CITY CREEK CANYON — Authorities were to continue searching today for missing jogger Lori Hacking but planned to use volunteer searchers to distribute fliers about her disappearance rather than again send hundreds of them into the area where she was last seen.
About 1,200 volunteers on Tuesday combed the hills around Memory Grove and City Creek Canyon to search for Hacking, who was last seen preparing to jog there early Monday. But as of late Tuesday there were still no signs of the missing woman.
Volunteers were being asked not to return to the canyon today because the search in that area is essentially complete. The family is asking that volunteers go to the Olympic Medals Plaza at 300 West and North Temple to help distribute fliers with her picture.
Family members of Hacking, 27, gathered at Memory Grove Tuesday to search and console one another.
"Hang in there," a tearful Thelma Soares pleaded to her missing daughter. "We will find you."
Hacking, who is five weeks pregnant, was reportedly last seen preparing for a run, stretching, at the gates of Memory Grove about 5:50 a.m. Monday. Police said they had talked to that neighbor.
Her husband, Mark Hacking, discovered about 10 a.m. that his wife had not shown up for work, according to police. Officers were contacted about 50 minutes later after Hacking's car was found still parked at the entrance of Memory Grove.
Soares said her son-in-law is having a difficult time with his wife's disappearance. "Mark is heartbroken and devastated. We all are. She's my only daughter."
Family members said Mark Hacking has been "resting" at a friend's house with his father and brother. When asked about rumors that he had been treated at a local hospital because of the stress, Soares said she couldn't comment.
"He's having a very difficult time," she said. "They're in an isolated place away from here."
Members of Salt Lake City's SWAT team searched the canyon Monday night using thermal imaging binoculars, Salt Lake City police detective Dwayne Baird said. The agents found nothing out of the ordinary, he said.
In fact, police found no clues Tuesday as to whether Hacking's disappearance was the result of an abduction, accident or something else. But Baird said the disappearance is suspicious simply because of the circumstances surrounding it.
Tuesday night, Baird said the search and rescue crews were still using trained dogs and horses. But for the most part, he said, the area had been "pretty well covered."
"We're very confident this park has been searched," he said.
Hacking's family disputed any speculation that she may have run away.
"Nobody believes that," said Douglas Hacking, Mark's father. "She's not that kind of person. If she was unhappy with her relationship, she would have done something about it. She was abducted, no doubt about it."
Douglas Hacking also said those who might think his son had anything to do with her disappearance are wrong.
"We anticipated (those rumors) because of the Scott Peterson case," he said. "No. There is no way. Nobody who knows them suspects any iota of foul play."
Mark Hacking, as well as other family members, were interviewed extensively by police, according to family members. Douglas Hacking said the family understands the interviews are just part of the investigation.
Baird said the questioning was routine for the investigation and did not indicate one way or another whether family members were being looked at more than anyone else.
"Nobody anywhere has been eliminated as a suspect," he said.
The endless questioning from police was tough on Mark, Douglas Hacking said. "He said it was the worst day of his life."
In other developments Tuesday:
Police seized a trash bin from a downtown location east of Memory Grove. Baird said investigators might want to take a closer look at the trash bin, but he did not say how those leads were developed. There was no indication Tuesday night that any evidence connected to the case had been found in the trash bin.
Detectives also seized both Lori and Mark Hacking's cars. As of Tuesday night Baird said, "Nothing has come up as a red flag yet in his car or her car."
Baird said several homeless people were interviewed Monday, but no information was developed. The park is a known hangout for homeless people.
Searchers also found numerous clothing items. Baird said none of the evidence had been directly tied to the case. Searches found sleeping bags, clothing, cooking gear and tents in the park, which are likely used by transients, he said.
"We're not satisfied that any of that stuff belongs to her," Baird said.
Investigators also looked at other unsolved cases for a possible connection, including the rape of an LDS missionary on her way to the Salt Lake Temple just before 6 a.m. July 14. Baird said as of Tuesday there was no evidence to connect the cases.
By the end of the day Tuesday, police found little evidence about Hacking's disappearance. But family members are optimistic she is still alive.
"The fact she has not been found in this canyon yet . . . is, in a way, very good because it gives us hope she's alive and captive somewhere," Douglas Hacking said.
Because of the lessons learned from the Elizabeth Smart abduction case, Baird said police were much more prepared this time in reacting to Hacking's disappearance. A search effort with maps and a grid system was coordinated almost immediately.
Most important, Baird said, police learned through the Smart case that "the people of Utah are willing to come out and volunteer their time."
Nearly 700 gathered before 9 a.m. Tuesday to assist in the search. That number grew to about 1,200 people by afternoon. At 2 p.m., police prevented more volunteers from going into City Creek Canyon because they already had enough individuals searching the area.
The extra volunteers were asked to distribute fliers throughout the community.
Volunteers were broken into groups of six or seven and given a half-mile coordinate in the canyon to search. The search effort extended 8 miles up the canyon. Volunteers also came to Memory Grove with horses and dogs to aid in the search.
Some of Hacking's relatives from Texas and Seattle flew into Salt Lake City Tuesday morning to assist in the search.
Holly Snelgrove helped in the search effort "because I'm a runner, just like this woman was." Snelgrove said women or anybody ought to be able to feel safe while jogging in a public area.
"I hope we find her alive. I feel horrible for the family," she said.
Chris Pusey, a lifelong friend of the family, said, "It hits close to home. It's the least we can do to help. Everybody's praying for her and hoping for the best."
A group of LDS missionaries who helped in the search came off the mountain with mud and dirt stains all over their white shirts and ties.
"Some of it's pretty rough. It's wet," Elder Adam Broderick said of the search area. "We like helping the community any way we can."
Several businesses also donated supplies such as water and even portable toilets to help the searchers.
Hacking's family said they were overwhelmed with the support from the searchers, who were both friends and strangers.
Chris Smart, Elizabeth Smart's uncle, also helped organize the search effort and set up the command center. But he said police were already extremely proactive in arranging everything.
Smart also helped the family organize a Web site, similar to the one set up while Elizabeth was missing.
The Web site, which includes pictures and fliers of Hacking, is www.findlori.com.
"The only thing is to keep the faith and never give up," he said.
Hacking's family asked that the public be on the lookout during the Pioneer Day holiday weekend for any sign of her.
Wells Fargo Bank, where Lori Hacking is an employee, is offering a reward of $10,000 for original information leading to her whereabouts.
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com, ldethman@desnews.com