A 31-year-old father of three who was once praised for protecting his kids during a winter hike is now facing charges of child abuse and torture.
Back in October, Micah Smith was praised for keeping his family alive after he and his three children, ages two through eight, were caught in a winter storm while hiking in Utah.
Rescuers found the family a day after they went missing.
Two of the children were hospitalized in critical condition, while Smith and his youngest child were listed as “fair and stable”, according to officials.
A GoFundMe page that has since been taken down described Smith as someone who had “bravely sacrificed himself” to keep his children safe.
He is now being held without bail and facing several counts of aggravated child abuse and child torture.
The indictment claims that what looked like a harmless family outing quickly spiraled into a dangerous situation because Smith chose to push for the summit instead of prioritizing his children’s safety.
Throughout the 24-hour ordeal, the children told him they were cold, exhausted, and wanted to go home.
Prosecutors also allege that Smith was “selfish and ill-prepared” and that he acted dismissively toward his children even when rescue teams finally reached them.
Police say Smith left home with his kids around 9 a.m. to begin the hike and that they reached the summit at about 6 p.m.
By 8 p.m., Smith and the children had made their way 600 feet down the mountain before he decided they needed shelter.
He reportedly tried to build a makeshift barrier with rocks and large sticks to keep the kids warm.
Charging documents also say that Smith’s two-year-old son fell and hit his head during the descent and appeared “dazed” afterwards.
At one point during the ordeal, the four-year-old stopped breathing, and the eight-year-old had to step in and perform life-saving actions.
Deputies say Smith told investigators he felt “comfortable hiking in the dark without a light,” even though his children kept telling him they were scared.
After rescuers located the family, the four-year-old needed 25 minutes of CPR and is still in the hospital.
Officials say the child suffered a stroke.
Investigators also found a video on Smith’s phone in which his eight-year-old can be heard asking “are we going to freeze to death, daddy?”
Smith later acknowledged that he did not know the trail well. The route is considered challenging and is not recommended for inexperienced hikers or children.
