Search
Share & Follow Religion News Blog
Remember These Stories?
Search is on for missing S.L. runner
She vanished after going for jog in Memory Grove
.html
Authorities and family members searched Monday for a pregnant woman who is missing after she went for an early morning run in Memory Grove.
Lori Kay Hacking, 27, left her Salt Lake house to run alone in Memory Grove Park and City Creek Canyon about 5:30 a.m. She did not show up later for her job at Wells Fargo Bank, Salt Lake police detective Dwayne Baird said.
Her husband called police at 10:49 a.m., Baird said.
Investigators found Hacking’s car still parked near the front gates of Memory Grove. But there were no clues to her whereabouts. There were also no indications of an accident or foul play, Baird said.
“The only thing that’s suspicious is that she hasn’t returned,” Baird said late Monday.
The search started shortly after her husband, Mark Hacking, called police.
Salt Lake police will coordinate a volunteer search this morning. The search will start at 7:30 a.m., but volunteers are asked to meet at 6:45 a.m. at the Olympic Medals Plaza parking lot on 250 West between North Temple and South Temple. Buses will transport people to Memory Grove. They will be divided into groups of 10 and given a grid map of areas to search. Police are hoping for 2,000 to 3,000 volunteers, Baird said.
“We want people to dress for hot weather, which means wear a hat for the bright sun. Bring sunscreen, plenty of water to keep hydrated. Wear hiking shoes or boots to be prepared to walk in wilderness-type terrain,” Baird said.
Mark Hacking described himself late Monday as a combination of hopeful, devastated and overwhelmed.
A tearful Mark Hacking said he’s grateful to people he doesn’t even know who have volunteered to search for his wife. “It really blows me out of the water to see how many people care and are willing to give so much of themselves,” he said.
Lori Hacking normally runs after work, except on Mondays, when Mark has the day off and they make plans. They were planning to see a movie.
“Usually, when she runs in the morning, I go with her. I just didn’t today,” he said Monday.
Her brother-in-law, Scott Hacking, described her as responsible. He said Lori Hacking has gone running about three times a week for four years. She runs five to six miles up Memory Grove and adjacent City Creek Canyon.
“She’s very familiar with the area. She’s in very good shape,” Scott Hacking said.
Lori Hacking has been married to Mark Hacking for almost five years. They learned last Thursday that she is five weeks pregnant.
“She’s been fine throughout the pregnancy. No medical problems,” Scott Hacking said.
Lori and Mark Hacking planned to move next week to Chapel Hill, N.C., so Mark Hacking can attend medical school.
Mark Hacking works the night shift at inpatient psychiatry and usually is sleeping when Lori Hacking goes running. She normally returns home about 6:30 a.m. to shower and get ready for work. “Then I usually drive her to work,” Mark Hacking said.
Mark Hacking woke up later in the morning and called Wells Fargo, and he learned she had not arrived for work.
Lori Hacking works for Wells Fargo’s institutional brokerage and sales department in Salt Lake City, bank spokesman Mark Chapman said.
“Our thoughts are with her and her family,” Chapman said.
Thirty to 50 police officers and detectives, members of a neighborhood mobile watch unit and the Department of Public Safety helicopter were searching City Creek Canyon by noon, looking for Hacking or any clues to her disappearance.
By Monday afternoon, members of Salt Lake County Search and Rescue and Salt Lake County’s horse patrol, along with scores of Hacking’s friends, joined in the search, Baird said. Police dogs trained to detect human scent also were part of the search.
The park and canyon were closed Monday to everyone but searchers, Baird said. The park was expected to be closed at least through today.
Chris Smart — an uncle of Elizabeth Smart, the Salt Lake teenager who was rescued last year after being missing for nine months — went to the park Monday evening.
“He came up here to assist the family in the need for a search tomorrow morning,” Baird said. He also counseled the family.
Lori Hacking is 5-foot-3 and 115 pounds. She has medium-length, curly brown hair and brown eyes.
Bookmark, Share, or Email This Page
Read Another Article
|
Related News Articles
Topic(s): 
Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates
Find Related Information
Find Related 
Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles
Search Religion News Blog