By Dallan Huff
Police arrested Mark Hacking Monday morning, August 2, on the single charge of aggravated murder, in connection with the disappearance of his wife Lori Hacking.
'We believe that Mark Hacking is responsible for her disappearance and her death,' Police Chief Rick Dinse said.
Formal charges have not yet been filed against Hacking. Authorities have 72 hours to either file charges against Hacking or release him.
While Dinse would not say how the murder happened, or what exactly warranted the aggravated murder charge, he said police were confident they had a good case.
'We know where the homicide happened, and we believe it happened in the apartment,' Dinse said.
Lori Hacking''s body has not been found. Police said Sunday they would continue their search for Lori at the Duchesne landfill, after relatives of the Hackings gave police a new lead on her whereabouts over the weekend.
Dinse said Monday the search at the landfill would probably resume Wednesday.
'We have information that leads us to believe that''s where she''s at,' Dinse said.
The search for Lori Hacking began July 19, after Mark Hacking reported his wife missing to authorities. Mark Hacking claimed his wife left that morning to go running and never returned.
The public search for Lori Hacking ended Saturday night when her family released new information to police regarding Lori''s whereabouts that they received from Mark Hacking. All other searches were called off.
Dinse said police focused their investigation on Hacking after learning that Hacking purchased a new mattress before he notified police of his wife''s disappearance.
'We believed early in the investigation that she may have been a victim of a crime and her husband may have been responsible,' Dinse said.
Hacking has been in the psychiatric ward at the University of Utah Hospital since July 20 after he was found outside a motel running naked in sandals. Police arrested Hacking about 11 a.m. at the psychiatric ward, as he was being released.
Family members claim Lori Hacking told them she was five weeks pregnant. When asked if Mark Hacking would face additional charges because of the pregnancy, Dinse said police would first need to find Lori Hacking''s body and confirm she was pregnant. If proof of pregnancy is established, prosecutors could add another murder charge.
Mark Hacking is being held without bail in the Salt Lake County Jail.
'He is under watch as a possible suicide,' Dinse said.