Instagram Mackenzie Lueck with her grandmother and grandfather.
MacKenzie Lueck, a 23-year-old University of Utah student whose body was found in the yard of Ayoola Ajayi, texted her parents to let them know she landed safely from a flight home after her grandmother’s funeral.
Lueck’s parents, Greg and Diana Lueck, had no idea that text would be the last they would ever hear from her. At about 2 a.m. June 17, Lueck ordered a Lyft at the airport, but instead of going home, the driver took her to Hatch Park, about 8 miles from her Salt Lake City home. She then got in another car at about 3 a.m. and disappeared. Witnesses told police she appeared happy to see the person in the car, and did not appear to be distressed. That person was later identified as 31-year-old Ajayi, who is now facing aggravated murder and aggravated kidnapping charges in her disappearance and death. Neighbors told police they saw Ajayi burning something in his backyard June 17 and 18.
Lueck’s story is being featured on Dateline “Into the Dark” at 10/9C Friday, September 13, 2019.
“She was a sister, daughter, friend, cousin, and student,” Lueck’s friend and Alpha Chi Omega sorority sister, Ashley Fine, wrote in a touching Facebook post. “She loved her family and friends. She served her community and was passionate about animals. And most of all she was just like every girl in their twenties—trying to figure out who she wanted to be.”
Lueck, whose friends called her Kenzie, was from El Segundo, California, where her family lives. She moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, 700 miles from home, to study nursing. She had three brothers.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Lueck’s Family Lives in El Segundo, California Where She Was Raised & Lueck Was ‘All on Her Own’ in Utah’
Mackenzie Lueck and her brother.
Lueck was born and raised in El Segundo, California. Her family lives in El Segundo. Lueck’s parents are Greg Lueck and Diana Lueck. Lueck also had three brothers.
Lueck moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to attend college at University of Utah. She was a senior at the college, studying nursing. She also worked at a lab.
At the university, Lueck was 700 miles from home.
“Her family doesn’t live here, so she was all on her own here,” Lueck’s friend, Kennedy Stoner, told told Dateline host Keith Morrison. “So she had a job, she was going to school, she was like checking off everything that a responsible adult would have on their checklist.”
Stoner was Lueck’s “little sister” in the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. With Lueck’s family 10 hours away, her sorority sisters headed up the search in Lueck’s neighborhood and on social media.
2. Lueck’s Family Has Rarely Spoken Publicly Since Her Disappearance & Asked for Privacy
Luek’s family has largely kept quiet in the death of the 23-year-old college student and in the case of Ayoola Ajayi. They aided in the search for Lueck and put out a plea to help find the young woman.
“Our primary goal is to find Mackenzie and bring her home. Her family is grateful for the concern, prayers and the tireless efforts of the Salt Lake City Police and members of the community,” her family said in a statement.
They added in a post on Facebook, “MacKenzie, if you can hear us, your family and friends are looking for you and are concerned for your safety. Please reach out to anyone so we can get you home.”
One of Lueck’s cousins, Jolyn Mendelson, told KSL-TV Lueck’s last text was sent to her mom.
“She said the plane had landed and that was the last text she put out. Then she got into a Lyft car at the airport and that was the last she has been seen,” Mendelson said.
Following the report of Lueck’s death, Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown and Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill asked to give Lueck’s family privacy.
“Whenever our community experiences a loss like this, the tragic circumstances have the potential to tear at the fabric of our community,” Brown said in a press conference. “I am here to ask you, to implore you, to remain respectful.”
“The tight-knit nature of this community is what helped us close this case so quickly. You have rallied together behind the Lueck family through this trial and I have felt that overwhelming support,” he added. “I hope that we take the time this weekend to talk to our loved ones and work together to prevent crimes like this from occurring.”
3. Lueck’s Dad, Greg Lueck, Reported Her Missing June 20
Lueck’s dad, Greg Lueck, was the person who reported her missing. Lueck had flown back to Salt Lake City, Utah, at 2 a.m. on June 17. She texted her parents saying her flight landed, and she called for a Lyft. Instead of asking the Lyft driver to take her home, she was taken to Hatch Park, which was about 8 miles from her home in a neighborhood west of the University of Utah campus.
“At 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 20, Mackenzie Lueck’s father made that most dreadful phone call: To report his daughter missing,” Dateline host Keith Morrison said on the show.
When she got into the car, witnesses said she appeared happy to see the person inside and did not appear distressed. Nearly two weeks passed before an arrest was made in her alleged murder. Ayoola Ajayi, 31, was charged with aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice and desecration of a body. Items that matched her belongings and charred tissue that matched Lueck’s DNA samples were found in Ajayi’s yard. Neighbors told police they saw him burning something in his backyard June 17 and 18, according to ABC.
4. Lueck’s Grandmother, Geraldine Stephens, Was Called a ‘Hero to Many’ in Lueck’s Last Instagram Post Before Her Disappearance
Mackenzie Lueck with her grandmother, Geraldine Walker Stephens, and her grandfather.
Shortly before Lueck’s disappearance, she went home to El Segundo, California for her grandmother’s funeral. Her grandmother, Geraldine Walker Stephens, died June 10. The funeral was held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in El Segundo June 15.
Lueck’s last post before she disappeared was a touching tribute to her grandma, along with photos of her grandma, grandpa and mom. The post has now been deleted.
“I’m sure many have already heard, heaven gained an angel on Monday,” Lueck wrote. “My grandmother, papa Gerry, was a hero to many. She was selfless and perfect. I never imagined this day coming, but heaven couldn’t wait for her. I love you and I’ll see you in a life time.”
Lueck flew home from the funeral June 17, arriving in Salt Lake City late at night. She called for a Lyft, but had the car take her to Hatch Park, about eight miles from her home. She was last seen at about 3 a.m. June 17 getting into another car. She was reported missing at 4 p.m. June 20.
5. Lueck’s Cat, Nova, Was a Part of Her Family Who Joined Her on Hikes & Her Alpha Chi Omega Sorority Sisters Led the Search for Lueck
Lueck’s family lived far from her Salt Lake City college, but her sorority sisters stepped in to search for their friend. They started the search on Facebook, starting the group Find Mackenzie Lueck. Sorority sister Ashley Fine’s Facebook post about Lueck’s disappearance had 7,000 shares, she told Dateline. The social media presence drew national media attention. Lueck’s family and members of her Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation also searched for Lueck.
The sorority sisters put up fliers around the Lueck’s neighborhood, west of the University of Utah, and talked to her neighbors.
“We went by her home. We wanted to be close to her,” Fine told The Salt Lake Tribune.
After the 23-year-old student was tragically found dead, her sorority sisters began using the page to post about other missing person cases.
Her extended family also included her cat. Like many pets, Lueck’s cat was a part of her family. But the college student had a special bond with her fluffy black cat, Nova.
“She would take her cat on hikes in the mountains on a leash,” Fine told Dateline host Keith Morrison.
“Nova was her companion,” Morrison said.
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