The family of Lori Hacking recently changed the name on her gravestone, her mother says, to better portray her family and her heritage.
Thelma Soares said Sunday that her daughter's married name, "Hacking," was dropped when the gravestone in the Orem cemetery was changed several weeks ago. Added was the Portuguese word "filhinha," which means "little daughter."
"We just dropped the married name. It's just 'Lori Kay Soares.' That's what she was named as a baby," Thelma Soares said. "It has nothing to do with the Hacking family at all."
Before making the change, Thelma Soares talked with Douglas and Janet Hacking, parents of Mark Hacking, who is awaiting trial in connection to Lori's death. The parents knew the reasons behind the change, Thelma Soares said.
Lori Hacking's father, Eraldo Soares, is from Brazil. She had visited the country several times and was close with aunts and uncles on her father's side, Thelma Soares said.
The family felt the "need to have that part of her heritage" displayed on the gravestone with the Portuguese word, Thelma Soares said.
"We haven't changed any of the official records," Soares said. "We purchased that (gravestone). It's ours. It's our property and we just wanted to do that."
Soares was surprised by the attention the gravestone's change has received in the news.
"It's not a big deal. I can't understand why everybody's so interested in that. It's very personal."
Lori Hacking, 27, was reported missing July 19 by her husband. Her remains were recovered at the Salt Lake Valley Solid Waste facility on Oct. 1.
Prosecutors charged Mark Hacking with murder after he allegedly told his brothers he shot his wife and then put her body in a dumpster.
Authorities believe Lori Hacking was killed after she learned that her husband wasn't enrolled in medical school in North Carolina, though they were planning to move there days before she disappeared. Police said Mark Hacking shrouded many secrets over the years. The murder trial is set for April.
E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com