Friend of missing college student MacKenzie Lueck: 'I am almost positive that something is wrong'

ByAmy Powell WTVD logo
Monday, June 24, 2019
College student from El Segundo missing in Salt Lake City
MacKenzie Lueck, 23, of El Segundo, Calif. has been missing since she flew to Utah on June 17.

LOS ANGELES -- A college student from Southern California has been missing for a week after she took a return flight to her school in Utah.

Authorities are searching for MacKenzie Lueck, 23, a University of Utah student who flew back to Southern California recently for her grandmother's funeral. When she returned to Salt Lake City on Monday, June 17, she texted her mother to say she had landed safely.

Since that text, she hasn't been heard from.

"She's my best friend. I know her probably more than most people. I am almost positive that something is wrong," friend Kennedy Stoner said.

Police say she took a Lyft from the airport but did not go home.

She was dropped off at an address in North Salt Lake.

Her phone has been off since then and she's missed her exams. Her friends and family have not heard from her. She was also supposed to return to Southern California this weekend for a wedding.

Investigators say the Lyft driver provided other rides immediately after dropping her off. The driver and the company are cooperating with the investigation.

Salt Lake police say at this point there's no evidence that Lueck has been harmed.

Friends and family members are passing out flyers in Salt Lake City in hopes the public can aid the search.

"Things aren't adding up," said friend Ashley Fine. "We think she's in danger. We need to find her."