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Four days after his wife vanished, Mark Hacking wrapped his large arms around his father-in-law's small frame and promised he wasn't responsible.
Now, believing his daughter's body is among thousands of tons of waste paper, plastics and rotting food, Hareld Soares is lashing out at his son-in-law.
"As the facts about my little girl's death emerge, I am outraged," Soares said in a statement Friday. "The innumerable lies she was told by her husband for years on end were selfish and shameful. The cowardly way in which she and her baby were brutally murdered in cold blood while she slept is despicable."
Police allege Mark Hacking, 28, killed his wife, Lori, in the early morning hours of July 19 and threw her body into a Dumpster, the contents of which were discarded at the Salt Lake County landfill that afternoon.
For the seventh night in two weeks, detectives on Friday scoured a two-acre plot of the landfill, searching with cadaver dogs for any sign of her body.
"The gutless attempt at covering up this monstrous act is appalling. It is difficult to imagine a more disrespectful way of disposing of her remains. No family should have to lose a daughter and sister this way," said Soares, a teacher from Fullerton, Calif.
Soares' statement was faxed to the news media. The Salt Lake Tribune was not able to contact Soares for further comment.
Soft-spoken Soares spent the first week after his daughter's disappearance trying to keep the young woman's plight public.
Even as evidence mounted that Mark Hacking had lied about his whereabouts on the morning of Lori's disappearance, Hareld Soares appeared before a crowd of reporters holding the hand of Mark's mother, Janet Hacking.
On July 24, a day after Soares met with Mark Hacking, Soares said he loved his son-in-law but questioned his honesty. That same evening, Mark told his brothers, Scott and Lance, that he killed Lori.
The Hackings informed the Soares family of the confession ''quickly,'' but Soares remained silent until Friday, when he demanded justice.
"Our criminal justice system . . . was created to punish perpetrators of such odious acts," Soares said. "I am hopeful and confident that the authorities in Salt Lake will seek and accomplish appropriate justice.
"I do not seek vengeance, simply justice and a proper burial for my little girl."
Contacted on Friday, Lori's mother, Thelma Soares of Orem, referred questions to a spokesman. He did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
A memorial service for Lori Hacking has been scheduled for Aug. 14 at 11 a.m. at the LDS Windsor Stake Center, 60 E. 1600 North in Orem. A display detailing Lori's life will be at the Relief Society room of the church from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m.
Soares' statement also mentioned his gratitude for those "who have spent countless hours assisting in the work of searching for Lori."
Though enraged over Mark Hacking's alleged actions, Soares has expressed no anger toward the Hacking family, which has repeatedly expressed its sorrow for Lori's death.
"We again express our love and regret to all members of the Soares family," the Hacking family said in a statement released Thursday. "We too will continue to grieve for Lori until the day we die."
The actions of the two Hacking brothers gave investigators probable cause to arrest Mark Hacking, according to police records.
Scott Hacking said he and his brother, Lance, pushed Mark for information on the morning of July 24, then returned to hear his confession that evening. The following day, the family told police of Mark's admissions.
Mark's father, Douglas Hacking, approved of his sons' decision to go to police, saying the family's goal since Lori's disappearance was "to do what was right."
Mark Hacking remains in the mental health unit at the Salt Lake County Jail. Prosecutors have until 5 p.m. Monday to file charges.
Police are less than halfway done sorting through the refuse collected on July 19, according to landfill spokeswoman Jill Fletcher.
That garbage covers an area the size of 1 1/2 football fields 18 feet deep. Cadaver dogs from Duchesne County have helped officers comb through the compacted trash, but "nothing of consequence" has been found, police said Friday.
If the dogs hold up, police plan to search through the weekend.
Lori Hacking's family asks that in lieu of flowers, mourners contribute to the Lori Hacking Memorial Fund at any Wells Fargo Bank or by mail to Thelma Soares, 1501 N. Canyon Road, Provo, UT 84602.