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 his apartment while hundreds of people searched for her, police said Wednesday. Esar Met, 21, was being held on charges of aggravated murder, kidnapping and evidence tampering, according to a document filed 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. Her body was found in the apartment where Met had been living for about a month.

Hser and her family are natives of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, and settled in Utah last summer. The girl's father, Cartoon Wah, said through an interpreter Wednesday that he was grateful for an outpouring of public support.

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

Police Chief Chris Snyder said Hser knew Met's four roommates and had played in the apartment many times. Wah said he had knocked on the door during the search but got no answer.

After Hser died, Met hid the body and left the apartment, Snyder said. The police chief declined to disclose details about how she was killed.

Met's roommates were not home at the time of Hser's death, and they "had no idea" what had happened until police entered, Snyder said at a news conference.

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

Volunteers had searched for Hser after she walked away from her apartment following an argument with an older brother Monday. Hser had four brothers, one born just a few weeks ago.

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

Authorities were still looking into the background of Met, who does not have a criminal record in the U.S., said Snyder, the police chief.

Met's mother, Ra He Mar, who also lives in the apartment complex, doesn't believe the allegations.

"I don't believe my son did anything wrong," she told the Deseret Morning News.