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

[OldCop]

I’m all in on your first theory.

She traveled to a location willingly, and is either missing voluntarily or has been taken advantage of.

I’m leaning towards her being voluntarily missing, due to one key factor:

There are clear potential stressors in her life right now.

Her grandmother just died, and she had an exam coming up.

I’m definitely open to the possibility of foul play, but I continue to believe it’s less likely than the alternative.

Yes @MassGuy. This is where I am right now. Or, if it is foul play, I believe it is the person she was visiting or meeting there.

 

[GordianKnot]

I hope the upcoming PC provides more information. In the meantime and with nothing to contradict this, I believe her disappearance is related to the fact that she went to NSL upon her return from CA. I have not yet decided whether to believe the disappearance is voluntary or involuntary.
My best possible scenarios are as follows:
1). She is depressed after the death of her grandmother. Someone offered her a shoulder to cry on. She went to a residence in NSL willingly. Then:
a. This friend took advantage of her vulnerability and things went wrong or
b. She is feeling overwhelmed and the friend is letting her shelter there for a while.

2). She was meeting someone in NSL with the intention of taking off with him. A married man?
3). She ran into an abductor while she was in NSL for whatever reason.

Some have been speculating about strip clubs in the area. This reminds me of Prof William Douglas and the murder of Robin Benedict in the Boston area back in the 1980’s. Douglas, a highly respected married Tufts University professor became obsessed with Benedict who worked at a strip club in Boston.
While we await further info, what are your theories?

Love your theories.
Your first 2 are both highly plausible to me, given what we know.

It's so hard to craft a working theory without knowing where she was dropped off.
I feel like that's a huge missing piece of the puzzle.
Absent that, my thoughts remain that at least initially, she went voluntarily missing.

I like the theory that she went to meet up with someone.
Given the fact that LE is saying they "don't know where to look" for her, it appears clear she is no longer at the location she gave to the Lyft driver.
Her car is still at her place.
There's been no info re: her calling another ride, i.e, Uber or Lyft, to leave that address.
So, she likely left with whoever she went there to meet, either willingly or unwillingly.

If she didn't go to the NSL location to meet up with someone, I think she went there to make a score.
A lot of people go off the grid when they're actively using.
This would explain her being incommunicado, and acting "out of character" per her friends.
She may be holed up somewhere using, and be completely unaware that her absence has become a huge story.
Or she may be aware of all the attention, and afraid to come forward because she thinks she might face some type of repercussions and/or doesn't want to face the music with family/friends.

IF she's voluntarily missing, I would look for her friends or whoever is doing the pc today to deliver a message directly to ML including language that conveys that they love/miss her, she isn't in any trouble, they just want to know that she's okay, etc.

JMO.

 

[wyome]

I’m still catching up here, but thinking about this:

IF it is true that her family didn’t know she was missing til she didn’t show up for her other flight back, then we can conclude that:

Her roommates did not call her family to ask if they’d heard from her, we’re not the ones to get the ball rolling.

So we’re they just not close? Not around? Not worried. Know something others don’t know?

Have we heard from the roommates yet?

Yeah this bothers me too.
I don't think it's at all unusual for family members not to speak with a 23 year old student for a few days...particularly because she had work, school, and just spent time with the family.

I do find it odd that the roommates weren't sounding alarm bells, unless they were all more roommates than friends, which is the case sometimes.

Maybe the reason she didn't go back home first before going to her destination is because she didn't want to wake anyone up or annoy one of them. Multiple girls sharing an apartment can be dicey sometimes.

 

[Blue Ridge]

How often, in reality, do people actually just *walk away* from their life? Leaving work, school, exams, friends, pets, car, social media, an upcoming friend's wedding... no word to family, and completely shutting off phone. It's tempting to think this could have happened, because we all so much want Kenzie safe. But I don't know, I've never known a soul that did such a thing, myself. Have any of you?

 

[MsArk]

How often, in reality, do people actually just *walk away* from their life? Leaving work, school, exams, friends, pets, car, social media, an upcoming friend's wedding... no word to family, and completely shutting off phone. It's tempting to think this could have happened, because we all so much want Kenzie safe. But I don't know, I've never known a soul that did such a thing, myself. Have any of you?

Just last week we were following mother/daughter Jill and Jordan Rousseau who did just that. They surfaced at the 3 day mark but I agree with you. It is highly unusual nor do i think it is the case here.

 

[Inthedetails]

How often, in reality, do people actually just *walk away* from their life? Leaving work, school, exams, friends, pets, car, social media, an upcoming friend's wedding... no word to family, and completely shutting off phone. It's tempting to think this could have happened, because we all so much want Kenzie safe. But I don't know, I've never known a soul that did such a thing, myself. Have any of you?

If she did want to walk away, I think she would've made plans for the cat. I really do.

jmo

 

[cody22]

MacKenzie Lueck: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

Good overview of the case.

I wonder who the family was that she had been a "personal assistant" for in SLC, and in what part of the city they lived ?....moo

 

[MassGuy]

How often, in reality, do people actually just *walk away* from their life? Leaving work, school, exams, friends, pets, car, social media, an upcoming friend's wedding... no word to family, and completely shutting off phone. It's tempting to think this could have happened, because we all so much want Kenzie safe. But I don't know, I've never known a soul that did such a thing, myself. Have any of you?

Not personally, but it is quite common.

The overwhelming majority of missing people are missing because they want to be.

These are unusual circumstances, but not at all unprecedented.

 

[BLT HUEY GIRL]

Given her age it seems unlikely that she would just walk away from all that she's been working for in her life. Plus usually a girl her age is still very attached to her family.

 

[osu]

SLCPD is still actively looking for MacKenzie Lueck. Detectives have been working throughout the weekend & will continue to follow any/all leads. We are aware of info being shared by her friends & others about this case.
5:49PM - 6/23/19


SLC Police Dept. on Twitter

 

[GordianKnot]

How often, in reality, do people actually just *walk away* from their life? Leaving work, school, exams, friends, pets, car, social media, an upcoming friend's wedding... no word to family, and completely shutting off phone. It's tempting to think this could have happened, because we all so much want Kenzie safe. But I don't know, I've never known a soul that did such a thing, myself. Have any of you?

Nope, I haven't myself known anyone to do that. At least, not in the extreme.

This may not be a total "walkaway" situation in terms of assuming a whole new identity, etc., though.

ML is young.

She may just be making some decisions about what path in life she really wants to take.

So, it may not be a case of ML "walking away," so much as "choosing to walk a different path."

It may also just be something she impulsively chose to do, because of emotional stressors or other pressures she was experiencing.

Again, IF she is voluntarily missing at this point.

That's a big IF.

JMO.

 

[iluvmua]

I wonder who the family was that she had been a "personal assistant" for in SLC, and in what part of the city they lived ?....moo

It sounds like to me they might have been elderly and needed assistance.

Jmo.

 

[margarita25]

I’ve never used Lyft or Uber, so I’m not really sure how it all works. Could her drop off location be something as simple as a convenient store or some other public place? And maybe that’s why LE is not sure where to search because it’s not a personal address? Just thinking out loud here... MOO

I don’t think it would be a quick stop like a convenience store etc, because then she would have asked her driver to wait. It can be difficult getting a driver late at night, especially at certain locations. I would have them wait while I ran in then have me them take me where I’m going. Also the driver would say, “do you have a ride back”. And why would she go to convenience store way away from her home. I think wherever she went she was planning on staying at least a little while. Likely an establishment like a club/bar or a residence, moo.

 

[MsArk]

Has the PC begun? I can’t seem to find it.

 

[cody22]

Has the PC begun? I can’t seem to find it.

Me neither.....................................moo

 

[Peppery]

The “Find MacKenzie Lueck” Facebook page said that KUTV will be live streaming the presser on their Facebook page and on their website.

Facebook:
KUTV 2News

Website:
https://kutv.com

Anybody see anything on either site?

 

[cody22]

Anybody see anything on either site?

Nope.....moo

 

[LadyL]

what time does the PC start?

 

[margarita25]

Another thing, there was that case where the young lady in Florida drove herself to that isolated location near the mall then was found in the lake nearby, ruled a suicide. I don’t think that’s necessarily out of the realm here, moo. It’s not my leading theory though. And remember, was it Leigh Ann, gosh can’t remember name, we were so surprised, she was found in the tree, suicide?

 

[MsArk]

Anybody see anything on either site?

Just beginning on the Find Mackenzie FB page.