Friends, Family Maintain Hope Mackenzie Lueck Will Return Safely
Jun 27, 2019, 6:02 PM | Updated: Jun 28, 2019, 7:28 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Those close to MacKenzie Lueck told KSL they will not give up hope that the University of Utah student will return home – alive and safe.
As details continue to slowly emerge in the investigation into Lueck’s disappearance, those closest to her say they will not give up hope that she will soon come home safe.
Among those friends is Kaitlyn Roeda, a sorority sister, and former co-worker and classmate of Lueck.
“It’s just getting scarier and scarier with each day that she’s gone,” Roeda said. “You hear things all over the country about a person going missing. You see this in the news, but when it’s your friend, when it’s your classmate, when it’s your sorority sister, it’s just hard to believe.”
Roeda said she first met Lueck as a classmate at the University of Utah.
“We’re both going into the medical profession, so we were kind of study-buddies,” Roeda recalled. “(She’s) very hard-working, very dedicated to her studies, so hearing that she’s been gone for a week without any trace, it’s very uncharacteristic of her. She’s such a sweet soul, and very personable. Very much a people person.”
Lueck disappeared on June 17 after she was picked up by a Lyft driver and dropped off at Hatch Park in North Salt Lake at 3 a.m. Police served a search warrant at a house Wednesday night, where they said the homeowner was a person of interest in the investigation.
“It breaks my heart, the situation,” Roeda said. “Whatever has happened, it’s been to a beautiful, a beautiful soul, and I know her friends, her family are all just praying and hoping that she’s okay and that she’s just going to come home soon.”