True Crime Society - Mackenzie Lueck: Missing Utah College Student

Latest Updates:

June 27, 2019

Update 2:

More screenshots:

*Someone replied saying the guy was “an army guy”*

Update 1:

No major updates overnight, mainly journalists sneaking photos of an obvious crime scene being processed.

There is a lot of speculation over if the owner, AJ, is involved or if a possible tenant is involved, as the upstairs of the house is an apartment rental. Someone was apparently brought in for questioning.

Personally, I was leaning towards a tenant but there is this one jarring detail against AJ that’s hard to ignore. Bad timing would be an UNDERSTATEMENT.

He was trying to give away a mattress on Let Go.

Generally, it’s not looking good, but I’m holding out hope.

I think today I’ll write an entirely new update for this since it’s all over the place again.

Hopefully we will find out more information soon.

Here are more screenshots from the night:

June 26, 2019

This is happening fast so I’m going to start and I’ll edit later.

There was a mini press conference held by SLPD. Basically, they said they served a search warrant on a house and it was related to Mackenzie, it was an active scene and they couldn’t tell us anything. They’d have more information in the morning

My takeaways/observations from the PC were:

This was probably a crime scene due to the fact that they would be there for “several hours” and would have more information in the morning
He said they were lead there by leads but wouldn’t clarify if it was a tip or not
Wouldn’t say if they found her DNA
Wouldn’t answer a question about what they would be doing overnight

Since that gave us nothing, as per usual the *gals* and I had to take matters into our own hands.

Here is the Air BnB listing for the house they are searching. We wouldn’t know if the house was being rented by an “unknown individual” or why was staying there at the time.

It seems like there are TWO bedrooms with a shared common area and shared bathroom for rent. Could MacKenzie have been staying in one and the unknown individual in another? There are a lot of possibilities here.

SECOND bedroom – different listing, same house.

Hopefully we will have more answers in the morning. Be sure to check back!

Pre-Press Conference Screenshots:

Update 2:

Salt Lake City police have contacted the person who received texts from MacKenzie before she left the airport.

That person is not considered a suspect or person of interest at this time.

Police spokesman Michael Ruff said he could not elaborate on who that person was, what the pair texted about, whether their communication continued after she left the airport or if she is known to have communicated with anyone else that morning.

“Everything is still open. There is no person of interest. We just know that this is the person that MacKenzie was texting with and we have spoken to them,” he said.

Update 1:

Salt Lake City Police Department released images showing MacKenzie at Salt Lake International Airport on June 17.

Assistant police chief, Tim Doubt, also clarified they had no indication she has ever “gone off the grid” before.

Doubt explained they only have a vague description of the “unknown individual.” They don’t know if the person is a male or female and cannot confirm the make or model of the vehicle at this time.

He confirmed that police have had three interactions with MacKenzie: a moving violation in 2015, an assault a year ago, and a case in which her property was found in January. All those cases have been resolved, and there is no indication any are connected to her disappearance.

June 25, 2019

Over the last few days A LOT has changed with this case. I’m starting from scratch with all the “updates” because trying to add them on turned into a disaster.

So, let’s get back on track.

We started with MacKenzie seeming to be on the police’s back burner as far as “priorities” go, when they reminded us they had no evidence she had been harmed or was in danger.

The majority of us suspected she didn’t walk off into the middle of the night and vanish on her own, so we were already side eyeing this. Once word got around, comments started popping up that revealed MacKenzie may have been a sugar baby.

(Note: TCS has no problem with sugar babies. Do you, babies.)

MacKenzie, herself, giving sugar baby advice on Facebook.

Cue a surprise (but then delayed) press conference, a dedicated tip line, and suddenly their concern is “extremely high” about MacKenzie (which it should be).

The sugar baby theory gained more clout after the June 24 press conference. Law enforcement publicly shared that MacKenzie met with an unknown individual in a car at Hatch Park in North Salt Lake at 2:59 am the night (day?) she went missing. This was noted by the Lyft driver who, with police, were able to provide a more accurate timeline.

Monday, June 17, 2019
1:35 am – MacKenzie lands at Salt Lake City Airport
2:01 am – MacKenzie tests her parents to say she arrived safely
(I’m curious how long her wait time was for the Lyft or if this time was spent setting up the meeting with the “individual”? I’d like to know what time she ordered the Lyft)
2:42 am – Took a Lyft from the airport to a park in North Salt Lake
2:59 am – Arrives at Hatch Park
Thursday, June 20, 2019 – MacKenzie is reported missing
*Earlier statements that she texted her parents around 1am are incorrect

The Lyft driver noted that the two seemed happy to see each other and MacKenzie did not seem distressed. Law enforcement did not provide a description of the car or individual, but they may provide one once they can verify the information.

Salt Lake Police Sergeant Brandon Shearer told Deseret News that they have reason to believe she did not stay in the area very long, but couldn’t comment on whether they had any surveillance video or other evidence to prove that.

Shearer also clarified that the Lyft driver is NOT a suspect at this time and they have no reason to doubt his story.

A family source told CBS News’ David Begnaud that MacKenzie was known to date older men and was casually dating multiple people. Police have been looking into her dating apps and profiles for more information regarding this.

(Side note: In our group, many of her friends have sworn there is no way she would be a sugar baby.)

Call Her Daddy is just a Barstool Sports Podcast – chill.

Assistant Chief Doubt confirmed at the June 24 press conference that they have been trying to ping her phone, but it has been off. In terms of the investigation, he explained they have been writing and serving various warrants, talking to friends and family, and checking her social media. Since Thursday, they have canvassed the area around Hatch Park multiple times in an attempt to locate video surveillance.

He also reached out to MacKenzie directly:

“Occasionally police work a missing person case where the person does not want to have contact with family and friends. If that is the case, MacKenzie, we are asking you to please reach out to either the Salt Lake City Police Department or a law enforcement agency where you are. We just want to make sure you are safe and will respect your wishes.”
– Assistant Chief Doubt, Press Conference

SLPD is also asking the public for more information regarding MacKenzie. Did she have a second phone? Does she have any alternate social media accounts? Has anyone been in contact with her this week or last week? Who could she have been meeting at the park? Many of the same questions we have.

Her Alpha Chi Omega sorority sisters and friends continue to lead the search in Salt Lake City and the surrounding area by handing out and hanging flyers.

MacKenzie’s sorority sister, Ashley Fine, told the Salt Lake Tribune, “We’ve been spreading the word across the nation, around the world. We have to do everything to look for her, because I’d want her to do that for me.”

Various Screenshots:

Original Story:

Mackenzie Lueck, 23, vanished June 17, the same day she landed at Salt Lake City International Airport following her grandmother’s funeral in California.

Salt Lake City Police Department confirmed, she texted her parents around 1 a.m. to let them know she landed before using Lyft, a ride sharing app, to continue to her destination in North Salt Lake.

Lyft gave a statement to CBS News that stated there were no irregularities with MacKenzie’s trip and the address she entered is the destination she was dropped off at. The Lyft driver, who has been cooperating with police, continued their shift that night.

Lueck’s parents reported her missing three days later and explained she should have been taking a return flight to LA on June 23rd.

Ashley Fine, a friend of MacKenzie’s told the Salt Lake Tribune she had no idea why she would head to North Salt Lake. She does not live there. She added that her phone has been off since last Monday and she has not shared anything on her social media accounts.

On Facebook, MacKenzie’s roommates claim she never arrived home and her car hasn’t moved. She didn’t show up for work and missed a midterm exam.

“It’s not like her to go off the grid, and if she did, then she would tell me,” Juliana Cauley, another friend, told CBS News.

Law enforcement hasn’t discovered any information that indicates MacKenzie has been harmed or is in danger, but her friends say it is “very uncharacteristic for her [to] not stay in contact with family and friends.”

In a statement, MacKenzie’s family thanked the many people taking initiative to help find their daughter. “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.”