A Utah father has been charged with torturing his three young children after a harrowing hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon left them hospitalised, with one child requiring CPR for 25 minutes. Micah Smith, 31, was arrested on Tuesday, more than a month after the incident on the Broads Fork Trail.
Smith and his children, aged two, four, and eight, set out on the hike at 9am. After eight hours, they reached the summit at around 11,330 feet. As darkness fell, the weather turned foggy with rain and hail. The two-year-old slipped and hit his head, leading Smith to seek shelter, according to police.
The four-year-old boy was found in critical condition with no pulse. His body temperature was just 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The eight-year-old was stable but traumatised, fearing for her family's life. Smith sustained third-degree frostbite.
Investigators allege Smith ignored his children's fears, with the eight-year-old warning him to turn back two miles from the summit. Smith reportedly replied, 'this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.' In a video recorded by Smith, the eight-year-old asks, 'Are we going to freeze to death, daddy?' to which he harshly responded they were 'almost to the top.'
Authorities also claim Smith left his children alone while descending the mountain. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said, 'This is about the emotional and psychological harm. The way that he acted was in a depraved manner.' Smith has a history of suicidal ideation, and an axe and guns were found in his vehicle a month prior.
Smith faces three counts each of child torture and aggravated assault, all first-degree felonies. He remains in custody without bond. The four-year-old son continues to receive hospital treatment, and Smith has been banned from the hospital for allegedly tampering with equipment.
