UT – Micah Smith charged after kids survive freezing night lost in mountains; also accused of tampering with their medical equipment, 11 Oct 2025

[NuttMegg]

Smith said all of the children’s clothing was “soaked from the rain,” so he removed their wet clothes to keep them warm, the indictment said.
The daughter described trying to keep her 4-year-old brother warm and “hugged him tight to try and make him a little warmer.” She said her dad taught her how to perform CPR and that she “had to breathe into his mouth” and “push on his chest.”

https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/utah-hiker-young-kids-arrested-21213008.php

 

[NuttMegg]

IMO, this guy really fits the domestic violence type offender, like the guys who end up as either family annihilators or one step before that, killing the kids to get back the feeling of control over partner.

Just yesterday, this article caught my eye (focuses on partner-killings tho): www.bbc.com/news/uk-49481998

In the first news of the debacle, (October) his supporters tried so hard to present this as some inadvertent tragedy, they were "stranded", MS "sacrificed himself", pls send money quick, but leave them to grieve. It was over the top, the praise for the father, at his heroic behavior as nature unexpectedly threw cruel challenges his way. Eye Roll.

I don't know how closely his behavior would fit into the pattern in your link, but I'm sure there was a lot more going on way before he exposed his children to near death. They can't keep a lid on it.

 

[Sillybilly]

Repeat after me ...

Religion is off topic unless it is known to be an element of a crime.
Religion is off topic unless it is known to be an element of a crime.

...

 

[Lucy6226]

Smith said all of the children’s clothing was “soaked from the rain,” so he removed their wet clothes to keep them warm, the indictment said.
The daughter described trying to keep her 4-year-old brother warm and “hugged him tight to try and make him a little warmer.” She said her dad taught her how to perform CPR and that she “had to breathe into his mouth” and “push on his chest.”

https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/utah-hiker-young-kids-arrested-21213008.php

Just that alone is so traumatic for a child to go through

 

[NuttMegg]

Just that alone is so traumatic for a child to go through

Imagine the guilt she probably felt as she saw her brother "die". Yes, the rescue people brought him back in 25 minutes of cpr, but she needs therapy to discard the connection, possibly in her mind that she couldn't hug him tight enough to keep him warm. Or breath into his mouth well enough. I know that's what I would have felt.

 

[NuttMegg]

Some of this comes from the charging doc, they say.

It's understood that this trail is actually a five-mile round journey, with a steep 2,100 ft elevation change.
--‐----
Although Smith claims that he brought along supplies such as "jerky, cans of tuna, five waters, pretzels, cliff bars, candy, and a Gatorade", his daughter told officers these snacks were eaten "at the beginning of the hike" and that she was tired shortly after they reached the trailhead at 10 am that morning
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During this descent, the two-year-old "appeared dazed" after falling and striking his head, with Smith later admitting that the boy became "unconscious" and "unresponsive".The older boy also became "very, very cold" and would "not warm up" as the night wore on
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only four deputies involved in the rescue mission felt confident enough in their ability to reach the place where the three children were located. Deputies reported suffering “bloody arms, bloody knuckles, and puncture wounds" and even a rockslide as they set about getting to them.
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Kids ask 'will we freeze to death, daddy?' as he 'abandons them on mountain'

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. As 31-year-old Micah Smith led his three children up a mountain in stormy conditions, his young daughter had just one heartbreaking question: "Are we going to freeze to death, Daddy?"

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[Serononin]

It's honestly a miracle that these poor kids survived

 

[appleatcha]

who identified himself as Micah Smith’s brother — the brother wrote that Micah Smith “bravely sacrificed himself” to protect his children.
Utah father charged with child torture after winter storm hike that left kids near death

beg pardon??

Sacrificed the safety and wellbeing of his children for his selfish pride you mean? In what ways did he "sacrifice" himself?
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When search and rescue crews found Smith, they "noted that Smith was behaving oddly and did not appear to be concerned about the children. Smith also told search and rescue team members that one of his children was dead," according to the charges.

The 4-year-old boy "was mostly exposed, unconscious and 'appeared lifeless,'" and had no pulse and his body temperature was 62-degrees Fahrenheit when he was found, the charges state. While being transported to a local hospital, the boy received about 25 minutes of CPR. At the hospital, he "suffered a stroke, which required a portion of his skull to be removed and an external ventricular drain to be placed."
'Extremely selfish' dad charged with taking young kids on dangerous hike that ended in a rescue

Of all the boneheaded prideful moronic deadly decisions I hope he is found guilty and sentenced to the max.

Dad seems to have some serious mental health and parenting issues. IMO. It has been reported that The child that was in critical condition is out of the coma and speaking in full sentences.

Bolding in both of the above is by me. Do we have any posters here with medical knowledge who can help me understand how this (a child who received 25 minutes of CPR and experienced a stroke waking up and speaking in full sentences so soon after) is possible? I've always thought that if CPR had to continue for that long, the patient would have a severe brain injury from lack of oxygen, so this seems strange to me. I'm very glad to hear the little boy is okay, but... how??

If this question is off-topic, I apologize.

 

[tlcya]

I feel it is important to note this event occurred on October 11, 2025 and charges against the father and publicity around that came in late November. My understanding is the odds of the little boy having permanent brain damage were high but the human body is an amazing thing. I am so happy this little guy was able to make a recover from such a difficult medical emergency.

From the OP article:

According to a fundraising campaign now shut down, per Micah's Brother:

the children are still recovering. One child who spent over a week being kept alive by a heart and lung bypass machine, has been taken off sedation and is now speaking in full sentences, the family says. “We are so thankful to God that E[redacted] is improving so quickly and fully. We are hoping, praying and fighting for a full recovery.”
https://www.abc4.com/news/crimes-against-children/father-big-cottonwood-hiker-missing-torture/

On another note, I am curious to know in what ways Micah tampered with his son's medical equipment during E's hospitalization.

 

[Bethan]

Bolding in both of the above is by me. Do we have any posters here with medical knowledge who can help me understand how this (a child who received 25 minutes of CPR and experienced a stroke waking up and speaking in full sentences so soon after) is possible? I've always thought that if CPR had to continue for that long, the patient would have a severe brain injury from lack of oxygen, so this seems strange to me. I'm very glad to hear the little boy is okay, but... how??

If this question is off-topic, I apologize.

The fact that the child was hypothermic would have, to some extent, protected his tissues from the lack of oxygen.

1) Ice Water Drowning Survival After 147-Minute Submersion and 7 °C Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest - PMC

From the above medical article….which describes the case of an 8 yr old boy who survived being submerged in ice cold water for 147 minutes…..

“Young patients may survive accidental deep hypothermia with prolonged asystolic circulatory arrest because of protective effects of cold”

Cooling reduces the metabolic rate so reduces the tissues/organ’s oxygen requirements.

2) For this same reason, a cooling technique is employed in some cardiac surgery, that which necessitates the circulation to be ‘halted’ while surgery is performed.

The Role of Deep Hypothermia in Cardiac Surgery - PMC

Hypothermia is defined as a decrease in body core temperature to below 35 °C. In cardiac surgery, four stages of hypothermia are distinguished: mild, moderate, deep, and profound. The organ protection offered by deep hypothermia (DH) enables safe ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

“ The organ protection offered by deep hypothermia (DH) enables safe circulatory arrest as a prerequisite to carrying out cardiac surgical intervention”

 

[Sjöberg]

Do we have any posters here with medical knowledge who can help me understand how this (a child who received 25 minutes of CPR and experienced a stroke waking up and speaking in full sentences so soon after) is possible? I've always thought that if CPR had to continue for that long, the patient would have a severe brain injury from lack of oxygen, so this seems strange to me.

The benefits of the cold have beeb outlined previously by the poster above.
Additionally, it depends on the necessity and success of the CPR: the whole point of doing CPR is to provide oxygen to the brain.

Finally, brain is known for such feature as plasticity. Meaning that different brain networks, that is connections between brain cells, are continiously created and lost. This is in part why training a sport makes you good at it, why you forget a language you no longer use, why depression creates a downwards spiral and why in the weeks after their stroke, patients have to exercise, not lie in bed and rest. So in the case of brain injuries, people can re-learn previously held skills that they have lost, reforming new connections and networks - by trying and practicing. By far the biggest chunk of recovery takes part spontaneously during the first 24-48 hours, as the oxygen via blood flow is restored. Next cut-offs could be around the one-month mark, three-month mark and finally at the one year mark, as any functions that you have not regained within a year are statistically unlikely to be recovered (have a peek at graph1 and graph2). In the case of children, their brains are still developing and cells still growing, so for many reasons, their brain plasticity is even greater and function regaining even better.

And of course, what your brain damage does to you is obviously directly influenced by where it's at. If you get a stroke in your cerebellum, at the back of the head, you might get some balance problems and some emotional problems, but your speech might not get affected at all. Whereas if you get your stroke in the frontal lobe, your whole personality can change.

 

[Mauig’ma]

The fact that the child was hypothermic would have, to some extent, protected his tissues from the lack of oxygen.

1) Ice Water Drowning Survival After 147-Minute Submersion and 7 °C Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest - PMC

From the above medical article….which describes the case of an 8 yr old boy who survived being submerged in ice cold water for 147 minutes…..

“Young patients may survive accidental deep hypothermia with prolonged asystolic circulatory arrest because of protective effects of cold”

Cooling reduces the metabolic rate so reduces the tissues/organ’s oxygen requirements.

2) For this same reason, a cooling technique is employed in some cardiac surgery, that which necessitates the circulation to be ‘halted’ while surgery is performed.

The Role of Deep Hypothermia in Cardiac Surgery - PMC

Hypothermia is defined as a decrease in body core temperature to below 35 °C. In cardiac surgery, four stages of hypothermia are distinguished: mild, moderate, deep, and profound. The organ protection offered by deep hypothermia (DH) enables safe ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

“ The organ protection offered by deep hypothermia (DH) enables safe circulatory arrest as a prerequisite to carrying out cardiac surgical intervention”

My thoughts exactly