Suspect in Mackenzie Lueck Murder Charged With 19 Counts of Sexual Exploitation of Minors
The man accused of killing 23-year-old University of Utah student MacKenzie Lueck is facing more charges.
PEOPLE confirms that Ayoola Ajayi, 31, faces 19 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after police examined his computer and found pornographic images of children. Authorities had seized his computer as part of a search warrant for the investigation of Lueck’s disappearance.
According to charging documents first obtained by the St. Louis Tribune, the forensic lab found multiple images of children engaged in sex acts. The images are unrelated to Lueck’s disappearance.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill tells the Tribune that they are investigating where and when the images were made. They will try to identify the children. For now, Ajayi is only charged with possession of child pornography.
Last month, Ajayi was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice and desecration of a body in the disappearance of Lueck.
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According to investigators, Lueck was last seen June 17, and her family reported her missing June 20. She disappeared after taking a Lyft to a Salt Lake City park from the airport. At the park, she met up with a person in another vehicle. Authorities now believe that mystery driver was Ajayi.
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According to police reports, Ajayi allegedly tried in early April to hire an independent contractor to construct a secret, soundproof room beneath his front porch.
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The contractor, Brian Wolf, told the Deseret News he ultimately turned down the job after Ajayi asked if hooks could be installed in the walls of the hidden space.
“As soon as he said he wanted the hooks above head height, I was like, ‘Why do you need big hooks up there?'” recalled Wolf of his April 4 meeting with Ajayi. “And he said it was to hang a wine rack. I said, ‘Well, I can hang a wine rack and make it look a lot nicer than these big, gaudy hooks.'”
Ajayi has not yet entered a plea on any of the charges. He is being held without bond. A court-appointed attorney did not immediately return PEOPLE’s call for comment.
