A very sad end to a statewide search for missing University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck. During a police conference update today, Ms. Lueck was identified as a murder victim. A suspect has been arrested.

(Via NBC) Salt Lake City police on Friday arrested and charged a man with the murder of missing University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck.

Ayoola Ajayi, 31, is charged with aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice and desecration of body, authorities announced.

Salt Lake City police Chief Mike Brown said he personally telephoned Lueck’s parents in Southern California to tell them their 23-year-old daughter was dead.

“This is one of the most difficult phone calls I have ever made as both Greg and his wife, Diana, are devastated, are heartbroken by this news,” Brown said.

The announcement came after SWAT officers in full tactical gear swarmed an apartment complex at about 9:20 a.m. MT at 1028 S.W. Temple. (read more) </s> A Salt Lake City man was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of murder and kidnapping, among other offenses, in connection with the disappearance of Mackenzie Lueck, police officials said.

At approximately 9:20 a.m., Ayoola Ajayi, 31, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, desecration of a body and obstruction of justice, Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said at a press conference held Friday morning.

Ajayi will be booked into Salt Lake County Jail, officials said.

According to Brown, Ajayi is the subject investigators identified as a person of interest in the case Thursday.

MORE: Salt Lake City police identify person of interest in Mackenzie Lueck case

In the hours prior to her disappearance June 17, Lueck, 23, landed at the Salt Lake City Airport around 2 a.m. and traveled to Hatch Park where she met another individual around 3 a.m.

Lueck reportedly left the park with that person, officials said.

"...(All) communication ceased from Mackenzie at 3 a.m.," Brown said.

"Investigations of Mackenzie's phone records show that her last communications were with the arrested person," Brown said.

MORE: Timeline of missing student Mackenzie Lueck's movements in Salt Lake City before disappearance

According to police, the 31-year-old suspect said he communicated with Lueck via text message but had not done so after 6 p.m. on June 16.

"Investigations of both the arrested person's and Mackenzie's phone records show the locations of their phones to be at Hatch Park within less than a minute of each other," Brown said.

"This was the same time as Mackenzie's phones stopped receiving any further data or location services on June 17 at approximately 3 a.m.," Brown said.

Investigators served a search warrant of Ajayi's Salt Lake City residence on Wednesday where female human tissue was reportedly located, Brown said.

MORE: Salt Lake City police search house as part of investigation into Mackenzie Lueck disappearance

During the service of the search warrant, the suspect's neighbors reportedly told police they had seen the suspect burning items in his backyard using gasoline on June 17 and 18.

After excavation of a location in the backyard that had recently been dug up, investigators located the human tissue along with several charred items which Brown said were "consistent with personal items of Mackenzie Lueck."

"A DNA profile of that human tissue was obtained through forensic testing by the Utah State Lab," Brown said. "That DNA profile was compared and is consistent with the DNA profile obtained through further forensic testing of personal items of Mackenzie Lueck."
• None Police release last known photos of missing college student Mackenzie Lueck in plea for information
• None Missing Utah college student Mackenzie Lueck last seen in a park at 3 a.m.
• None University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck took a Lyft to meet someone at a park. Now she's missing </s> One person has been taken into custody Friday morning in relation to the disappearance of University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck, Salt Lake City police announced.

Further details on the arrest – which came a day after police finished searching a home whose owner they identified as a person of interest — were not immediately available.

Lueck, 23, was last seen meeting an unknown individual around 3 a.m. on June 17 near a park in Salt Lake City after being dropped off by a Lyft driver.

Salt Lake City police are expected to reveal more about the arrest at a press conference at 1:30 p.m. ET

This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates… </s> Man charged with murder, kidnapping of missing Utah student Mackenzie Lueck

Mackenzie Lueck, 23, was last seen June 17 after arriving on a flight at the Salt Lake City airport and taking a Lyft to a park where she appeared to meet someone. </s> SALT LAKE CITY -- A man has been arrested on suspicion of the kidnapping and aggravated murder of 23-year-old MacKenzie Lueck, a college student from Southern California who had gone missing in Utah, authorities announced Friday.At a morning news conference, Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown named 31-year-old Ayoola Ajayi as the suspect taken into custody by a police SWAT team. Ajayi, who had previously been considered a person of interest in the case, was also accused of desecration of a body and obstruction of justice.Charred tissue was recovered that contains DNA consistent with samples found on Lueck's belongings, Brown said."This is one of the most difficult phone calls I've ever made," Brown said after he told the victim's parents about the arrest. "We are devastated and heartbroken by this news."A search warrant was served Wednesday at the suspect's home, where investigators said multiple items of evidence were discovered and reviewed by detectives.They also removed a vehicle from the home. Police have also been searching for a mattress given away from the residence last week.Lueck, an El Segundo native, flew to California for a funeral before returning to Utah, police said.She disappeared after taking a Lyft June 17 from the airport Salt Lake City International Airport to Hatch Park. Police said she met an unidentified person at 3 a.m. The University of Utah senior was never seen again.Her family reported her missing on June 20 and became more concerned after she missed a planned flight back to Los Angeles last weekend. </s> (CNN) — Police have filed an aggravated murder charge against a man who allegedly killed missing Utah college student Mackenzie Lueck, authorities said Friday.

The suspect, identified by Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown as Ayoola Ajayi, also faces charges of aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice and desecration of a body.

Lueck had not been seen since the early morning hours of June 17, when she took a Lyft to a park in North Salt Lake City, according to police.

Their investigation showed Lueck and Ajayi’s phones were both in the park within less than a minute of each other, Brown said. This was approximately the same time that Lueck’s phone stopped receiving data or location services.

On Wednesday, as detectives searched Ajayi’s home and property, Ajayi’s neighbors told police they saw him using gasoline to burn something in his backyard on June 17 and June 18, according to Brown.

“A forensic excavation of the burn area was conducted, which resulted in the finding of several charred items that were consistent with personal items of Mackenzie Lueck,” Brown told reporters.

Police also discovered charred material that was determined to be female human tissue, he said. The DNA of the human tissue was found to be consistent with Lueck’s DNA profile.

Lueck, a 23-year-old University of Utah student, flew in to Salt Lake City International Airport from a family funeral in California and texted her parents at 1 a.m. when she landed.

Airport surveillance footage showed her rolling her luggage past a baggage carousel in the early morning hours.

She then took a Lyft to Hatch Park in North Salt Lake City, where she was last seen.

“Mackenzie was met at Hatch Park by an individual in a vehicle,”

Salt Lake City Police Assistant Chief Tim Doubt told reporters Monday that the Lyft driver “stated that Mackenzie did not appear to be in any type of distress.”

The rideshare company confirmed the route Lueck took and the app said that it showed no irregularities.

“We recognize how scary this must be for those who know and love Ms. Lueck,” Lyft said. “The safety of our community is fundamental to Lyft and we are actively assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”

Lueck’s Instagram account has been active since she disappeared. An account bearing the name “Kenzie Lueck” followed another Instagram user on or about Wednesday, CNN verified. That user has not replied to CNN’s request for comment.

It’s possible another individual accessed Lueck’s account and is responsible for the activity.

The account belongs to Lueck, her sorority sister Kennedy Stoner confirmed. Lueck’s friends have shared information regarding the account’s activity with Salt Lake City police, Stoner said.

Investigators have been looking into the account’s activity, along with the rest of the case’s “digital footprint,” Brown confirmed Thursday.

“This is a digital forensic investigation,” he said. “This is covering computers, cell phones, IP addresses, URLs, texting apps.”

Lueck’s family and friends told police that it was unusual for them to have not heard from her.

She was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on June 23 but missed the flight.

Friend and sorority sister Ashley Fine told CNN affiliate KSL that Lueck also has missed exams.

“She’s extremely dedicated. She would never miss her midterms or anything like that,” Fine told the Salt Lake City TV station. “She hasn’t been home. She didn’t show up to work, or anything.”

Brown spoke to her father and said he could “feel the heartache and the pain and the suffering in his voice as we spoke.”

“And my commitment to Greg was we would do everything within our power, the Salt Lake City Police Department, to bring Mackenzie home,” Brown said. “And that is our charge and that we are committed to do.” </s> SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Salt Lake City police took a person into custody Friday as the search continued for missing Southern California college student MacKenzie Lueck, authorities said.Police did not immediately release details of an arrest or the identity of the person being held. Investigators are expected to provide more information at a morning news conference.On Thursday, Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said the owner of a home that was served a search warrant the previous evening was a person of interest in the case. He did not identify that individual by name.Brown said multiple items of evidence were reviewed by detectives during the search and the items are in the process of being tested and analyzed.Brown went on to say police are searching for a mattress and box spring that were given away from the home around the time Lueck disappeared.Lueck, a 23-year-old from El Segundo, California, has been missing for more than a week since she flew back to school in Utah.The University of Utah student flew back to Southern California earlier this month for her grandmother's funeral. When she returned to Salt Lake City on Monday, June 17, she texted her mother to say she had landed safely.Since that text, she hasn't been heard from.Police say she took a Lyft from the airport, but did not go home, instead meeting someone at a park in North Salt Lake.Her phone has been off since then and she's missed her exams. Her friends and family have not heard from her. She was also supposed to return to Southern California last weekend for a wedding.Investigators say the Lyft driver provided other rides immediately after dropping her off. The driver and the company are cooperating with the investigation. </s> In this image made from a June 2019 Salt Lake City International Airport video provided by the Salt Lake City Police Department shows Mackenzie Lueck, a missing University of Utah student at the airport in Salt Lake City. Police are serving search warrants and hunting for any clues about the mysterious disappearance of Lueck, including basic details about a person she met when she was last seen. (Salt Lake City Police Department via AP)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Police on Tuesday issued a public appeal for a person last seen with a University of Utah student before she disappeared more than a week ago.

Mackenzie Lueck was last seen being dropped off at a Salt Lake City park at about 3 a.m. on June 17 by a Lyft driver who took her there from the airport after she returned from visiting family in California, authorities said.

Salt Lake City assistant Police Chief Tim Doubt also released new photos of Lueck from immediately before her disappearance showing her after getting off a flight wearing black sweat pants and a light-colored sweater, carrying a small black backpack, large blue purse and brown suitcase.

She did not appear to talk to anyone at the airport, he said.

He appealed for the person, whose gender is unknown, who met the 23-year-old student at the park to contact authorities. “We have exhausted all avenues of determining that information, and want to ask this person to please call us,” he said.

Investigators have served several search warrants and are asking for tips about the woman’s whereabouts or any additional phones or social media accounts she may have had.

The park where she was left by the Lyft driver is located eight miles (13 kilometers) from her apartment. Police have said she didn’t seem distressed when she met up with the person.

Police say they don’t have evidence of foul play, but are worried because it’s unusual for her to “go off the grid.” She has missed classes and was not on a planned flight to California last Sunday.

Police have said the Lyft driver has been cleared in her disappearance.

Before her disappearance, Lueck had encountered Salt Lake City police a handful of times, once for a speeding ticket in 2015, another in connection with an assault in 2018 and a third time when she claimed lost property earlier this year, Doubt said. He refused to say whether she was a witness or victim in the assault, but said all of the previous cases are closed and none are considered connected with her disappearance.

Lueck is a part-time student in her senior year majoring in kinesiology and pre-nursing. She has been a student at the university since 2014 and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. </s> (CNN) -- Investigators have executed a search warrant at a house in connection to missing college student Mackenzie Lueck, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department.

Salt Lake City Police Assistant Chief Tim Doubt said that authorities would release more information in the case on Thursday morning after searching the home in the Fairpark neighborhood on Wednesday night. According to CNN affiliate KSL, officials were still searching the house Thursday.

Lueck, a 23-year-old senior at the University of Utah, has been missing since the morning of June 17, when she was dropped off by a Lyft in a park where she met another individual, according to police.

Lueck had flown into the Salt Lake City International Airport after attending a family funeral in California and exited the airport's departure area sometime after 2 a.m.

Images taken from the airport's surveillance footage, show Lueck walking through the airport and rolling her luggage past a baggage carousel.

According to police, Lueck then took a Lyft to Hatch Park in North Salt Lake City. The Lyft driver dropped her off and went to pick up other riders.

"Mackenzie was met at Hatch Park by an individual in a vehicle," Doubt told reporters on Monday. "The Lyft driver left Mackenzie at the park with that person and stated that Mackenzie did not appear to be in any type of distress."

Police cannot confirm the make or model of the car. The identity of the driver remains unknown, Doubt said.

Lyft confirmed that Lueck's route showed no irregularities and ended at the destination she entered. The driver continued providing rides immediately after dropping her off, the rideshare company said. "We are actively assisting law enforcement with their investigation."

Lueck missed a flight to Los Angeles the morning of June 23 and a midterm exam. Her sorority sister Ashley Fine told KSL that was out of character because Lueck is "extremely dedicated."

"She would never miss her midterms or anything like that," Fine said.
Salt Lake City police arrest a man for murder in connection to the search for missing University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck.