A selfish pastor of the family, Micah Smith — a 31‑year‑old from Utah — has been charged with aggravated child abuse and child torture after an ill‑fated weekend hike with his three young children. The incident began on October 11 when Smith convinced his 2‑, 4‑, and 8‑year‑olds that they were trekking the Broads Fork Trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon. The trail is notoriously tough: a 5‑mile round‑trip with a 2,100‑foot climb that even seasoned hikers describe as difficult.
What started as a family outing quickly devolved into a nightmare. Smith pushed the kids higher up than the trail recommended, and by the time the children tried to turn back, the father was reluctant to let them abandon the adventure. One of the little ones, a 4‑year‑old boy, found himself on top of his 2‑year‑old sister after they both fell, and the young girl sustained a head injury that left her dazed. The family set up a makeshift shelter on a boulder, using some sticks to block the wind, but the girls grew cold and worried. One inside a video captured the boy pleading, “Are we going to freeze to death, daddy?”
Rescue teams arrived after the family was reported missing. Authorities discovered the children approximately 600 feet from the summit. The 4‑year‑old lay on top of his sibling, unconscious and not breathing, while the 2‑year‑old was dazed from a head impact. Smith had performed CPR on the two youngest before the rescuers could take over. While en route down the mountain, his daughter begged him to reconsider, but he dismissed her concern, insisting, “This is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime thing,” and threatened, “You shall not pass.”
Following the rescue, the kidnap‑hike was taken to a local hospital. The father was treated for a mild condition, and the daughter was reported stable. However, the 4‑year‑old suffered a stroke and required surgery to remove a section of his skull; his temperature was recorded at 62.6 °F in the emergency department. The 2‑year‑old remained in critical condition throughout the night.
Smith was booked into a Salt Lake County jail on November 25, where he was posted on bond. His prior run‑ins with law enforcement add context to his current legal troubles: a month before the hike, he was discovered near a mountain with two guns and an axe while expressing suicidal intent. Despite the danger that clause presented—he admitted he “was going through a really hard time” and sought to “hike up to the top of the mountain” without intending to self‑harm—he had repeatedly demonstrated erratic behavior.
A month after his rescue, on November 10, Smith was accused of trespassing at Primary Children’s Hospital, where he allegedly tried to interfere with his 4‑year‑old son’s care and tampered with medical equipment. Subsequently, he was charged with domestic violence. The indictment emphasizes that his conduct is spiraling and that he poses a danger “to himself and to these victims.”
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