar situation with an ex (not the false identity) but the abuse, harassment, stalking etc, and the police never took me seriously. They assumed since its an ex that they were welcomed interactions. Without going into the other details, I still have over 200 phone numbers blocked, he would just make one after another and would do anything to get to me. I feel fortunate to have made it out alive. I wish that these things would be taken seriously, my heart goes out to her and her family.

The incompetence of the police is outrageous this case really got under my skin rip Lauren

As a victim of several SA’s, that monster getting parole after only one year is a slap in the face to anyone who’s ever suffered that abuse, especially his victims.💔😡💔😡

When you’re not prioritizing safety, you cease to call yourself “public safety”.

The number of people that failed her are endless including the police,, especially the one on holidays that didn't make sure someone else was following up and aware of her concerns.What a tragedy. Many people, I imagine, would be thinking long and hard about their own part in this tragedy. Even if they tried to push it out their minds, I don't think they could.

I’ve gone through the same thing but with a woman stalking me for 6 years. She’s been in jail 4 times already for it. It’s bloody hell looking over my shoulder everyday.😔

The fact one of the security people at the university saved her photo is just sick!!!

I am not against police doing their jobs when they are doing them properly but this is the entire justice system failing this poor girl.

It frustrates me to no end that a woman can be so terrified, file multiple reports, and still be fobbed off as authorities just couldn't be fucked to assist! I truly pray each person who turned her away feel the guilt of her life for the rest of their lives

This is maddening. This girl was so smart. Her parents were so smart. They used resources. And still. Im baffled. Outof all of the crimes I have listened to this is the one where there are no excuses for this victim to have been safe.

Okay I can’t be the only one who was in AGONY listening to the mother and Lauren try and explain themselves on the phone. I am not trying to be rude but they didn’t exactly do a good job being fully clear and explaining the situation. RIP

I must preface this by saying I do not blame the victim or her family. Melvin is to blame. This is guidance for anyone out there who finds themselves in a similar situation. When you call the police, if there is time, write a script first. "My name is X. I am being stalked by Y. He is a registered sex offender. I need to file a police report. Send an officer to (address)." If you are a parent, prepare to be very firm and not hesitant: "My name is X. My daughter/son is Y. He/she/they is a student at Z. Send police to (address) immediately. On a phone call, she was heard screaming, "No no no no no," before the line went dead. She was being stalked by an armed sex offender. She is in imminent danger." In these calls, father and daughter were not conveying the sense of urgency that was needed. I don't know if a change of tone would have made a difference here. It sounds like these police were incompetent. But, if you run into this kind of danger, make sure the police have no doubt that your life is threatened or that you are being hunted by a convicted parolee. Just say whatever you need to say to break through the operator/dispatcher's polite indifference.

I was abused by my ex, I just left and pretty much told myself to never get the cops involved in my relationships, and this story only proves my fear of getting the police involved.. I feel so bad for this woman and her family and hope that one day her family can start healing.

I’m heartbroken that she had to die because of the carelessness of those on duty to protecting their students. They still have a life to live while this beautiful child lost hers because they didn’t take her seriously. Time to up grade safety for all paying students in this University complex ….Thankfully her dear parents got a hand in this and decided what best to use her memory. Sadly they still don’t / can’t ,touch, hold and talk to their baby girl no more , which money can never buy or replace. My deepest condolence to these beautiful parents and 'prayers their way' R.IP BEAUTIFUL ANGEL😔

That's just how it is here in the US. The number of times I was told "Give us a call when he actually attacks you" when I was being stalked was shameful. I ended up having to uproot my entire life because the police just did not care. Hundreds of calls, dozens of reports, multiple peace orders. They just do not care.

Stalking and murder. My worst fears. Stay safe, everyone. ❤️

It’s been a minute since I’ve actually cried listening to a case. RIP beautiful Lauren 🤍

Just a reminder for everyone out there, you can (and probably should) pay for a background check on anyone you intend on being in a relationship with. It is too easy to do and can save you serious trouble.

So heartbreaking! Can't fathom how scared and helpless Lauren must have felt!

What happened to the officers who had her nude photos??? Were they fired or even charged bc if he's still allowed to be a officer I'm truly disappointed and horrified for those students on campus. Rip Lauren nobody protected her and she could have been saved! Every officer that overlooked this case should be fired

Her parents have no urgency in their voices.. none at all. Even that father was calm as hell explaining how he just heard his daughter scream "no,no,no" and then dead air.. something horrible just happened after a series of events and thats his urgency?

I had graduated from this school the year before it happened and this shook the whole community. Around the same time a policeman forcefully arrested a female nurse from the university hospital despite having done nothing illegal, so the image of police had taken a huge hit at this time. People were so furious and the school had vigils. Zhifan Dong was another student killed four years later. It's a shame because the school is wonderful in terms of degrees and academic support, but it never felt that safe to revisit after knowing the police just didn't care.

I am going to be honest. One of my hs classmates stabbed his ex to death after she got an order of protection and I'm still upset about it. I have a feeling it's going to go almost exactly like this. If someone gets away from their abuser, they should be protected. People wonder why "they don't just leave" and then there's stories like this.

It’s honestly so sad that they say “they haven’t done anything yet so there’s nothing we can do.” STALKING IS SOMETHING! May she R.I.P I hope we really do something about the police one day. They don’t do anything

the loss of urgency in theirs voices & lack of important information while talking to the security/police about a very urgent and dangerous life threatening situation possibly did not help regarding the police and security make a fast check up and placing Lauren in security , The police will mostly help faster if they told them how there was no time to waste and Lauren life was in danger .. but mostly this is so so sad and may she rest in peace , my condolences to her family and friends x

It's really disheartening to see that many of these cases could have been easily prevented :(

This is so disgusting. How can these officers be so blase about so much evidence. They all caused her death.

My adult daughter & her 4 yr old son were violently attacked by her then BF, who had only been out of prison, after a 9 yr bid... for 5 months. I indeed contacted his parole officer w very valid concerns and worries and I was blown off completely! 1 wk later to the day I got a call in the middle of the night, on her bd no less... that she was being air lifted to a trauma center over an hours drive away because she had been beaten, pistol whipped and SHOT! My grandson was forced to witness the whole thing and was also physically assaulted! Obviously I have NO faith that contacting this man's parole officer would have turned out any differently, for the same reasons that saw BOTH of these multiple violent felons paroled in the 1st place! Here in NY we have the "3 strikes" law. That my daughter's perpetrator STILL snaked out of due to a loop hole, since his 1st of the 3 major felonies was for manufacturing meth and not "violent" he was instead given the max of 20 yrs plus parole violations to run consecutively for this latest offence. For the physical assault, the shooting, the kidnapping (holding my daughter, grandson and his own mother, whose house it all took place in... against their will & even causing the death of his own unborn child... my daughter was around 15 wks pregnant) he got 20+ yrs! When he was FINALLY sentenced 1 yr later and the judge handed down that sentence... I felt a sense of relief that we'd have at LEAST 20-25 yrs before we had to start a campaign to fight against his parole eligibility, to KEEP him in prison for his entire sentence like he deserves! Well... last wk I received a letter from our governors office letting me know he was finally remanded to state penitentiary and the breakdown of how his sentence will be served... this MONSTER who killed his own child (that he wasn't even charged w mind u) who held his own mother hostage and beat a 4 yr old child who loved, admired and trusted him and shot my daughter attempting to take her life.. on her BIRTHDAY... apparently only has to do 17 yrs before he's eligible for parole!!! For a 3rd time!!! THIS is our VERY BROKEN justice system!!! On top of all that, and get THIS... His "consecutive" yrs for his parole violations are NOT to be spent IN PRISON but... ON PAROLE!!! He will have 5 yrs of "post release supervision" Like WTF???? SERIOUSLY???

Thank you for covering Lauren's story, as a local I can say they stand by the blue and say "boys will be boys" in these situations and it makes me absolutely sick

The father's call to the police pissed me off. He used the guy's fake name instead of the real name they already knew and did not disclose that it has him making the threats all along.

She was a victim of an abusive & stalker boyfriend, as well as a failed justice system that didn't take her seriously, absolute disgrace.

I've never seen you so angry about a case, but you are absolutely right to be so!

This truly breaks my heart, when people ask for help and aren’t taken seriously or are let down by those meant to help them it’s just so devastating

It’s important to communicate clearly when reporting concerns to authorities. It’s better to overstate concerns than minimise them. Make a list of bullet points prior to contacting authorities if necessary. Clearly state the names of people concerned and press for immediate action. I understand how difficult it is to contact authorities when frightened or after having been somewhat groomed to take on a submissive role, but clear, unambiguous communication is so important in these situations.

Seeing her walking around alone with all that she's facing is tragic and upsetting, I wish she had at least one person to accompany her back to her door.. RIP

Just a few minutes into this one, I realized I'd seen this story before. Lauren did everything right. This should never have been the outcome. Prayers and love being sent to her friends and family. Fly high, Lauren . . . 🙏💛

Did anyone else find it so odd how calm her dad was once he called the cops after hearing her SCREAM?

That poor young woman... too often, reports like hers go ignored, and it's just inexcusable on the part of law enforcement and/or anyone in a position of authority to which she'd spoken of her fears and his behavior. These cases hurt a lot, because at the end of the day, they truly are entirely avoidable tragedies. As always, sending Love & Light from Mississippi. Y'all stay safe and keep taking care of each other. ✌🏼🖤☕

it is so appalling that stalking and harassment is never taken seriously anywhere in the world. almost every stalking cases ends up violent or in death, still it is taken very lightly. there should be strong legislation to put stalker in prison no matter their gender. i feel so sad for lauren, she seems to be such a sweet girl. hope she rests in peace❤

Incredible how Universities can admit to their fault after enough people call them out

I was i a inpatient rehab facility recently and was stalked by a patient. The staff didn't believe me. They wouldn't check the cameras times i had noted, my notes, every incident, nothing. It was horrific

Even the parents have some fault here, she got abducted over the phone and when her father calls 911 he says "They've been harassing her a bit". There was very little sense of urgency in those 911 calls. If I were the dispatcher I would just think this was another common break-up case as well.

I know exactly how horrific this situation is .. I’m also a victim of stalking .. and it’s wrong just wrong how little law enforcement do to help victims of stalking it really upsets me .. Thank you Adrian for covering this very tragic story .. And fir showing the victim as the good person she was

The campus cop who kept her nude photo on his phone is REPULSIVE. I hope and pray he is convicted of being a disgusting PERV and looses his job!!!! What a sick SICKO!!!! As someone who's _supposed_ to be protecting her, he DIDNT do his job and on top of that, ABUSED HER TOO. This case is infuriating.

This is absolutely disgusting. This school absolutely failed this young woman and the staff should have been fired for their negligence. Crimes on campus' are too common and a lot of it is due to so much negligence and lack of care for the student body. I can't imagine the pain this family is still going through. This case close to home since my own aunt was grabbed and assaulted at her own campus and a lot of it could have been done to prevent it. What's worse is the police could have grabbed him. They could have given justice but they basically sat back and let this man take away any chance of justice. Sorry about getting so fired up... Thank you for bringing awareness to cases like this. We need this awareness to help prevent history from repeating.

I had a stalker for years and had nothing to do with him. Didn't know who it was, flowers and cards left on my car at work and at my mother's home. Then at my home. Every time I moved it would stop for awhile and start up again. It turned out to be mom's neighbor. Absolute creep who worked for the telephone company and tracked me. Moved to a new area and he couldn't find me. Then he started sending my mother flowers with note speaking about our great romance so she figured it out. Freaked me out for three years.

A prime example of why law enforcement officers should be held accountable in cases of neglecting their duties. Neglect is unacceptable in any other public servants job, so why are law enforcement officers allowed to get away with this time and time again? Absolutely appalling..

Watching this in a coffee shop with a coffee. Yes, I have subscribed.

Got to add that the student housing officer, Diamond, immediately reported the concerns to her supervisor. She was advised not to contact the police but email campus security. Lauren, her friends and Diamond all did the right things. It makes the tragedy all the harder to accept. My heart goes out to her family and friends.

This whole time I was just thinking "Call his parole officer". Shame on the cops for not hearing about someone on parole, a sex offender, violent crimes, and they just said "Campus security can help you". I hope her parents sued the shit out of the police.

This is truly sickening, saddening and despicable case, she did everything right and still was failed, and on a side note thank you Adrian for the extra content each week (an extra video), I have been wanting to see more of your content Sir more than once a week for awhile now.

I had an interaction with him before this. I was at work and took a smoke break and he literally ran up to me asking if I knew about any jobs. I said yeah Maxwell's (the bar downstairs of my job) is looking for a doorman. He stood out because he was so desperate for a job. I think back now and I wonder if he had just gotten out of jail. Ive had an interaction with Josh Powell who killed his wife and Ajay (he killed his tinder date) i forget his last name was my sister's boyfriend for a few weeks....it keeps me awake sometimes because I shouldn't have had experiences with THREE killers. This just doesn't happen in Utah and I feel like I attract it or something

This shows you how vulnerable we can easily be. It shows us how important clear communication of the hard, cold facts are! I wish she would have gone home for the rest of the semester.

Haven't finished the video but it's bothering me enough that i wanted to comment on it, realizing that maybe they just didn't play the relevant section of the calls made: If you want to get law enforcement to help. Do NOT sugar coat things when you make your requests. Be DETAILED and tell your story, give the most relevant facts....this guy is a registered sex offender, he was using a false identity, he was involved in blackmail, he was sending threatening messages. This family must be very kind because all these recorded phone calls beat around the bush and they seem to want to downplay what kind of monster they are dealing with. If you believe your safety is in danger- be direct! YOUR safety is what is at risk! It's not a time to "be nice" or to not "bad mouth" someone. How one doesn't lead off with "registered sex offender" each time you mention him to law enforcement is doing yourself a disservice. The above isn't to blame the victim or her parents. It's to hopefully help someone else that finds themselves in a bad situation who needs help. I have worked in a operations center and have experience working with law enforcement and I can tell you, they are far from perfect...just like we all are. Help ensure your safety, don't be nice and tell the situation as it is to make sure the seriousness of it is conveyed.

And yet people wonder why you cant trust anyone let alone the cops

“his friends were kinda harassing her a little bit” is the biggest understatement i’ve ever heard and the fact that it came from her father makes my stomach churn. it’s devastating to hear lauren herself downplay his actions out of sham, but what’s worse is hearing the operators ask the bare minimum and hang up. these calls are more complex than “there’s a fire at 123 street road,” and it deserves to be treated as such.

One look at him in the preview and I said trouble.. And the Officer bragging about having her nude photos to show off should've been fired, prosecuted and made a serious example of..

She did everything she could! Her concern and cry for help fell on death ears. My heart breaks for her and her family, the compensation pales in comparison to their loss. I hope they heal or find some peace thereafter to move forward. RIP to Lauren.