College Student Missing After Taking Lyft Ride Home From The Airport
Yet another young college student is missing. Mackenzie Lueck is a 23-year-old who is originally from El Segundo, California and has been attending school at the University of Utah. Earlier this month, she took a flight from southern California back to school in Salt Lake City. Upon arriving at the airport, she called for the ride share service Lyft to pick her up. She hasn’t been seen or heard from since, prompting concerns from her friends and family, according to Today.
On the evening of Sunday June 16, Lueck texted her parents to assure them that she had made it back to Utah safely. However, when she didn’t show up to her midterm exams, attend her classes, or respond to her friends via social media or texting later that week, they became concerned. Police officially declared her missing on June 20, four days after her arrival back in Utah.
As of right now, it is important to note that law enforcement has no reason to believe that Lueck’s Lyft driver had anything to do with her disappearance. There was reportedly nothing unusual about the drive that carried Lueck. After the driver dropped her off, they immediately went on to begin picking up new passengers. Nevertheless, there’s been a lot of talk regarding rideshare company safety lately due to a tragedy involving another college student named Samantha Josephson.
IT TAKES TWO SECONDS TO SHARE! 23-year-old Mackenzie Lueck went missing on Monday after taking a Lyft ride from Salt Lake City International Airport. Her phone has been turned off since the ride and she has missed both work and class.
DETAILS: https://t.co/skcTQ7Eu2Z pic.twitter.com/8RghCybxYF
— FOX 35 Orlando (@fox35orlando) June 23, 2019
Josephson, a college student from South Carolina, was killed back in March after a night out with friends. She had called an Uber ride to pick her up and was waiting on a street corner for it to arrive, according to CNN.
When a car pulled up resembling the vehicle Josephson had expected, she got in without hesitation. Unfortunately, she was then believed to have been murdered by the person driving the car, 24-year-old Nathaniel David Rowland.
Meanwhile, Lyft has been cooperating as much as possible with the investigation involving Lueck. In a public statement, the company noted that they are working with police to bring this student home.
“We recognize how scary this must be for those who know and love Ms. Lueck. The safety of our community is fundamental to Lyft, and we are actively assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”
Lueck’s friends and family have been doing everything possible to raise awareness about her disappearance and get her home safe. In a recent statement, Kennedy Stoner, one of Lueck’s close friends, addressed the missing student directly.
“Kenzie, if you can hear this, we are all worried and looking out for you 24/7. We are not able to sleep. I cannot sleep at night knowing you’re out there, and I am constantly thinking of you. Please let us know if you are safe.”
