Search intensifies for missing Utah student

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KSTU/CNN) – Mackenzie Lueck, a Utah college student, has been missing for nearly a week after police say she took a late-night Lyft ride from the Salt Lake City International Airport.

The Lyft Driver told investigators that she was dropped off at her requested location, which investigators say was not a residence. Lueck last texted her parents at 1:00 a.m. on June 17.

Missing posters continue to pepper Salt Lake City streets hoping to find an answer to the question: what happened to Mackenzie Lueck?

Ashley Fine is a friend of Mackenzie. She asked, “‘Where could she have gone? Her car has not been moved. Things aren’t adding up.”

Mackenzie hasn’t been heard from in nearly a week.

“The police have said they have no reason to believe she’s in danger but at this point, it’s been seven days,” said another friend of Mackenzie, Kennedy Stoner.

Around one in the morning last Monday, she had texted her parents to let them know she landed in Salt Lake safely. She left the airport, and took a Lyft to North Salt Lake, nearly 20 minutes from her home in Salt Lake City.

Ashley said, “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.”

But from there, Kenzie went silent

Kennedy said, “For her not to reach out to me, Snapchat, Instagram, anything is very unlike her, very uncommon, she’s usually in touch with me almost every day.”

Since then, she’s missed her midterm exams at the University of Utah. “Which is something that is very irregular, Kenzie is very focused on academics,” Kennedy added.

Monday, she missed her flight back to California for a friend’s wedding. “She had a flight planned for today, and she was actively talking about the flight,” Kennedy said.

And while police say they are doing everything they can to find Mackenzie, her friends, say things aren`t adding up. “She texted her family that she landed at the airport, she wouldn`t have done that if she wanted to purposefully disappear,” Ashley said.

Still, they`re keeping hope alive and sending out a message for Mackenzie. “Kenzie, if you can hear this, we are all worried and looking out for you 24/7, we are not able to sleep.”

Authorities say her phone has not been on since June 17 and they can’t track her location. Lyft is cooperating with the Salt Lake City police investigation.

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