Start over? Search effort at landfill re-evaluated

Police could have already missed Lori Hacking's body while sifting through thousands of tons of trash, according to a landfill official.

That possibility has prompted police and landfill officials to re-evaluate their search efforts, said Bud Stanford, operations manager at the Salt Lake Valley Solid Waste Management Facility.

Police have spent nine days searching the landfill for Lori's body and have found nothing of consequence. Police said they were giving searchers and cadaver dogs a rest before resuming the search Thursday.

Cadaver dogs and investigators have combed through approximately half of the 3,000 tons of trash in the section of the landfill where police believe Lori's body lies, Stanford said.

"Who's to say we didn't miss her when we went through that half?" Stanford said. "We hope we didn't, but we don't know for sure."

One possibility would be to move the trash from the landfill, Stanford said.

He declined to talk about other options Monday.

"We're just trying to formulate a plan to evaluate all of our options and do it as efficiently as we can so that we can be successful as soon as possible," Stanford said. "It's just an idea stage right now."

Finding a body in piles of garbage nearly 40 feet deep won't be easy, Salt Lake City police detective Dwayne Baird said.

Intense heat, coupled with the foul smell, forced the search to run in the wee hours of the morning. But that poses other problems.

"It's a little bit harder to see at night," Stanford said.

The search has been physically draining and dangerous for both searchers and cadaver dogs. Last week, the health department asked the landfill to start monitoring methane gas levels.

Searchers aren't required to wear special masks or suits, since the landfill is not considered a hazardous waste site. But Stanford said all searchers wear sturdy long pants, steel-toed boots and quality leather gloves.

"We're doing the best we can," Stanford said. "The people out here want to find Lori."

City leaders and landfill officials agreed they will continue searching so the Hacking family can give Lori a proper burial.

"It's difficult to think that a beautiful young lady was murdered, put in the trash and is out here in the landfill," Stanford said.

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