Facebook Mackenzie Lueck and Ayoola Ajayi
Mackenzie Lueck was a 23-year-old University of Utah student who disappeared after her flight from California landed in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 17, 2019. The young woman was last seen getting into a car at the airport. The Lyft vehicle took her to a park where she got into another vehicle driven by someone she seemed to know.
Authorities later said that individual was Ayoola Ajayi, who was eventually charged and pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and desecration of a corpse. Ajayi, a 32-year-old tech worker, confessed to bringing Lueck to his home, where he tied her up and choked her. He then strangled her and burned her body before hiding the remains, NBC News reported.
According to Ajayi’s lawyer, the two had met shortly before Lueck’s death through the dating site Seeking Arrangement. Prosecutors said Ajayi’s motive was that he “simply wanted to know what it felt like to kill. This was murder for murder’s sake,” the Salt Lake Tribune wrote.
Unsealed Court Documents Showed that Lueck & Ajayi Met on a Dating Website Called Seeking Arrangement
In February 2020, unsealed court documents including search warrants shed further light on how Lueck and Ajayi met, Deseret News reported. Lueck and Ajayi met each other on a dating website called Seeking Arrangement, described as a website for “Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies or Mommas.”
According to the outlet, warrants also stated, “Mackenzie is involved in groups such as Tinder, Seeking Arrangement, Call Her Daddy that include sexual conversations, photos, videos and date arrangements that Mackenzie has been involved in for quite some time.” Detectives also discovered that Lueck had a separate credit card and bank account that she’d been using, as well as TextMe, a third-party messaging app.
Detectives found that shortly before Lueck’s death, Ajayi had created a profile for himself on the Seeking Arrangement platform. Lueck had messaged Ajayi on June 16, 2019, sending him a simple question mark to which Ajayi replied, “seeking arrangement” along with a photo of himself, KUTV reported.
Lueck Was a University Student, Athlete & Beach Lover, Her Friends & Family Said
FacebookMackenzie Lueck
Lueck, who was 23 years old when she was murdered, was studying at the University of Utah where she also competed on the swim team and played water polo, the Salt Lake Tribune wrote. One of her high school friends from El Segundo, California, Carra Barbee, said, “Everybody gravitated toward her. Honestly, I didn’t know anyone who didn’t like her.”
Her sorority sister Kennedy Stoner told the outlet Lueck was a “nurturer,” who was always making sure those around her were well-fed and had something to drink. The young woman was the second of four children but moved to Utah for university to get a bit of independence.
At his sentencing, Lueck’s father told Ajayi, “My daughter Mackenzie Lueck was a sweet, amazing young lady with the world ahead of her. She was a kindhearted person that cared about others. Now, I will not have the opportunity to see her blossom in life.” Her family said they would never forgive him for his actions, the Associated Press reported from court.
READ NEXT: Social Media Influencer Set on Fire & Killed by Ex-Husband, Family Says