Lauren McCluskey was a young University of Utah student in her prime. She was a gifted and dedicated athlete, a good student, a performer, and a caring friend and daughter. When she met Shaun Fields after a fun night out she could never have known the horror that awaited her. Shaun Fields was actually Melvin Rowland, a sex offender 16 years older than Lauren. Although Lauren and her friends tried to get help from the university and the police, Lauren was dismissed and faced a nightmare far too many women have to endure.

 

Resources for those experiencing dating and domestic violence

USA - The National Domestic Violence Hotline - https://www.thehotline.org1-800-799-7233

 

Canada - Ending Violence Association of Canada - https://endingviolencecanada.org/getting-help-2/

 

Australia - 1800Respect - https://www.1800respect.org.au1800 737 732Other domestic violence organizations and websites

 

For more information and images from the case visit theabysspod.com

 

The Abyss is hosted by Brittany Wilson and Hallie Burrell.“Envision” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/; “Ossuary 6 – Air” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/