Police: 'Multiple items of evidence' found in home searched in Mackenzie Lueck's disappearance

Jordan Culver
Updated

Utah police recovered "multiple items of evidence" from a Salt Lake City home after serving a search warrant in connection with the disappearance of University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck, department Chief Mike Brown told reporters.

During a Thursday news conference shared on the department's Facebook page, Brown said the owner of the home is a "person of interest" who has been questioned by detectives. No arrests have been made in connection with Lueck's case.

"Our detectives collected multiple items of evidence throughout the night that are in the process of being tested and analyzed," he said. "This will take some time."

Police said they are also looking for a mattress and box spring given away by the homeowner last week.

Lueck, 23, landed at Salt Lake City International Airport early on June 17 after visiting family in California. The University of Utah senior took a Lyft to Hatch Park in North Salt Lake and met up with another person in a car, police said. That, according to police, was the last time Lueck was seen.

Lyft told USA TODAY the route that Lueck's driver took contained no irregularities and ended at the destination as originally entered by the rider. The driver continued providing rides immediately after Lueck's ride, Lyft said.

Brown did not confirm if the owner of the home was the person Lueck met after taking Lyft from the airport. The Salt Lake Tribune reported the owner of the home turned part of the house into a rental he offers through AirBnB, citing a neighbor.

Lueck took a Lyft to meet someone: Now she's missing

"This is a digital forensic investigation," he said. "This is covering computers, cell phones, IP addresses, URLs, texting apps. This is very complicated and it has a digital footprint that our investigators have been following since last Thursday."

Brown said the warrant executed on the Utah home was "one of many" connected to the case.

Salt Lake City police investigate a tip that may be connected to the disappearance of Mackenzie Lueck on Wednesday, June 26, 2019, in Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City Assistant Police Chief Tim Doubt said Wednesday night that detectives were serving a search warrant at the home in relation to the case, but refused to provide any more details. Lueck disappeared after taking a Lyft car June 17 from the airport to a park located miles from her apartment. (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)

When Brown was asked Thursday if he believed foul play was involved, he said, “We’re not revealing that right now.” Earlier in the investigation, police had said they didn't suspect foul play.

Brown added he's spoken with Lueck's father, Greg, over the last few days.

"I can tell you I can feel the heartache and the pain and the suffering in his voice as we spoke," Brown said. "And my commitment to Greg was that we would do within our power at the Salt Lake City Police Department to bring Mackenzie home. And that is our charge and that is what we’ve committed to do."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Police: 'Multiple items of evidence' found in home searched in Mackenzie Lueck's disappearance