A man held in the killing of a 7-year-old girl who vanished from her family's complex admitted he caused her death inside an apartment while hundreds of people searched for her, according to jail records Wednesday.

Esar Met, 21, was being held on charges of aggravated murder, kidnapping and evidence tampering. The details were released in a document used to support his arrest.

The body of Hser Nay Moo (pronounced SER nah moo) was found Tuesday, more than 24 hours after she disappeared from her family's apartment at the South Parc complex, sparking a search that involved hundreds of people. The body was in another apartment.

Police declined to comment until a late-afternoon briefing.

The girl's father, Cartoon Wah, said through an interpreter Wednesday that he was grateful for an outpouring of public support and that he missed his daughter.

"I have one daughter in this world, and I loved her the most," he said.

Volunteers searched for Hser after she walked away from her apartment following an argument with an older brother Monday. Her family settled in Utah last summer and are natives of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The country is governed by an authoritarian military regime and has numerous documented cases of human rights abuses, according to the U.S. State Department.

The family is among more than 500 refugees from that country living in Utah, said Norman Nakamura, Utah's coordinator for refugee resettlement.

Hser had four siblings, including a brother born just a few weeks ago. About 400 Burmese refugees have settled in Utah since last year, said Aden Batar of Catholic Community Services.

Candles, stuffed bears and flowers were placed at the apartment complex Wednesday.