On July 10, 2019 Salt Lake City County District Attorney Sim Gill revealed new details in the homicide case of Mackenzie Lueck. Lueck, a Utah State University college student, was murdered last month after meeting a man she was communicating with online, 31 year old Ayoola Ajayi.

On July 3rd police discovered her charred body in a wooded area of Logan Canyon and painted a horrifying picture: Mackenzie was found with her arms bound behind her back with zip ties & rope, and 5 centimeter hole in the left side of her head with part of her skull missing.

In the days leading up to the grisly discovery, neighbors had reported “a horrible smell coming from a fire in Ajayi’s backyard” and observed him pouring gasoline into the blaze.

Detectives executed a search warrant and conducted a forensic investigation of his backyard, finding a human bone, part of a scalp with hair, charred muscular tissue, and other items of evidentiary value.

An autopsy concluded Mackenzie Lueck died from intracranial hemorrhaging due to blunt force trauma.

The Mackenzie Lueck Press Conference Transcription is below, which includes additional details and a question and answer session with reporters:

[ Begin Mackenzie Lueck Press Conference Transcript 07/10/19) ]

SIM GILL: Good morning everyone. My name is Sim Gill. I’m the Salt Lake County District Attorney. This morning I am joined by Jeff Hall, Blake Nakamura, my two Chief Criminal Deputies, as well as to my right Mark Mathis, Josh Graves and Heather Lindsay who will be my colleagues who will be prosecuting this case that we’re going to talk about today. This morning as we speak The Salt Lake City District Attorney’s office is in the process of right now filing charges against Ayoola Ajayi :

• 1 count of aggravated murder; first-degree felony.
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