What was supposed to be a day hike in Utah’s Big Cottonwood Canyon is now at the center of a criminal case involving some of the most serious child abuse charges on the books.
According to FOX 13 News reporter Averie Klonowski and KUTV 2 News reporter Natalie Wada, 31-year-old Micah Zephan Smith is accused of turning a difficult mountain trail into what prosecutors describe as a life-threatening ordeal for his three young children.
Smith now faces three counts of first-degree felony aggravated child abuse and three counts of first-degree felony child torture, as reported by Wada.
He is being held in the Salt Lake County Jail without bail, Klonowski adds, while prosecutors and investigators continue to piece together exactly what happened on that mountain.
A Difficult Trail, Small Children, And No Weather Check
According to Klonowski’s report for FOX 13, Smith took his three children – ages 2, 4, and 8 – onto the Broads Fork Trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon around 10:00 a.m. on October 11.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said at a press conference that even for trained professionals, this is a “hard hike.” He noted that search and rescue members themselves suffered injuries trying to reach the family.
Klonowski reports that investigators say Smith did not check the weather before the hike. The group climbed several thousand feet up the mountain and was eventually caught in a storm as temperatures dropped and conditions turned dangerous.
Wada adds that the hike is roughly nine miles and, as Gill put it, is “not recommended for children.”
The charging documents cited by Wada say that at higher elevations the trail effectively disappeared, leaving the group scrambling up steep, unstable terrain.
Videos obtained by investigators allegedly show the children scaling a cliff, grabbing at vegetation, and trying to pull themselves up the mountain.
“Are We Going to Freeze to Death?”
As the weather turned, the situation quickly shifted from adventurous to terrifying.
Klonowski reports that the indictment says the family tried to take shelter under a large rock and spent the night there on the mountain.
Their clothing was wet, they lacked appropriate cold-weather gear, and the children became numb from the cold, according to Wada’s summary of the charging documents.
Both reporters say investigators recovered video from Smith’s phone. In one clip, Klonowski notes, one of the children asks if they are going to freeze to death. Wada reports that another video allegedly shows the 8-year-old girl asking whether they were going to die.
Throughout the night, the youngest boys’ conditions worsened. Wada explains that the charging documents say both the 2-year-old and 4-year-old stopped or struggled to breathe multiple times.
In one of the most disturbing details, both Wada and Klonowski report that Smith taught his 8-year-old daughter how to perform CPR on her younger brother and had her repeatedly try to revive him in the dark, freezing conditions.
Gill told reporters this was about more than physical harm. He said Smith’s “depraved” actions caused emotional and psychological harm, highlighting the terror of a child being asked to perform CPR on a sibling while fearing they might all die on the mountain.
Rescue Teams Find A Father Acting “Oddly”
The family was reported missing on October 12, hours after they were due back, according to both Klonowski and Wada. Search and Rescue teams from Salt Lake County moved quickly into Big Cottonwood Canyon to look for them.
Klonowski reports that rescuers finally located Smith along the trail. According to the indictment, they said he was acting oddly and initially told them that one of his children had died. Wada adds that officers noted he did not seem appropriately concerned about the children’s condition when they arrived.
Gill emphasized in Wada’s report that even experienced search and rescue hikers were injured trying to traverse the same route the family had taken.
He described sections where “there are no more trails,” and rescuers had to navigate the same steep rocks and vegetation the kids had been pushed over.
All three children were rushed to hospitals after their rescue.
The 4-year-old’s condition was the most severe. Both Wada and Klonowski report that he was intubated, and doctors discovered his body temperature was about 17°C, or roughly 62–63°F – a level of hypothermia that is extremely life-threatening.
Klonowski notes that he suffered a stroke, required part of his skull to be removed, and had a drain placed to relieve pressure. Wada reports that charging documents say he “will never fully recover” from his injuries.
Red Flags Before, During, And After The Hike
Klonowski’s report includes troubling details about warnings that came before the worst of the ordeal. Investigators say Smith’s wife sent him text messages urging him to get the children down before dark, at one point even texting the phrase “child endangerment.”
Despite those warnings, prosecutors say Smith kept pushing the kids higher up the mountain as the weather deteriorated.
Both reporters note that, according to Gill, one of the children had clearly communicated fear and a desire to stop, but Smith allegedly pressed them to go on. Klonowski says the 8-year-old girl told investigators she had told her father she was scared, yet he insisted they keep climbing.
The case does not end with the rescue. Klonowski reports that after the incident, on November 10, Smith was trespassed from Primary Children’s Hospital.
According to Gill’s statements she cites, that happened after he allegedly interfered with one child’s care and tampered with medical equipment.
Klonowski also notes that the indictment references a domestic violence arrest in the weeks following the hike, suggesting a broader pattern of instability that investigators are now examining.
At the same time, both Klonowski and Wada make clear that Gill repeatedly reminded the public that these are still allegations, and that Smith is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in court.
Where Adventure Ends And Neglect Begins
Listening to the accounts gathered by Averie Klonowski and Natalie Wada, the question almost anyone would ask is: when does a risky outing become a criminal act?
Plenty of parents take their kids on difficult hikes, camp in rough weather, or push boundaries in the name of adventure and resilience. That alone isn’t abuse.
But the details described by prosecutors and reporters paint a picture that goes beyond a simple misjudgment.
Smith allegedly did not check the weather, chose a trail that the district attorney says is not recommended for children, kept climbing after the kids expressed fear, and stayed out through a storm with wet, lightly dressed children on exposed terrain.
The video evidence described by both reporters – kids asking if they’re going to freeze to death, an 8-year-old girl trying CPR in the cold – suggests a level of danger that no reasonable parent should ignore.
The law tends to step in when risk turns into foreseeable, preventable harm. A cold, windy evening that surprises a prepared family is one thing. A nine-mile, high-elevation trek with small kids, no weather check, no proper clothing, no backup plan, and clear signs of distress is something else entirely.
At the same time, it’s important to remember what Gill emphasized in Wada’s report: the case has not yet gone to trial. There may be context we haven’t heard, and everyone is entitled to a defense.
Still, based on what Klonowski and Wada have reported from charging documents, this story is already forcing a hard conversation about parental responsibility, outdoor risk, and where “adventure parenting” crosses the line into abuse.
A Cautionary Tale For Parents And Outdoor Enthusiasts
If there is any lesson the public can take from the reporting by Averie Klonowski and Natalie Wada, it’s that mountains don’t care about your confidence, your phone battery, or your intentions. Trails that look manageable on a map or a social media post can turn brutal when altitude, weather, fatigue, and frightened kids are added to the mix.
Checking the forecast, choosing a route appropriate for a child’s age, carrying extra clothing, and being willing to turn back at the first sign of real danger aren’t just good hiking tips – they’re the kinds of decisions that can separate a fun memory from a tragedy or a criminal case.
When you’re responsible for a 2-, 4-, and 8-year-old on a remote trail, your margin for error shrinks almost to zero.
For now, Smith sits in jail, his children are recovering under medical care, and prosecutors like Sim Gill are preparing to argue that this wasn’t just a bad call in the backcountry, but a set of “intentional and selfish” acts – as Wada quoted from charging documents – that put three kids in grave danger.
However the courts eventually rule, the image of a little girl kneeling on cold rock, doing CPR on her brother and asking if they are going to die, is likely to stay with Utah for a long time.
And for parents and hikers everywhere, it’s a stark reminder: your choices in the outdoors don’t just affect you. They can shape your children’s bodies, minds, and futures – sometimes in ways no one can ever fully undo.
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The article Father charged with child torture after overnight “nightmare” hike first appeared on Survival World.
Mark grew up in the heart of Texas, where tornadoes and extreme weather were a part of life. His early experiences sparked a fascination with emergency preparedness and homesteading. A father of three, Mark is dedicated to teaching families how to be self-sufficient, with a focus on food storage, DIY projects, and energy independence. His writing empowers everyday people to take small steps toward greater self-reliance without feeling overwhelmed.
