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SALT LAKE CITY — A Weber County private contractor was shocked Thursday when he saw Ayoola Ajayi’s home on the news in connection with missing 23-year-old Mackenzie Lueck.
“My heart just dropped,” said Brian Wolf, contractor. “I'm like, 'No way.’”
Wolf says Ajayi reached out to him a few months ago and asked him about building a soundproof room in his basement.
Ajayi was arrested Friday in connection with Lueck’s death.
It was back in April when Wolf met Ajayi, who he knew as AJ, after he contacted Wolf about fixing drywall. A plumber had given Wolf’s contact information to Ajayi after the home had supposedly experienced flooding issues.
When Wolf arrived at the house, 547 N. 1000 West, he told Ajayi he didn’t think it needed any work. That’s when things took a turn for the unusual.
“He asked me to build a weird room and I told him no,” Wolf explained.
Wolf said Ajayi asked him about building a secret, soundproof room in the basement, in a space underneath the porch. He said Ajayi wanted the room to have a thumbprint lock, so only he could access it, and he wanted large hooks placed in the walls at about head height.
“He said he wanted to sit in there and listen to his music as loud as he wanted to. I thought it was kind of weird to sit in a little room to listen to music real loud,” Wolf said. “It wasn't a big area. It was just weird.”
Ajayi told Wolf he needed the hooks for a hidden liquor cabinet but Wolf recalled telling Ajayi “there’s a much nicer way” than adding four big hooks anchored in concrete.
“I can make it look nice if you want a liquor cabinet that's hidden from whatever,” Wolf recalled telling Ajayi.
Ajayi also told Wolf he needed it done this way because his “Mormon girlfriend was coming into town and he drank alcohol and he wanted to hide his alcohol.”
“That was another reason I was like, 'That's kind of weird that you need a soundproof room to listen to music and drink your alcohol in,’” Wolf said.
When he saw the same house on the news, Wolf called the police and told them about the encounter.
“I was shaking and just ... I don't know ... it was overwhelming,” Wolf said of seeing the house on the news. “I called the Salt Lake Police Department right away and told them what all I knew.”
After the 30 minute meeting, Wolf said he and his nephew, who had gone with him, agreed the meeting was weird.
“We walked out, got in the truck and we both looked at each other and I was like, that was weird right? And he said, ‘Yes, that was hella weird. We're not doing this job right?’ and I was like hell no,” Wolf said.
Wolf was upset to learn about Lueck’s death.
“It's sad what happened to (Lueck) and I hope (Ajayi) goes away forever,” he said.
