A Look Into The Life Of Ayoola Ajayi, Mackenzie Lueck's Suspected Killer

On June 28, Ayoola Ajayi was booked on suspicion of aggravated murder, kidnapping, obstruction of justice, and desecration of a body in connection with the disappearance of 23-year-old college student Mackenize Lueck.

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, she had last been seen on June 17 after returning to Utah following a California trip to attend her grandmother's funeral. Lueck arrived at the Salt Lake City Airport, at which point she took a Lyft to a park in North Salt Lake. According to police, the Utah resident met up with Ajayi at that location and was never heard from again.

Following a week of investigation, authorities were able to confirm that Ajayi, 31, had been the last person that Lueck had communicated with before her disappearance. However, Ajayi denies knowing her, as well as having any idea what she looks like, even though he had at least one photo of her in his possession.

In addition, police received information from neighbors regarding a strange fire he had started in his backyard on June 17 and 18, which led them to recover female human remains and some of Lueck's charred belongings. With suspicions now at a heightened level, unusual stories about Ajayi's background have begun to emerge, which gave a bit of insight into his life before the event.

Per the Times, his life was full of unusual contradictions. People who stayed in his home reported that the Airbnb host had been kind to them, while other people noted that his temper would flare at times over small things.

Shakari Moore, who lived with him for some time, stated that he had noticed that Ajayi refrained from long-term relationships with women, adding he did not know the suspect had been married in 2011. What drove Moore to eventually relocate was the consistency of Ajayi's anger issues, as he would suddenly become “irate and disruptive” over minor inconveniences.

According to Goodreads, Ajayi was also a published author. His book "Forge Identity" is about a man who is drawn to crime after witnessing murders at a young age. Amazon has since pulled the title from its site.

It was additionally noted that the suspect had a history of false starts, as he had short incomplete stints at Utah State University and had joined the Utah National Guard only to be discharged in June 2015 after six months of service. He was also the subject of a 2014 rape investigation, but eventually, the woman decided not to move forward and subsequently the case was dropped.

Charges against Ajayi regarding the murder of Lueck are expected to be filed within the next day or so according to the Salt Lake County district attorney’s office.