thank you. >> at this time, we will have a statement from the lueck family read by mackenzie's uncle.family would like to express their gratitude for the effort put forth by the salt lake city police departmen department. in all pertinent thing and all partnering agencies that assisted, as well as all people that provided tips on this case. they are also grateful to her community, her friends, and others around the nation who have supported this investigation. the family will not be taking any questions, and no interviews will be held. inquiries should be directed to the salt lake city police department. again, we ask that everybody respect the privacy of mackenzie's family and friends at this time. media statements for this family will be taken by the salt lake city police department. thank you. >> the arrested person is currently on his way to be booked in the salt lake county jail. we will not be releasing further information, but there is still a considerable amount of investigative follow-up that needs to be conducted. this case will then be presented by the district attorney's o

friday he was charged with kidnapping 23-year-old mackenzie lueck and murdering her. aridence of charred remains were unearthed in his backyard. >> several charred items that were consistent with personal items of mackenzie lueck. other charred material has been located, which has now been forensically determined to be female human tissue. >> reporter: a local contractor came forward claiming ajayi asked him in april to build a soundproof, hidden room behind a secret door at the house. >> i never had anybody ask me anything like this. >> reporter: after he turned down the job, ajayi persisted, making repeated requests through texts. >> he was adamant, he wanted to get it done fast and money was no object. on reporter: the contractor said he met the suspect june 15, there ploice believe ajayi took mackenzie lueck to his home and ziighbors reported a large fire coming from the backyard. police will not confirm or deny tonight reports that he met mackenzie lueck through an online dating service. >> strassmann: jonathan vigliotti, thanks. lou alvarez has died. he was one

police say this man was texting mackenzie lueck. he denied seeing any online profiles, but his phone records show otherwise. mackenzie's family says throughout all of this, obviously highly unusual that she was not responding to any of their phone calls or text messages. this past wednesday, june 26, police executed a warrant at the suspect's home. investigators found fresh items on the property, personal items of mackenzie were discovered. they were charged. also female tissue was found. police say dna confirmed it is mackenzie lueck. the chief of police here say he called the parents of mackenzie and they were devastated and heart broken. >> at 9:20 a.m. this morning, we were able to take the suspect into custody. after the arrest, i spoke with greg lueck and informed him of the developments in this investigation. this is one of the most difficult phone calls i have ever made, as both greg and his wife diana were devastated and heart broken by this news. >> reporter: police are stressing this is an on going investigation. they're w

police in utah today confirmed what had been feared: mackenzie lueck was murdered. a suspect has been arrested. 11 days after lueck disappeared, police said her charred remains were found in the suspect's rerd. jonathan vigliotti is in salt lake city. rt it is with heavy heart that i address you today. c reporter: salt lake city police chief mike brown says up until the moment swat officers lwde an arrest, he had always arld out hope that 23-year-old mackenzie lueck would be found alive. when did you know in your gut that this was no longer a missing person's case? >> i did not know until early this morning. we are filing charges of aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, and desecration of a body in the homicide of mackenzie lueck. the man charged is ayoola ajayi. . will not be saying the killer's name again. >> reporter: police say digital evidence proves the suspect had texted mackenzie at 6:00 p.m., hours before she boarded a flight to salt lake city. she landed at 2:00 a.m. and took d lyft from the airport to hatch park. detectives tracked his phone to the sam

mentioned cell phone communication, but police say the suspect denied ever seeing a picture of mackenzie lueck or any online profile. but police say the suspect's phone suggests otherwise. >> the arrested person stated he didn't know what mackenzie looked like and denied having seen a photo or online profile of mackenzie. despite having several photos of her and the profile photo. the arrested person denied any personal contact with mackenzie or meeting with her at any time. >> so far we have not heard from mackenzie's mother or father. mackenzie's uncle says the family is not taking any questions or interviews right now. shep? >> shepard: what more do we know about the suspect, matt? >> shep, the murder suspect's profile indicated that he worked for dell or goldman sachs. we've reached out to them and have not heard back. the district attorney says it's likely that this murder suspect was involved in the military. police say there's much more investigating to do on this suspect's background, including whether he acted by himself. shep? >> shepard: thanks very much. matt finn on scene. let's g

. >> reporter: the search for missing college student mackenzie lueck is other over. the salt lake city police chief announced an arrest in the 23- year-old alleged kidnapping and murder. the suspect who was a person of interest is identified as ayoola ajayi. utah state student who was a former army it specialist. his linkedin page list him as a technical support analyst at dell. >>> the arrested person's neighbors informed detectives they have observed him learning something in his backyard with the use of gasoline on the dates of june 17 and june 18. the search warrant resulted in the findings of a fresh dig area on his property. which is the same area the arrested person was reported burning something. >> reporter: dna test of the remains found there match mackenzie lueck. this is video of the suspect walking with his hands up this morning toward s.w.a.t. officers. the 31-year-old was arrested on suspicion of homicide kidnapping obstruction of justice and desecration of a dead body. mackenzie mackenzie lueck was last seen 12 days ago in salt lake city airport after

investigators say they found the charred remains of mackenzie lueck in the backyard. reported missing two weeks ago. last seen leaving the airport taking a ride share to a park. early in the morning. the police chief says phone records show the last communication was with the suspect. abc's clayton sandell leads us off. >> reporter: a missing persons case becoming a murder case with a dramatic s.w.a.t. team takedown. >> we are filing charges of aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice, and desecration of a body in the homicide of mackenzie lueck. >> reporter: the suspect, 31-year old ayoola ajayi. police say he and mackenzie lueck had been texting on june 17th just before meeting up at this salt lake city park around 3:00 a.m. >> phone records show the location of their phones to be at hatch park within less than a minute of each other. >> reporter: ajayi owns this house five miles from the park. police searched it wednesday night, carrying out bags of evidence and digging in the backyard, making a gruesome discovery where neighbors say he rece

a strange twist in the depression disappearance of mackenzie lueck. police are saying she was last seen in the park with an unknown person in the middle of the night. you are watching "outnumbered overtime." i'm harris faulkner. let's take you through the timeline now. investigators say mackenzie lueck landed at selleck city international airport at 1:35 a.m. on june 17th. she texted her mother two oh one a.m. and got into a lift about 40 minutes later. this is where things start to take a turn. police say 23-year-old lueck was dropped off by that lift driver at hatch park at 2:59 a.m. she reportedly met with an unknown individual and left with that person. family and friends have not heard from mackenzie since. claudia cowan's life and selleck city. claudia , a lot of details coming together today. >> harris, the mystery here is really deepening because the search now includes at least one other person. the man or the woman who is behind the wheel of that waiting car, and who was presumably the last person to see mackenzie lueck eight days ago. detec

salt lake city officials are now saying they have their first person of interest in the case of mackenzie luecke executed a search warrant on a homeowner who lives near where lueck was supposed to be dropped off during a lyft ride from the salt lake city airport in the early morning hours of june 17th. draining me now is the salt lake city, utah, police chief mike brown, who broke out on dress. i had for the questions. thank you for taking the time. i want to address the timeline, because we had our first pictures of mckinsey at the airport. she is taken by lyft driver pretty clear that treasure. what's the next step and all that in terms of the timeline? >> the next step, harris -- and thank you again for your time -- the next step is to find mackenzie lueck. that's what we are trying to do. in this investigation -- >> harris: excuse me, police chief, just in terms of -- she gets dropped off at that park by the lyft driver. you cleared him, what is the next step at that point? this confusion about whether she was on her phone, if she went to the next house. what happened when she got to that p

team related to that missing college student, mackenzie lueck.onference by police is expected in one hour from now. this is a story we've been all over on "outnumbered" and "outnumbered overtime." 23 years old, picked up by a lyft driver on june 17th at 1:35 a.m. local time there. texted her mom, "i have landed safely." she had gone to her grandmother's funeral. already, almost immediately, one for closest friends has said on our air to me, she stopped returning her text messages almost immediately that weekend when she got home. there were questions readily. but that lyft driver took her to hatch park, and then there was another person who met her in another vehicle. police cleared that lyft driver very early on, and then the question began, "what happened after that?" and police told us that she might have some connection with a home that sometimes brandon airbnb and its basements, and they were focusing in on that homeowner, as a person of interest. as early as just this time yesterday. and word of interest, that news conference in the next ho

, aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice, and desecration of a body in the homicide of mackenzie lueckreporter: the clues leading to ajayi's arrest began at the salt lake city airport early last week. a 1:00 a.m. text confirming to her parents that lueck had arrived safely. a surveillance camera shows her with her baggage at the carousel. then she took a lyft to a park in salt lake. >> her last communication was with the arrested person. phone records show the location of their phones to be at hatch park within less than a minute of each other. this was the same time as mackenzie's phone stopped receiving any further data or location services on june 17th at approximately 3:00 a.m. >> reporter: thursday, police investigating other clues into lueck's fate. a mattress and box spring given away a week ago, and a tip from a neighbor who described the suspect burning something in his backyard. chief brown composing himself as he described the call to mackenzie's parents. >> this is one of the most difficult phone calls i've ever made. as both greg and his wife diana were devastated and hear

reporter: police say when they dug up his backyard they found burned items they believed belonged to mackenzie lueckith what they believe are lueck's remains. >> other charred material was located which has now been forensically been determined to be female human tissue. >> police say they don't know if someone may have helped ajayi and they're not saying how lueck and ajayi may have known each other. a former fbi profiler say there are gaps of information which are crucial in this case, including what was going through this young woman's mind just before she disappeared. police have said the lyft driver indicated mackenzie lueck was not in distress when she switched cars. >> the reason the victim would get into the car is going to be important, and that reason will probably evolve over time. they probably don't know the full extent of why she was confident enough to do that. >> police are also not saying what they believe the suspect's motive was. they do say they're looking into whether he acted alone or if he had help. brian todd, cnn washington. >>> and we'll be right back. from l'oréal paris.ra

scott mclean reports. >> reporter: police make an arrest in the murder of mackenzie lueck.they uncover on the property since wednesday. >> charred material located which has now been forensically determined to be female human tissue. dna profile of the tissue was obtained in testing by the utah state lab. the dna profile was compared and consistent with the dna obtained through testing of personal items of mackenzie lueck. >> reporter: lueck's uncle saying a few words. >> the lueck family would like to express gratitude to the salt lake city police department. they are grateful to the community and friends and others around the nation who supported this investigation. >> reporter: salt lake city police say they would not have made an arrest were it not for the digital bread crumbs led behind by lueck and the suspect. police questioned the property owner at this home. 31-year-old ayoola ajayi thursday as a person of interest. he was arrested on friday morning at a nearby apartment complex. >> after a week of investigation, we are filing charges of aggravated murder and aggra

of utah student mackenzie lueck as new details emerge about the man suspected of her murder, ayoola ajayi. after this dramatic s.w.a.t. team arrest on friday. contractor brian wolf says ajayi reached out to him in april with an unusual request, cathy a secret room in his basement >> he asked me to build a weird room and i told him no. >> reporter: wolf says he didn't think much more about it until he saw the house on the news >> my heart just dropped. i'm like, no way >> reporter: investigators spent hours digging for clues at the suspect's slablt salt lake city home this week. the search police say revealed charred human tissue >> you can't even believe this went on across the street. >> police saying they intend to charge ajayi with aggravated murder, kidnapping and desecration of a body. authorities have investigated him before the north park police department says it received a rape complaint against him in 2014. but the female victim did not wish to pursue charges. nbc news has not been ab attorney for aajayi.

mackenzie lueck has been missing for 10 days now. jonathan vigliotti has the latest on the search. reporter: salt lake city police spent hours collecting bag after bag of items they hope could lead them to 23-year-old mackenzie lueck. they also interviewed, then released a man they described as a person of interest. >> our detectives collected multiple items that are in the process of being tested and analyzed. >> reporter: among the items not found is a mattress that police say was given away online. aey're hoping to track down whoever claimed it. iese are the last-known images of lueck, a utah university student seen here on june 17 after landing at salt lake city airport. she took a lyft to a local park. rpere she met someone waiting in a car. the home police have zeroed in on is five miles away. what led them there is still unknown. police will only say they used llacking technology in seeking a search warrant. >> this is a digital forensic ynvestigation. this is covering computers, cell phones, i.p. addresses, u.r.l.s, texting apps. >> reporter: but the court question, what ha

resulted in the finding of several charred items that were consistent with personal items of mackenzie lueck. other charred material was located which has been determined to be female human tissue >> reporter: vanishing 12 days ago, police say the university of utah student and the suspect were texting before she arrived at the salt lake city airport. investigators say she took a lyft to a park where a car was waiting for her at 3:00 a.m. detectives say the suspect and victim's cell phone registered in the same area before mackenzie's went dark. a member of the utah national guard, the suspect rented rooms at his house on airbnb jillian stayed at the home >> a couple weeks later, he tried to friend me on facebook i just didn't accept it because it was a little weird. >> reporter: tonight police are offering no motive for the murder, but they say they now have the man who killed mackenzie lueck. miguel almaguer, nbc news. >>> tonight a white supremacist has been sentenced to life in prison for ramming his car into a crowd in charlottesville in the summer of 2017, the attack killing heather he

mackenzie lueck -- adley rutschman -- mackenzie lueck reported missing . >> she arrived at the park atefectives detective has spoken with the lyft driver and where learning that she was met at the park by an individual with a vehicle. the lyft driver left her at the park with the person and stated that mackenzie lueck did not appear to be in any type of distress. we have not yet confirmed the make and model of the car or a description of the person. >> reporter: rachel palmer and ashley five both graduated from the university of utah this year. now they are looking for their sorority sister . >> we don't know if this is in the state of utah. she could be anywhere. >> reporter: she went missing after a return flight home to california from a friend's wedding . >> at this time, there is no evidence any harm has come to her but because of the circumstances of the case, we want to make sure she is all right. >> reporter: family and friends are asking anyone with information about her disappearance to come forward. in los angeles, fox news. >>> clouds overhead, onshore breeze and temperatur

the chief said that in interviews with them the suspect claimed he couldn't tell mackenzie lueck anddy that was not true. here is how the police chief described what they found here. >> during a search warrant on the arrested person's residence and property on june 26th, the arrested person's neighbors inform informed detectives they observed him burning something in the backyard with gasoline on dates of june 17th and june 18th. a forensic excavation of the burn area was conducted which resulted in the finding of several charred items consistent with personal items of mackenzie lueck. other charred material was located and has been forrence ily debated to be female human >> so the suspect was arrested this morning at an apartment complex not far from here. it is still unclear how they met and whether they ever met up before. her family put out a statement thanking family friends and police. this comes as a big, big surprise to people who live in this neighborhood. many of them describe him as a normal guy, quiet. one neighbor said he was the epitome of a great neighbor. brooke. >> p

mackenzie lueck.ts say that she texted them last monday from salt lake city airport to let them know that she had landed safely. authorities say that she got into her lyft ride and has not been seen since. william la jeunesse is live in the los angeles borough with more on this. >> where did she go? who did she see? after the 1:00 a.m. text to her parents from the airport, that is the missing piece of this puzzle. police say 23-year-old mackenzie lueck took that ride not to an apartment, not to her sorority, but in an industrial area north of salt lake. since then, no text, no calls, no facebook, no sign of the luggage, and she missed work, a wedding, and her midterm exams. >> where could she have gone? her car has not been moved. police have said that they have no reason to believe that she is in danger. but at this point it has been seven days. >> she might have been meeting someone there. i just don't see any other reason as to why she would be there at that time. >> police did not provide an addre

of a missing student in utah suspect has been arrested for murder, what police say happened to mackenzie lueck. >>the big story tonight texas in social media may have been the break in the case of the missing utah college student, 31 year old are you a shot he has been arrested and accused of killing 23 year-old mackenzie lueck this is him walking toward a swat team with his hands up this morning. police say that lou it was dropped off by a lyft driver at a park at 03:00am on july 17th, the north salt lake city that's where she met someone in a vehicle. investigators say look and a chinese phones were both in the park within less than a minute of each other. police say that they found its dna and some of her personal items burned in a chinese backyard. other charred material was located. which has now been forensically has been determined. >>to be female human tissue. that dna profile was compared. and is consistent with the dna profile obtained through further forensic testing a personal items. mckenzie look. >>lueck west from southern california and had just returned to utah after visiting a

where is 23-year-old mackenzie lueck today? we are all over the story, as the news continues to break on it we will bring you the very latest. let's move now to another top story today, as i mentioned off the top of the show. the supreme court, on the final day of its current session, with two rulings likely to shape american politics up until and including and beyond 2020. chief legal correspondent and fox news at night anchor shannon bream's life for us in miami. a big day, shannon. >> harris, this final day of the supreme court, these are the two big cases we were waiting on. people on both sides are celebrating today. let's talk through them and start with that case about whether or not a question about citizenship could be added to the 2020 census. the initiation has argued that it was well within its authority and power to do that. secretary ross over at the commerce department had done it early on, sought to do that in his ten years, to get this question added. today the court made a nondecision. they said there was ques

. >> 23-year-old mackenzie lueck was last in a couple of days ago.w been found on a property owned by the suspects. >> it is with a heavy heart i address you today. salt lake city police charged a man with murder on friday in connection to the search for utah college student mackenzie lueck. ayoola ajayi is charged with aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice, and desecration of a human body. police say mckenzie was last seen at hatch park in north salt lake city. she reportedly left the park in a car and had not been heard or seen sense. since. >> all communications ceased for mckenzie at 3 a.m. on june 17th. her last communication were within the arrested person. >> reporter: policing neighbors saw ayoola ajayi burning something with the help of gasoline in his backyard. they say the stench hits them in the face. on wednesday, police, armed with a warrant, searched the property. 27 boxes of ar ammunition and a pitchfork were booked into evidence. >> a forensic excavation of the burn area was conducted. it resulted in a find

missing ten days now, mackenzie lueck was last seen arriving at the salt lake city airport. after texting her mother she landed safely, investigators say lueck took a lyft to a park where a car her waiting for just before 3:00 a.m. >> i can only imagine what the family's doing right now. we will do everything we can to findma enzie. >> tonight still no sign of the missing university of utah identify a person of interest and look to unearth new clues. >>> up next tonight, the safety changes coming to several majoleague ball coming to several majoleague ball r r ♪ (brian) i've had a hcopd...tack, coming to several majoleague ball r r a heart transplant... lung cancer... and part of my lung removed. my tip is: if smoking doesn't get you one wa it'll get you another. my tip is: (announcer) you can quit. for free help, call 1-800-quit-now. when your psoriasis is bad, it can be hard to see what's possible. t the possibilities become clear with taltz. the first and only treatment of its kind offering a chance at 100% clear skin. with taltz, up to 90% of those with moderate to sever

, aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice, and desecration of a body in the homicide of mackenzie lueck. >> reporter: the suspect, 31-year old ayoola ajayi. police say he and lueck had been texting on june 17th just before meeting up at this salt lake city park around 3:00 a.m. >> investigations of both the arrested person and mackenzie's phone records show the location of their phones to be at hatch park within less than a minute of each other. >> reporter: ajayi owns a house five miles from that park. police searched it wednesday night, carrying out bags of evidence, and digging in the backyard, making a gruesome discovery where neighbors reported ajayi recently set a fire. >> charred material was located which was been determined to be female human tissue. >> reporter: ajayi spent six months in the utah army national guard. police are not talking about a motive or exactly how he and the 23-year-old lueck knew each other. investigators are following a digital trail of text messages, social media, and dating apps for clues. >> this is one of the most difficult phone calls i've ever mad

it's been 11in days sce mackenzie lueck disappeared. evidence that led detectives to file murder charges this afternoon. >> choicer to home, the great garden debate. why some folks are reporting their neighbors because of their front yard garden. >> the storms out there that rn could tu severe. >> doug is back with the ting imon>>ckow with look at current temperatures. this heat could bring in some storms over the weekend. we'll see how the pattern plays out. doug is back track the impact for us in two minutes. so keep it right here. a big focus on youth violence today in the strict. he u.s. attorney's office held its ninth annual breaking the silence youth violence summit. this event at catholic university of america folked on gun violence and drug prevention. youngdeople atten sessions and highlighthe causes of violence and if youearn how to make better choices of the summit is the part of the department of justice's project safe neighborhood program, a nationwide effort to reduce violent crime. pat? >> so would you want to live next

the remains of mackenzie lueck were found friday in the suspect's yard.efore she boarded a lyft in salt lake city. >>> recent security scares are fresh on new yorkers' minds as millions gather tomorrow to march for world pride. 2 million people are expected to line the parade route and 150,000 marchers are expected to participate. they have extended the route by more than half a mile this year. david begnaud shows how police plan to protect it. >> reporter: as commander for world pride, chief harris has a lot of ground to cover for the world march. he told us there is ce threat that has been directed at world pride. attendees tell us they're a bit wary but not overly concerned. >> i think it's important we ever police presence because of the climate we live in. >> reporter: people are mindful of recent events. there was a shooting this month that injured four people at a toronto raptors rally. days later there was panic amid a false report of a shooting that happened at the gay pride parade in washington, d.c. in 2018, someone shot a gay man. >> there wil

arthel: fox news alert in the missing case of utah student mackenzie lueck.old ayoola ajayi after a search of his home led to the discovery of lueck's charred remains. the relationship between them remains unclear but police say they exchanged text messages the day before the 23-year-old disappeared. matt fin is live in salt lake city, utah with more. >> reporter: police say this is the house where they discovered some of lueck's burned belongings and also some of her flesh. police say the murder suspect lived here and the police department tells fox news that since the murder suspect's arrest yesterday it has submitted even more evidence from this property to the crime lab and now family and neighbors and friends are all left trying to process this heinous act. >> i'm in shock because what he did to this beautiful young woman took place no more than 5. and that's very unsettling. not to just myself, but to the entire neighborhood, and all of the people that knew him here. >> reporter: we know the murder suspect, ayoola ajayi, was previously accused of rape b

were put into evidence. -- and a gun were put into evidence. >> and there also personal items of mackenzie lueck reporter: they stayed in contact with the family throughout the investigation. >> this is one of the most difficult phone calls i have ever made. as both greg and his wife diana were devastated and heartbroken by this news. >> reporter: so far we have not heard from her mother and father, you could only imagine the heart ache. his -- her uncle read a statement thanking the law enforcement. fox news. >>> all right we are gearing up for a nice weekend warm up all of across the bay area. >> a little breezy as we transition to a drier warmer pattern. here's a look at the golden gate bridge. san francisco right now 63 degrees. santa rosa, 80. how about we check on that 24- hour temperature change. up by seven over in santa rosa. up by nine in livermore. notice at the coast, there's a little bit of cloud cover. temperatures are actually cooler for half moon bay and right inside of the bay. there's a bit of a nodule brace. here's a look at the storm tracker 2, we have been watching this syst

but still, no sign of mackenzie lueck. david? >> clayton, thank you. >>> when we come back, news tonight about american tourists. the couple missing after renting jet skis. no sign of them a day later. >>> and the doctor and his tour guide killed. >>> also, the new health headline tonight involving prescription drugs and the risk of dementia. corey is living with metastatic breast cancer, which is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of her body. she's also taking ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor, which is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+ / her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole was significantly more effective at delaying disease progression versus letrozole. patients taking ibrance can develop low white blood cell counts, which may cause serious infections that can lead to death. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant

york tonight, we are hearing what could be a big break in the case of missing college student mackenzie luecke back to miami where shannon bream is standing by for night two of the first democratic presidential primary debate, all after this. seen almost everything, so we know how to cover almost anything. even a parking splat. fly-by ballooning. (man) don't...go...down...oh, no! aaaaaaahhhhhhhh! (burke) rooftop parking. (burke) and even a hit and drone. (driver) relax, it's just a bug. that's not a bug, that's not a bug! (burke) and we covered it. talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ on the sleep number 360 smart bed. it senses your movement and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. the queen sleep number 360 c4 smart bed is now $1299. save $400. plus, 0% interest for 36-months. ends saturday. with moderate to severe ulceratiyour plans... crohn's, can change in minutes. your head wants to do one thing... but your gut says not today. if your current treatment isn't working... ask your doctor ab

the university of utah student mackenzie lueck disappeared 11 days ago.rs say the night the 23-year-old vanished she took a letter from the salt lake city airport to a park. police say phone records show 31-year-old ayoola ajayi was the last person she communicated with. at 3:00 that morning. they say it is not clear if they had a previous relationship. yesterday investigators got a warrant to search his home and mackenzie lueck's burned remains were found on the property. >> this is where the most difficult phone calls i have ever made. as with greg, and his wife diana, were devastated and heartbroken by news. >> police say the neighbors saw ajayi burning something with gasoline in his backyard a day or two after mackenzie lueck disappeared. 27 boxes of ar ammunition in a pitchfork were booked into evidence. ajayi will be charged abrogated aggravated murder, and desiccation of the body. >>> a man convicted of killing a woman and a white supremacist rally has been ordered to spend the rest of his life in prison. that sentence was handed down today for jam

investigators say mackenzie lueck was last seen meeting someone at a park at 3:00 a.m. after she was dropped off by a lyft driver. claudia cowan has more. >> it has been eight days since mackenzie lueck was last seen. the circumstances surrounding her disappearance are bizarre to say the least. police say she flew back to salt lake city after attending her grandmother's funeral in los angeles on monday, june 17, landing at 130 in the morning. she texted her parents to let them know she arrived and then she ordered a rideshare, sb 16. she didn't go to her apartment. instead the lyft took her to a suburb. they arrived 90 minutes after her plane landed and that's where she met someone in another car. the lyft driver told detectives that mackenzie didn't seem to be concerned when she got into the waiting car and so he left and he has been cleared as a suspect. it's unclear if mackenzie drove off with a man or woman. police are trying to identify the make and model of the vehicle and asking for the public's help to learn more about this 23-year-old nursing student. >> does m

. >> -- obstruction of justice and desecration of the body in the homicide of mackenzie lueck.ist killed her up at 3:00 in the morning on june 17th and the 23-year-old student landed at the airport returning from her grandmother's funeral and she used the lyft car service to take her from the airport to the park where the driver saw her get into ajayi's car. police say phone records showed her and the 31-year-old suspect had been in touch, texting hours before she vanished and she was placed within >> in an interview with him he admitted to having text conversations with her at approximately 6 p.m. but nothing after that time. >> reporter: police say he denied having any personal contact and denied knowing what she looked like. he had photos of her in his possession. >> the way he communicated saying he didn't know who she was, that didn't seem true. >> police are not giving specifics of how lewek died but they searched his house which is a few miles from the park where they met earlier this week. police then called him a person of interest. investigators say he gave away a mat

consistent with the dna profile obtained through further forensic testing of personal items of mackenzie lueckw words. >> the lueck family would like to express their gratitude for the effort put forth by the salt lake city police department. they are also grateful to her community, her friends and others around the nation who have supported this investigation. >> reporter: salt lake city police say they would not have made an arrest were it not for the digital bread crumbs left behind by lueck and the suspect. the cnn. police questioned the properties owner 13-year-old as a pepper of interest arrested on friday morning at a nearby apartment complex. >> after an exhaustive week of investigation, we are filing charges of aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice and a body. >> it began at the salt lake city airport last we can. a 1:00 a.m. text determining the woman arrived back in salt lake city city safely showing her near her luggage near a carousel. then a lyft ride dropping her at hatch park. >> investigation of her phone records show her last communications were wit

mackenzie lueck's death captured the world's attention. they traced her remains to the suspect's home. >> reporter: this morning a salt lake city man under arrest facing charges for the murder of 23-year-old university of utah student mackenzie lueck missing since last week. >> car 30 can you also send me two more units? >> reporter: ayoola ajayi surrendered. >> aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice and desecration of a body. >> reporter: lueck was last seen alive june 17th arriving at the salt lake city airport at 2:00 a.m. police say she then took a ride on lyft, ended up at a park and left with someone an hour later. phone records show that ajayi was the last person lueck contacted. >> all communications ceased for mackenzie at 3 a.m. on june 17th. >> reporter: meanwhile, the investigation intensified at the suspect's home. neighbors said they saw him burning something in the backyard. >> excavation of the burn area resulted in finding personal items of mackenzie lueck. other charred material was located which

mackenzie lueck. other charred material was located. which has now been forensically. to be female human tissue facing an aggravated murder charge 31 year-old i yola to is behind bars is suspected of killing a 23 year-old mackenzie lueck. >>but who is also facing charges for desecration of a body kidnapping and obstruction of justice. >>the arrested persons neighbors informed detectives that they have served observed him burning something in his backyard with the use of gasoline and investigators were told had suddenly given away a mattress. >>police say the suspected killer burned lueck's belongings and her body and that her last known location was with her alleged killer in a park at 03:00am but her phone's location and data services stopped working. >>this is one of the most difficult phone calls i've ever made. and we're devastated heartbroken by this news. >>i'm meredith wood reporting. >>coming up it's the protests that started the rights movement across the country and the world hear from activists who took part in the stonewall uprising 50 years ago today. >>pl

charged with murder, kidnapping and the desecration of a body in the disappearance of 23-year-old mackenzie lueck. >> investigations so her last communication was with the arrested person. >> reporter: investigators spending 19 hours scouring the property. they unearthed evidence they say the suspect tried to burn. >> the resulted in charred items. >> reporter: vanishing 12 days ago, police say the university of utah student and the suspect were texting before she arrived at the salt lake city airport. investigators say she took a lyft to a park where a car was waiting for her at 3:00 a.m. detectives say the suspect and victim's cell phone registered in the same area before mackenzie's went dark. a member of the utah national guard and a self-published author who wrote of murder. he also rented rooms in his house at air bnb. >> he tried to friend me on facebook and i just didn't accept it just because it was a little weird. >> reporter: tonight police are offering no motive for the murder, but they say they now have the man who killed mackenzie lueck. nbc news. >>> 7:38. back here in the bay area

today, the parents of mackenzie lueck say they are not taking questions, understandably. e made a statement thanking law enforcement and neighbors here who brought flowers. >> i don't know what happened here, but i do not want her -- i do not want this to be her last terrible thing. maybe somewhere her spirit is still here, may be flowers -- it's really emotional. >> the murder suspect did briefly work for dell in utah. he was also briefly in the national guard for about six months. we have not found major criminal background on the suspect other than minor traffic violations. right now, police say they have much more investigating to do, martha, whether this murder suspect acted by himself. martha? >> martha: thank you for the latest in that. awful story. here now, criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor mark are what was a mystery is looking a little less mysterious tonight. but still, the main questions surround what on earth happened here. >> the good news is prosecutors never have to prove motive because we may never know why and people do it for crazy reasons

his home police arrested 31 year-old at yesterday and charged him with murder and kidnapping mackenzie lueckhis here is the suspect. >>walking towards the swat team with his hands up yesterday. police say on june 17th lueck was dropped off by a lyft driver at the park at 3 in the morning and she met someone in a car. investigators say they found look at the suspect's phones in the park just inches from each other. police say they found lueck's dna and some of her personal items burned in his backyard and that contractor is speaking out about a job. he was offered from the suspect. >>yeah, i don't her but spoke with that man who says he is glad to have turned down the job. >>isn't it because he saw show brian wolf could only sit and watch as police announced the end of the search for mackenzie lueck all week on the news, he kept seen pictures of the house that he was just inside a couple months ago. now he sees the mug shot of the man he met inside. >>100% that man and they arrested is the man i met guarantee i'm shaking ri now. parts town and that's. m m scary. i feel sorry for the girl he s

arrest in the murder of utah university student mackenzie lueck.y they tracked down using a trail of digital evidence including texts between him and mackenzie lueck hours before her body was found. the man responsible for killing 32-year-old heather hire will spend the rest of his life behind bars. james fields jr. pleaded guilty to 29 federal hate crime charges. fields drove his car into a crowd counterprotesters killing hire and in injuring dozens more in august of 2017. at the sentencing, hoyer's mother read a statement saying i publicly want to say i forgive him because it's not me, it's christ. >> an investigate for 9/11 victims has died today surrounded by his family. louise alvarez spent three months working at ground zero searching for survivors looking for remains of his fellow officers. over the years are he worked with john stewart to help raise awareness over health care issues for first responders and survivors. the cancer that took his life was linked to his work at ground zero. just two weeks ago alvarez received a standing ovation

what a lyft driver told the police about where he took mackenzie lueck. >> mackenzie was met at hatchl in a vehicle. lyft driver left her at the park with that person and stated that mackenzie did not appear to be in any type of distress. quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker and is 2x more absorbent. bounty, the quicker picker upper. so chantix can help you quit slow turkey.rkey. along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. with chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease into quitting so when the day arrives, you'll be more ready to kiss cigarettes goodbye. when you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. stop chantix and get help right away if you have changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions, seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or life-threatening allergic and skin reactions. decrease alcohol use. use caution driving or operating machinery. tell your doctor if you've had mental health problems. the mos

the search for mackenzie lueck. >> reporter: where 7-eleven will deliver to beaches and parks. >>> this portion of ktvu news at sponsored by volkswagen. visit vw dealer .com. ...6, 7, 8 ♪ ♪ ♪ big dreams start with small steps... ...but dedication can get you there. , track and control your goals ® app. ♪ ♪ chase. make more of what's yours®. >>> there is still no sign of a young woman from southern california who went missing a week ago in utah. 23-year-old university of utah student, mackenzie lueck was last seen after a lyft driver dropped her off at a park near selig city. she was met by an individual in another vehicle. police say the lyft driver is not a suspect. >>> democratic presidential candidate, bernie sanders laid out a plan today to cancel all student loan debt. sanders says the proposal would wipe out $1.6 trillion in student that. the vermont senator says the plan for the college for all act will have no eligibility criteria and will relieve the financial burden for more than 45 million student loan borrowers. >> reporter: the american people bailed out wall street. now it

new developments in the horrifying killing of university of utah student mackenzie lueck. 31-year-old ayoola ajayi in her kidnapping and murder. they say a search of the suspect's house did uncover evidence that links him to the victim. matt finn is live in salt lake with the latest on this investigation. matt. >> reporter: eric, investigators spent at least two days at this property of the murder suspect, removing all types of evidence. even doing digs in the backyard and unfortunately they say they found some burned belongings of mackenzie lueck and also her flesh. and today the salt lake city police department tells us that since the murder suspect's arrest yesterday, the department has submitted even more evidence to the crime lab and we talked to some neighbors here who initially questioned if this suspect was capable of such a heinous murder and now they tell us they're stunned. >> honestly, i don't know, because the shock hasn't completely settled in yet about what happened so close to my home, in our community. it's unsettling. no one ever saw this coming from this

. >> reporter: no one has heard from university of utah student mackenzie lueck in more than a week, her phone turned off she arrived at salt lake international airport last monday after attending her grandmother's funeral in california at 2:01 she texted her mother she landed safely, 2:42 she booked a car service lyft to take her to a park north of town >> she was met by an individual. she did not appear to be in any type of distress >> police don't know the make and model of the car kennedy stoner is one of her best friends >> i do know she was casually ma 23-year-old. but nothing was ever suspicious to me. >> reporter: police say they have no reason to doubt the lyft driver's account safety of our community is fundamental to lyft and we are actively assisting law enforcement. for now it remains a missing person case. >> i just want her to be safe, and i want her to be okay. >> reporter: until then, another day goes by without any word stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york >>> up next tonight scary moments at the ball park >>> next tonight, major league baseball facing new calls to im

jedediah: a man in charge in the kidnapping and murder of a missing utah college student mackenzie lueckremains and lueck's items burned in the backyard. phone records also shows the man communicated with lewis the day before she disappeared and was at the same park at the same time a lyft driver dropped her off last monday. also breaking overnight, a 2-year-old boy is dead and three others are sick from e.coli infections. >> kids all visited the petting zoo or came in contact with other animals at the fair. all animal spaces are closed at the fair. pete: thank goodness i don't go to zoos. jedediah: amy klobuchar hoping to connect with hot tater to the dish. i'm visiting 8 counties next week in iowa. we are hosting host pot luck. can i count on to you bring a hot dish as a past winner of the minnesota congressional delegation hot dish contest. see attached res recipe. i'm looking forward to tasting yours. i like a good tater to the. i don't know why. ed: maybe. pete: one of the worst things politicians from new york state she talks about hot dish all day long in minnesota. ed: i will inv

they will be giving an update of the case of mackenzie lueck.ching the home close to where she was dropped off by the lyft driver. we may learn who or what exactly they have been looking for. >> we just don't want to make any mistakes. we will continue to follow leads until this is resolved. here you go little guy. a cockroach can survive submerged underwater for 30 minutes. wow. yeah. not getting in today. terminix. defenders of home. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, hmm. exactly. so you only pay for what you need. nice. but, uh... what's up with your... partner? not again. limu that's your reflection. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪ when didwhen i needed ton? jumpstart sales. build attendance for an event. help people find their way. fastsigns designed new directional signage. ...and got them back on track. get started at fastsigns.com. >> sandra: moments from now, utah police will be giving an update on the search for a missing college student. salt lake city detective searching a home last nigh

what happened to mackenzie lueck where could you have her car has on news things are heading.eard from in nearly a week, missing since monday then. >>police have said that they had no reason to believe she's in danger but at this point it's been 7 days. >>around one in the morning last monday she texted her parents to let them know she landed in salt lake safely. she left the airport and took a lift north salt lake. nearly 20 minutes from her home in salt lake city might have someone that. from there he went silent for her not reach out to me is china is anything. >>day i'm like come in. she's usually in touch with me almost every day. >>since then she's mister midterm exams at the university of utah. >>which is something that. regular he's very focused on hand to them she missed her flight back to california for a friend's wedding she had a white man as he is actively talking about the flight and while police say they're doing everything they can to find mckenzie. >>her friends say things aren't adding up texan her family that she landed at the she wouldn't have done that she