Ayoola Ajayi, a 31-year-old man who owned a home in Fairpark, Utah, has been arrested and charged with the murder of 23-year-old University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck, who went missing on Monday, June 17 after taking a Lyft from the Salt Lake City Airport. Mackenzie had taken a Lyft from the airport to a park that was five miles from Ajayi’s home.
Ajayi was named as a “person of interest” in the case shortly before his arrest and police searched his home for 19 hours.
The former Army IT specialist has been charged with aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, and desecration of a body. He was arrested by the SWAT team on Friday, June 28, according to KUTV.
Ajayi was discharged from the Utah Army National Guard in June 2015 after six months of service
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Lueck’s body was found burned and buried in the yard of Ajayi’s home.
From the Daily Mail:
While police declined to name the homeowner, DailyMail.com learned it is owned by Ayoola ‘AJ’ Ajayi, 31, who lists a private room inside the home on Airbnb for up to $40 a night. Officials announced they are now searching for a mattress and box spring that Ajayi had given away for free on resale website LetGo five days ago.
Ajayi currently works at Dell as a Senior Technical Support Analyst following his two-year stint as an IT specialist in the United States Army.
He had also had a modeling page with Model Management and previously worked as a systems administrator for Goldman Sachs. Ajayi did not have a criminal history.
FOX News added further details:
Brian Wolf, a local contractor in Utah, told Fox News on Friday that the person of interest that police had identified in the search for Lueck, 23, asked him to build a secret, soundproofed room with hooks on its walls in the basement of his home. The suspect has not yet been named.
Our deepest condolences go out to Mackenzie’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult and tragic time.
