A Utah father, Micah Zephan Smith, is facing serious allegations after what was intended to be a hike with his three children turned into a harrowing ordeal. According to KUTV, Smith now faces three counts of first-degree felony aggravated child abuse and three counts of first-degree felony child torture after a rescue operation in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
The family was reported missing on Oct. 12, instigating a search and rescue effort that found them under severe duress. Smith seemed to believe the hike was "a once-in-a-lifetime experience" and chose not to turnaround despite the children's complaints of being cold and tired, KUTV reported. Documents state that the children were subjected to freezing temperatures and one of them had to be repeatedly resuscitated, with the youngest child being revived multiple times, according to officials. Smith was described as being "ill-prepared and extremely selfish" during the 24-hour ordeal.
Further details provided by KSLTV reveal that Smith was behaving oddly when found and seemed unconcerned about the wellbeing of his children. Investigators recounted that Smith had told a rescuer one of his children was dead. The 4-year-old boy was found unconscious, with no pulse, and later required a portion of his skull to be removed due to a stroke he suffered following the incident.
In a disturbing revelation, Smith taught his daughter to perform CPR on her brother. Text messages and videos obtained from Smith's phone painted a grim picture. One such video has the daughter asking, "Are we going to freeze to death, Daddy?" followed by Smith's assurance that they were close to the peak. These alarming details were documented by FOX 13, which also noted that this tragic hike was rated as difficult and unsuitable for children or novice hikers. Rescuers and officers faced their own challenges as the trail's hazardous conditions and instability made it tough to even reach the family.
Smith's arrest history further compounds concerns around his erratic behavior. Approximately a month prior to the hike, Smith had reportedly expressed suicidal ideations, and was later arrested for domestic violence shortly after the incident. After the hike, on Nov. 10, Smith had to be removed from Primary Children’s Hospital for interfering with the care of his injured son. All these developments have led to the prosecutors' decision to hold Smith without bail, as he is perceived to have a "behavior that is clearly spiraling."
