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

[GordianKnot]

Salt Lake City Police seek public's help finding missing University of Utah student | Gephardt Daily

University of Utah student disappears after Lyft ride

 

[otto]

Something must have happened between the airport and home, between 1AM and the time of the last ping. I wonder what direction the phone tracks from the airport. I also wonder whether she was unexpectedly ride-sharing (ref. upthread). Swarm?

Maybe, maybe not. There are a few ride sharing spoofs where young women get into the wrong vehicle and are found murdered. Some women are careless when predators are close, and it costs.

Guesses about where the last ping happened?

 

[otto]

I'm not necessarily thinking along the lines of her running off to start a new life somewhere....

Where I was going w/ that thought is that she may be seeing some"Mystery Dude" that may or may not be a good guy.

Having said that, I do think there's a remote possibility that she did take off impulsively with someone, though.

As the philosopher Blaise Pascal said: "The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing."

Something like that, anyway.

JMO.

Phone records should reveal all. If there was a clandestine affair that let her astray, hopefully he wasn't a punk using snapchat.

 

[margarita25]

I live in Utah also. And this story concerns me. I can only hope that this girl is found and that all is well with her. One question . .. Does she have other family in this area?

Welcome BLT HUEY GIRL.

 

[margarita25]

Salt Lake City Police seek public's help finding missing University of Utah student | Gephardt Daily

Rsbm

“On Friday, Lyft released a statement saying they were cooperating with police.

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

(ETA: Duplicate, Pommy already posted this (of course )

 

[otto]

Salt Lake City Police seek public's help finding missing University of Utah student | Gephardt Daily

University of Utah student disappears after Lyft ride

Do we know what she was wearing? What color is her suitcare?

 

[BLT HUEY GIRL]

I wonder if they have spoken to the Lyft driver to see if they noticed any unusual behavior from MacKenzie. Did the driver pick up on her mood?
How safe is the Lyft for a young woman riding alone?

 

[margarita25]

Rsbm

University of Utah student disappears after Lyft ride

In the video, her friends are obviously pretty torn up and concerned. They reiterate what Kenzie’s dad said about it being concerning about Kenzie missing school. She seems to be a very dedicated student.

 

[otto]

“On Friday, Lyft released a statement saying they were cooperating with police.

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

Actively searching could mean that she booked a lyft and did take it, or didn't. If she did, then lyft has given the information to police and they know where and when she was last seen. If she didn't, that means she hopped into another vehicle and the only tracking is via her cell phone.

It sounds like she booked and took a lyft to some location. That location might be near someone's house, a friend, who should be protected from online speculation, and that would be a good reason to withhold the information ... except if there's no reason to suspect a friend, and then the address could be really important in terms of CCTV, witnesses, casual bystanders and others who may have seen something. If police don't ask for crowd sourced information until later, it's more likely that fewer people will remember. Sooner, better.

 

[SoCalGirl]

I don't know

Where was she flying from?


LAX

 

[otto]

In the video, her friends are obviously pretty torn up and concerned. They reiterate what Kenzie’s dad said about it being concerning about Kenzie missing school. She seems to be a very dedicated student.

Were they talking to each other for 3 days? Who finally decided to contact police about her disappearance?

 

[margarita25]

I wonder if they have spoken to the Lyft driver to see if they noticed any unusual behavior from MacKenzie. Did the driver pick up on her mood?
How safe is the Lyft for a young woman riding alone?

This is a good question—was she talking to anyone on the phone during the ride? Was she texting? Did she say anything to the driver that was significant? I’m sure LE would have asked him/her this. Usually there is at least small talk in the car, unless of course the passenger just doesn’t want to talk or is on his/her cellphone, etc, which the drivers usually respect.

Lyft runs background checks on all drivers and the rides are all logged via GPS, etc. Lyft is cooperating and has stated that their driver continued on with his/her other rides after Kenzie reached her destination, whatever that was.

Lyft is as safe as it can be, I suppose, moo.

 

[SoCalGirl]

How long does an adult have to be missing in UT before he/she can reported as missing? If her parents received her text that she arrived at the airport and knew she was working that day and had class, they probably wouldn't have thought anything was amiss had they not heard from her that Monday. Did she have more work and exams that week? My son goes to college in another state and he works. It's not unusual to not receive a text or call from him for a few days if he's busy. He usually texts when he needs money! Maybe her parents didn't text or call her until Wed. or Thurs. and when she didn't answer, they became concerned. Then they probably found out from friends or co-workers that she hadn't been at work or school since she returned, and reported her missing on Thurs. afternoon.

Also, as she was in my son's graduating class from high school and he graduated from college last year, she's either a 5th year senior or she's in grad school. My son thought she was in grad school.

 

[SoCalGirl]

This is a good question—was she talking to anyone on the phone during the ride? Was she texting? Did she say anything to the driver that was significant? I’m sure LE would have asked him/her this. Usually there is at least small talk in the car, unless of course the passenger just doesn’t want to talk or is on his/her cellphone, etc, which the drivers usually respect.

Lyft runs background checks on all drivers and the rides are all logged via GPS, etc. Lyft is cooperating and has stated that their driver continued on with his/her other rides after Kenzie reached her destination, whatever that was.

Lyft is as safe as it can be, I suppose, moo.

Just weird that they keep referring to "her destination" instead of "home." Does this mean she didn't take the Lyft home but to another location? Sounds like it. If she had roommates, and it sounds like she did, she wouldn't worry about her cat being taken care of. And I'm a "woman of a certain age" now, but when I was younger, I would've moved heaven and earth to see a guy I was into! If I hadn't seen my guy in a few days and he wanted me to come over at 1:00 AM when I got back - I'd be there!

 

[GordianKnot]

Were they talking to each other for 3 days? Who finally decided to contact police about her disappearance?

Her family reported her missing:

Friends and family search for missing U. student

Police say they were not notified by the family until Thursday at 4 p.m. and say they are still investigating whether she actually did get into an official Lyft car.

 

[GordianKnot]

Just weird that they keep referring to "her destination" instead of "home." Does this mean she didn't take the Lyft home but to another location? Sounds like it. If she had roommates, and it sounds like she did, she wouldn't worry about her cat being taken care of. And I'm a "woman of a certain age" now, but when I was younger, I would've moved heaven and earth to see a guy I was into! If I hadn't seen my guy in a few days and he wanted me to come over at 1:00 AM when I got back - I'd be there!

I agree with this.

This is the likeliest scenario here, given the circumstances, in my own opinion.

 

[margarita25]

Her family reported her missing:

Friends and family search for missing U. student

Police say they were not notified by the family until Thursday at 4 p.m. and say they are still investigating whether she actually did get into an official Lyft car.

What? Oh dear...

So they don’t have confirmation of this being an official Lyft vehicle???? I thought Lyft said she arrived at her destination?? Wth? This would be easy to track. The driver even makes sure you are the right passenger when you get it.

:thud:

This is potentially a game changer.

—-
ETA:
Gosh please don’t let this be the case.

Surely they have cameras that have a view of the Uber/Lyft passenger pickup? They can see the vehicle??

Man oh man.

Hopefully this is not another Samantha situation.

Crap!

I’m hoping this is some kind of misprint or reporter error or soooomething...

 

[GordianKnot]

What? Oh dear...

Damnit. So they don’t have confirmation of this?????

:thud:

This is potentially a game changer.

Right.

Lyft is saying pickoff and drop-off occurred at the destination "as originally entered by the rider" without any irregularities.

Lyft didn't identify the rider's name, or the specific destination address.

LE is saying they're still investigating whether or not ML actually got into an official Lyft car.

Sounds like they're doing their due diligence here.

JMO.

 

[margarita25]

Her family reported her missing:

Friends and family search for missing U. student

Police say they were not notified by the family until Thursday at 4 p.m. and say they are still investigating whether she actually did get into an official Lyft car.

Also from the same link / BBM:

“We are devastated. We truly need her to be found,” said Lueck’s cousin, Jolyn Mendelson, to KSL TV. “It was 1 o’clock in the morning she texted and 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.”

So we really have no idea what happened once she got off that plane.

Wait, so if she called a Lyft, and say she got into the wrong car IF the above article is even on point and assuming she didn’t check the vehicle plate, make, model, driver pic, color, etc, her app would show that the ride was not in progress and that she still hadn’t met up with her designated driver. She would be registered as a no show and get charged, plus the driver likely would have tried to call her. If she didn’t make her “real” ride, Lyft would know it.

I don’t want to run too far with this unless I know that statement is solid (that they’re still trying to verify if in fact it was an official Lyft car)...Lyft’s statement makes me inclined to believe it was an official vehicle.

 

[otto]

Just weird that they keep referring to "her destination" instead of "home." Does this mean she didn't take the Lyft home but to another location? Sounds like it. If she had roommates, and it sounds like she did, she wouldn't worry about her cat being taken care of. And I'm a "woman of a certain age" now, but when I was younger, I would've moved heaven and earth to see a guy I was into! If I hadn't seen my guy in a few days and he wanted me to come over at 1:00 AM when I got back - I'd be there!

I suppose that means that she was not headed from the airport to her home near the University of Utah. That sort of sucks in terms of knowing where she went.

Did she have luggage? If it was nothing more than a shoulder bag, she would more easily disappear into the crowd. She was left somewhere by the lyft driver with or without a suitcase. Without a suitcase, she could be anywhere. With a suitcase, she was going to someone's house.

The non-LDS consort sounds interesting. If she had a secret relationship with a non-LDS man, and he got away with murdering her ... maniacal escalation?