Found Deceased UT - MacKenzie "Kenzie" Lueck, 23, Salt Lake City, 17 June 2019 #14 *ARREST*

[PommyMommy]

Not sure if this had been posted

Searchers for MacKenzie Lueck's body requested diving equipment

From the article:

Investigators who found MacKenzie Lueck’s body in Logan Canyon asked for tools for a water search from the Cache County Sheriff’s Office.

“So our sheriff approved us to send up some dive equipment from our search and rescue team,” said Lt. Doyle Peck.

It’s unknown if Lueck’s body was found in the canyon stream.

[...]

Who told investigators where to look? Was it the suspect? Was it someone who hikes, or bikes, or climbs in the canyon?

Searchers may have only been in the area for one day: July 3.

[...]

 

[Boxer]

The reporting was all over the place, lol.

https://ksltv.com/416903/arrest-made-in-kidnapping-homicide-of-mackenzie-lueck/?
Neighbors of told police they witnessed a large fire in Ajayi’s backyard on June 17 and 18.

Man charged in death of Utah college student Mackenzie Lueck
Neighbors reported seeing smoke the day after Lueck disappeared.

Mackenzie Lueck disappearance: Police say homeowner of property where search warrant was carried out is 'person of interest'
“It definitely assaulted your nose,” Joseph Peterson, who lives one block west of the home, told the Salt Lake Tribune, describing how he got home one night from work only to smell a “strong stench” in the air.

Suspect in Mackenzie Lueck’s murder wrote novel where victim was burned alive
Around June 16, a neighbor smelled smoke coming from Ajayi’s back yard. It happened the following day too, according to police.

Breaking: Police investigating crime scene involving disappearance of U of U student MacKenzie Lueck | Gephardt Daily
According to neighbors, the homeowner had staged a bonfire in the backyard several days back. Police were seen searching through the remains of the fire Wednesday.

Remains of Mackenzie Lueck, Missing College Student From SoCal, Recovered in Utah: Police
Neighbors reported a fire in his backyard at the time Lueck disappeared, police have said.

And there is one more article somewhere about the neighbors waking to the smoke, described as a terrible stench. Looking for it.

 

[MassGuy]

How were they able to charge AA with aggravated homicide with only the tissue they found at his house? Blood and skin tissue is not proof of death! It seems like they would need brain tissue (etc.) to determine she had actually died. This is puzzling.

Strong circumstantial evidence.

A combination of factors is almost as compelling as irrefutable proof itself (brain tissue).

This woman was missing, and the last person to contact her lied about it.

He was also in the same area, at the same time.

Her charred body tissue was found alongside her burned belongings.

People are not only prosecuted, but convicted, without evidence that strong.

It’s a moot point now though, as they have her.

 

[Krix76]

Is it possible her body was still intact the first morning he was burning her stuff? Then he drove her body up to Logan Canyon. Afterwards he went back home and burned the rest of the evidence the following morning after cleaning up more. That seems more plausible than trying to burn her body and driving charred remains up to Logan Canyon. I just want to believe he did not mutilate that poor sweet girl.

 

[Cora]

Yes. Depending on what they are looking for, though, the results could be variable and some aspects of testing could be compromised. Also, depends on what body parts they found. TBH, many valuable aspects of forensic analysis is lost with burned bodies. For example, certain aspects of brain autopsy that could help determine cause of death might be unavailable.

(TW: ghastly info ahead)

About the smell: a freshly dead human body being burned smells like...well...most other mammals, but most closely resembles pork. The hair is the smelliest part. Gasoline fumes would initially overwhelm those smells. The smell of burning vinyl or other luggage material would be pretty caustic, though. People who do burn large mammals know that a pit works better (more like an oven) and that stacked wood has to be burned down to very hot coals and then more stacked wood placed around the animal.

Usually, a body won't start smelling for 2-3 days.

Pathologists should be able to derive clues on how long the body was subject to fire.

Totally agree with this. As a farm girl, it was not uncommon for us to burn an animal carcass from time to time. There was never a foul smell.

My thought is that smell came from synthetic materials...not organic ones.

 

[MsBetsy]

How were they able to charge AA with aggravated homicide with only the tissue they found at his house? Blood and skin tissue is not proof of death! It seems like they would need brain tissue (etc.) to determine she had actually died. This is puzzling.

Welcome, Josie Abbott!

I'm thinking maybe the cell phone evidence, and that he was the last to text with her, as well as the fact that he lied about it, may have something to do with it.

They knew that she got in a car with him at 3:00 am and was never seen again. Her DNA was found in his backyard. Imo

 

[MassGuy]

Is it possible her body was still intact the first morning he was burning her stuff? Then he drove her body up to Logan Canyon. Afterwards he went back home and burned the rest of the evidence the following morning after cleaning up more. That seems more plausible than trying to burn her body and driving charred remains up to Logan Canyon. I just want to believe he did not mutilate that poor sweet girl.

Explain the burned tissue then.

It’s ineffective to use our (normal) logic, and apply it to anyone who commits a crime like this.

He doesn’t think like us.

No one wants to believe that he mutilated her body, but the evidence indicates that is what happened.

 

[10ofRods]

Wow, Krix, thank you! Thank you, Anance.

And KayKay, I had to read that 3 times before I comprehended it. Wow. The picture on that link shows a stream near where her body was found (or was it found in a stream??)

 

[MsBetsy]

The reporting was all over the place, lol.

https://ksltv.com/416903/arrest-made-in-kidnapping-homicide-of-mackenzie-lueck/?
Neighbors of told police they witnessed a large fire in Ajayi’s backyard on June 17 and 18.

Man charged in death of Utah college student Mackenzie Lueck
Neighbors reported seeing smoke the day after Lueck disappeared.

Mackenzie Lueck disappearance: Police say homeowner of property where search warrant was carried out is 'person of interest'
“It definitely assaulted your nose,” Joseph Peterson, who lives one block west of the home, told the Salt Lake Tribune, describing how he got home one night from work only to smell a “strong stench” in the air.

Suspect in Mackenzie Lueck’s murder wrote novel where victim was burned alive
Around June 16, a neighbor smelled smoke coming from Ajayi’s back yard. It happened the following day too, according to police.

Breaking: Police investigating crime scene involving disappearance of U of U student MacKenzie Lueck | Gephardt Daily
According to neighbors, the homeowner had staged a bonfire in the backyard several days back. Police were seen searching through the remains of the fire Wednesday.

Remains of Mackenzie Lueck, Missing College Student From SoCal, Recovered in Utah: Police
Neighbors reported a fire in his backyard at the time Lueck disappeared, police have said.

Thanks Pommy!
ETA: You're the best!

 

[PommyMommy]

And there is one more article somewhere about the neighbors waking to the smoke, described as a terrible stench. Looking for it.

JUN 27, 2019
Mackenzie Lueck disappearance: Police spotted digging holes at Utah home after neighbors report recent fire, ‘strong stench’
Police combing a Salt Lake City home for clues on the whereabouts of missing University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck were spotted digging holes into its backyard early this morning following claims from neighbors that its owner recently was burning something that let off a “strong stench.”

[...]

Neighbors who spoke to the newspaper say they recently saw the homeowner burning something in his backyard and smoke from the fire was traveling into their windows.

[...]

“It definitely assaulted your nose,” Joseph Peterson, who lives one block west of the home, told the Salt Lake Tribune, describing how he got home one night from work only to smell a “strong stench” in the air.

 

[kaykay543]

Wow, Krix, thank you! Thank you, Anance.

And KayKay, I had to read that 3 times before I comprehended it. Wow. The picture on that link shows a stream near where her body was found (or was it found in a stream??)

I couldn’t really figure out if that was a picture of a stream? It looks really pixelated on my screen.

And if she was in a stream why would they need diving equipment? Adds so many questions!!

 

[kpm]

A Utah man who the authorities said had the charred remains of a missing university student in his backyard appears to have previously published a book that includes the burning deaths of two people.


Suspect in Mackenzie Lueck Case Wrote a Novel With 2 Burning Deaths

 

[PommyMommy]

Welcome to Websleuths, @Josie Abbott!

 

[BelieveinUFO]

Shades of similarity?

There is another case where the prep, Brooke Skylar Richardson killed her new born, burned and then buried the baby.

Now her lawyers wants three different trials for her - one for aggravated murder, another for involuntary manslaughter and endangering children and finally a trial for tampering with evidence and abuse of corpse.

I wonder AA lawyers will go for something similar. Wonder what is the edge in these tactics.

Also I am wondering who will get the harsher penalty if both these cases were held in the same state.

 

[Lillymac]

Wow, it seems a little odd that the woman interviewed said she was offended that her canyon was "desecrated like that."
I understand what she is saying but you would think her remark would be about how offensive it is that Mckenzie's body was desecrated like that. Imo

My first thought was at least she was in a beautiful place. We know of so many that have been found that were not.

 

[Krix76]

From the article:

Investigators who found MacKenzie Lueck’s body in Logan Canyon asked for tools for a water search from the Cache County Sheriff’s Office.

“So our sheriff approved us to send up some dive equipment from our search and rescue team,” said Lt. Doyle Peck.

It’s unknown if Lueck’s body was found in the canyon stream.

[...]

Who told investigators where to look? Was it the suspect? Was it someone who hikes, or bikes, or climbs in the canyon?

Searchers may have only been in the area for one day: July 3.

[...]

There is another turn off on the same side of 89 up by Third Dam called FR044 and there is an area of water there. I would see people parked and fishing over there. Maybe it was FR044 and not 348.

 

[?mysterian?]

How were they able to charge AA with aggravated homicide with only the tissue they found at his house? Blood and skin tissue is not proof of death! It seems like they would need brain tissue (etc.) to determine she had actually died. This is puzzling.

Welcome to Websleuths, Josie Abbott!

LE did not specify what kind of tissue they found at AA's property. They collected enough evidence during their investigation to charge AA with several serious crimes.

Perhaps more information will be released later, or perhaps no more information will be released until the trial.

 

[PommyMommy]

Police expert: here’s what could have led to finding MacKenzie Lueck’s remains
[...]

Christ Bertram, a retired deputy chief from the Unified Police Department, said there are two probabilities.

“One is that he is cooperating, and we as the public just don't know that,” he said in an interview Friday afternoon.

[...]

“It's important to remember that he lived in Logan,” Bertram said. “He may have been comfortable with that area. As investigators have done the backgrounds on him, they may have found areas that he was very familiar with or that he liked to go to.”

In addition to that background information, he said police could have used technology to trace and track Ajayi’s whereabouts during key moments in the days after MacKenzie went missing.

“In that case — traveling or following cell phone sites, or tracking on his phone, or maybe a tracking on the GPS in his vehicle — they may have absolutely downloaded that and then able to determine where he was,” Bertram explained.

If they were able to find a specific location, he said investigators could have gone and searched from there.

[...]

 

[10ofRods]

How were they able to charge AA with aggravated homicide with only the tissue they found at his house? Blood and skin tissue is not proof of death! It seems like they would need brain tissue (etc.) to determine she had actually died. This is puzzling.

There have been many convictions without a body. Forensic anatomical evidence is not all that is needed. This was a missing persons case, so anyone who became a POI was going to be scrutinized. Such as the last person known to see her. AA.

Then, her DNA is found in a fire pit in his backyard. She's still missing. Presumably, he also tried to burn some of her belongings. Plus, we cannot know all the other evidence but I predict there will be DNA/cellular evidence in his car, on his mattress and mounds of circumstantial evidence (getting rid of the mattress; etc).

Different jurisdictions have different standards about how much of this evidence is needed before the Public Prosecutor/DA will file charges. There was enough evidence, without the body, to bring him in on preliminary charges. He'll be arraigned next week. There's probably even more evidence now. We don't know what that could be (security cameras, dirt on his tires matching geology of body disposal site, tons of things they're putting together).

 

[Midwestmom2019]

How were they able to charge AA with aggravated homicide with only the tissue they found at his house? Blood and skin tissue is not proof of death! It seems like they would need brain tissue (etc.) to determine she had actually died. This is puzzling.

Maybe it depends what type of skin was found? Is there any muscle tissue found attached to the skin? Was any hair attached to the skin that was found?
All kinds of ideas come to mind so that LE could have had a good idea from the skin found whether she was alive or not. An elbow skin looks different than facial skin, one would presume. A scalp is different than the bottom of a foot.
Just rambling..MOO