Son Clinically Dead After Father’s Dangerous Hike

November 29, 2025

A Utah father is facing first-degree felony child torture charges after a dangerous winter hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon left his 4-year-old son clinically dead and requiring skull surgery. Micah Zephan Smith, 31, is charged with six felony counts for taking his three young children, ages 2, 4, and 8, on the treacherous Broads Fork Trail despite hazardous conditions and the children’s pleas to turn back. The 4-year-old suffered a stroke, cardiac arrest, and severe hypothermia, with a core body temperature that dropped to 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Prosecutors cite a pattern of concerning, “spiraling” behavior from Smith, including a prior incident of suicidal ideation and interfering with his son’s medical care in the hospital.

Story Highlights

Micah Smith, 31, charged with six felony counts after taking children ages 2, 4, and 8 on a treacherous Big Cottonwood Canyon hike
A four-year-old boy suffered cardiac arrest, stroke, and hypothermia with a core body temperature of 62.6 degrees
Smith ignored children’s pleas to turn back, telling his frightened 8-year-old, “You shall not pass” when she begged to leave
Prosecutors cite Smith’s “spiraling” behavior, including prior suicidal ideation and hospital interference incidents

Father’s Reckless Decision Endangers Three Children

Micah Zephan Smith took his three young children on the Broads Fork Trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon on October 11, 2025, despite having no familiarity with the difficult terrain and failing to check weather conditions. The trail is rated as “hard” and explicitly not recommended for children or beginner hikers. Search and rescue teams later confirmed the hazardous conditions, noting it took over five hours to reach the family’s location on unstable ground. Micah Smith and his children were reported missing that evening and rescued the following morning on October 12.

Smith admitted to investigators he was unprepared for the hike but refused to turn back when storm clouds gathered, and his children expressed fear and cold. Video evidence captured his 8-year-old daughter asking, “Are we going to freeze to death, daddy?” Smith dismissed their concerns, calling the experience “once-in-a-lifetime” and blocking his daughter’s attempts to retreat with the phrase “you shall not pass.” Micah Smith was arrested on November 25, 2025, and formally charged on November 26, 2025, with the six felony counts described in the user prompt.

Utah dad charged after mountain hike leaves two young children unconscious https://t.co/HTVCqoStpf pic.twitter.com/5qfkTKSfSg

— The Independent (@Independent) November 27, 2025

Life-Threatening Medical Emergency Unfolds

Search and rescue teams discovered the family early October 12 after troubling text messages between Smith and his wife prompted a missing persons report. First responders found Smith “behaving oddly” and showing no concern for his children’s critical condition. The 4-year-old boy had no detectable pulse, requiring 25 minutes of continuous CPR during transport to the hospital.

Medical professionals at Primary Children’s Hospital discovered the boy’s core body temperature had dropped to 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit, indicating severe hypothermia. The child suffered multiple cardiac events and a stroke, necessitating the removal of part of his skull to relieve brain pressure. All three children required hospitalization, with the youngest boy facing ongoing medical complications months later.

Pattern of Concerning Behavior Emerges

Approximately one month before the hiking incident, Cottonwood Heights police encountered Smith expressing suicidal ideation while armed with multiple firearms and an axe. Smith told officers he was “going through a really hard time” and planned to “hike up to the top of the mountain.” This prior incident establishes a troubling pattern of mental health crises and poor decision-making that preceded the canyon emergency.

Smith’s erratic behavior continued after the rescue. On November 10, 2025, he was arrested for trespassing at Primary Children’s Hospital while interfering with his 4-year-old son’s medical care and tampering with equipment. Prosecutors argue Smith’s conduct demonstrates “spiraling” behavior that poses continued risk to his children. He was finally arrested on November 25 on three counts each of first-degree felony child torture and aggravated child abuse, with prosecutors requesting he remain held without bail.

Watch the report: Utah father who went missing with 3 children on hike charged with child torture, abuse