Letter: We must do more to track sexual predators like Lauren McCluskey’s killer
Students from the University of Utah look esday, Oct. 23, 2018, in Salt Lake City, in the direction of a parking lot where Lauren McCluskey's body was found in a car. McCluskey, 21, a University of Utah student and track athlete, was shot and killed on campus by a former boyfriend she had filed a police complaint against after she learned he was a sex offender and broke off the relationship, authorities said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
I am a student at the University of Utah. In the aftermath of the tragic events that happened on Monday night, I am heartbroken and still in shock — even more so because I was in close proximity to the killer and the victim while the events unfolded in the parking lot outside my dorm, not 30 feet away from where I sleep. I am devastated for the victim’s family, and for the University of Utah community as a whole.
After the shooting, I have learned that the victim had reported her killer to the Utah police months prior. Throughout my grief and shock, my underlying question is: Why was this man even allowed on campus, and why were his whereabouts not being tracked as a sex offender?
I call upon the University of Utah Department of Public Safety, the Utah DPS and the Sex Offender Registry to fix the glaring issues evident in the tracking and location of sexual predators. In doing this, I hope to help the hurting community heal.
G. Ian Ogilvie, Salt Lake City
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