UT UT - Macin Smith, 17, St George, 1 Sept 2015

[gitana1]

I just saw the Disappeared episode and wanted to come see what was being discussed.

Looking at all his pictures, other than his height I am struck by how different he looks in so many photos. It would be hard for someone who doesn't know him to recognize him, especially if he now has long hair as the show insinuated. Some photos of him look like tow entirely different people.

On the Disappeared episode last night, mom shared two words of the letter "I'm done". Not sure if I take this to mean he's intending to harm himself or just disappear himself for a while.

She shared two other words that went with "I'm done." and those were "Not necessarily."

There are hundreds of young men who disappear into the homeless population each year as a result of mental health or other issues. Unless a body is found I feel there should be hope.

If he didn't want to get caught, it makes much more sense to slip away when everyone is sleeping.

Also, why weren't there any sightings of him that morning? It was broad daylight in the morning of a work/school week. Just curious. Did the family live in a remote area?

It was reportedly a very quiet neighborhood. I don't know. It's very possible that people, half-awake and intent on getting kids to school and themselves to jobs, may not be aware of someone walking down the street.

I feel that if he wandered into the desert and died, there would have been some sign of him - foot prints or his body.

That area is a tourist area and a lot of people roam around out there. Plus, there have been so many searches. I have hope for this kid.

I feel so horrible for his parents, They seemed like nice people trying to do the best they could for him.

 

[Sulamith]

"Not wanting to get his license may mean he had high anxiety". BBM

That is one side of the story. I was raised LDS/Mormon and I know of a few guys that were not allowed by their parents to get their driver's permit/licences until they obtained Eagle Scout. Of course, I have no idea about Macin's circumstance but I do wonder if his mother wanted him to get his Eagle and he was not pursing it so he was not allowed to get a licence. Just one reference of many, IMO.

http://www.modernmormonmen.com/2011/06/when-you-get-your-eagle-son-you-can.html

​

This may be a completely foreign concept to some, but when I was a teenager it was fairly popular for LDS parents to tell their sons that they had to earn the rank of Eagle Scout before they could get their driver’s license. Obtaining a driver’s permit was fine, but for solo driving once you reached the legal age, you were obliged to also secure the rank of Eagle Scout.

​

 

[ninij9]

"Not wanting to get his license may mean he had high anxiety". BBM

That is one side of the story. I was raised LDS/Mormon and I know of a few guys that were not allowed by their parents to get their driver's permit/licences until they obtained Eagle Scout. Of course, I have no idea about Macin's circumstance but I do wonder if his mother wanted him to get his Eagle and he was not pursing it so he was not allowed to get a licence. Just one reference of many, IMO.

http://www.modernmormonmen.com/2011/06/when-you-get-your-eagle-son-you-can.html

​

This may be a completely foreign concept to some, but when I was a teenager it was fairly popular for LDS parents to tell their sons that they had to earn the rank of Eagle Scout before they could get their driver’s license. Obtaining a driver’s permit was fine, but for solo driving once you reached the legal age, you were obliged to also secure the rank of Eagle Scout.

​

I remember an interview where mom stated how strict dad was. So you may be right.

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[alreetlike]

I watched his episode last night. I'm really leaning towards suicide. His previous depression/suicide attempt is my main reasoning, and it doesn't surprise me that it could be over something which seems pretty trivial to outsiders (having the phone/laptop taken away). Sometimes it just takes a small setback to make things escalate. I suffer with depression and anxiety (treated) and the most minor thing can send me into a downward spiral. Then, of course, there's the note, which the episode indicated was very deep and from the heart.

Also, with his family - the sister especially - saying he seemed better lately, that would tie in as many people who commit suicide often seem to be happier and more content in the weeks leading up to their death, once they've made the decision to go through with it.

That said, I'd love it if he'd reinvented himself and started an amazing new life, but with nothing but the clothes on his back, I'm not convinced.

 

[rascal32]

I watched his episode last night. I'm really leaning towards suicide. His previous depression/suicide attempt is my main reasoning, and it doesn't surprise me that it could be over something which seems pretty trivial to outsiders (having the phone/laptop taken away). Sometimes it just takes a small setback to make things escalate. I suffer with depression and anxiety (treated) and the most minor thing can send me into a downward spiral. Then, of course, there's the note, which the episode indicated was very deep and from the heart.

Also, with his family - the sister especially - saying he seemed better lately, that would tie in as many people who commit suicide often seem to be happier and more content in the weeks leading up to their death, once they've made the decision to go through with it.

That said, I'd love it if he'd reinvented himself and started an amazing new life, but with nothing but the clothes on his back, I'm not convinced.

I have to agree. I just can't figure out why they haven't found his remains. I would assume it's not easy to hide your own body after suicide.


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[alreetlike]

I have to agree. I just can't figure out why they haven't found his remains. I would assume it's not easy to hide your own body after suicide.

True, but I keep thinking how many cases there are where someone was right there the whole time and somehow missed, and it looks like there's a vast area around where he disappeared from where he could've ended up if he just walked and walked. Being from the UK it's kind of difficult to get a picture in my mind of just how massive things are over there.

 

[rascal32]

True, but I keep thinking how many cases there are where someone was right there the whole time and somehow missed, and it looks like there's a vast area around where he disappeared from where he could've ended up if he just walked and walked. Being from the UK it's kind of difficult to get a picture in my mind of just how massive things are over there.

Yes that is very true


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[dulcinea]

I watched Macin's episode about a week ago. If I remember correctly, the family had recently moved to UT from Canada. Being one of six children I assumed the older five siblings of Macin's stayed in Canada though Macin and his parents relocated. I do not recall any mention on the show of the possibility that Macin wanted to return to Canada. Part of me wonders if he was trying to return and something happened to him along the way. However, didn't he leave everything behind that he would have taken with him if he was indeed trying to get to Canada? If he harmed himself, in what manner? I really do not want to dwell on that, but I guess I am wondering if he had access to any instruments to do so. If he truly left with nothing how was he planning on carrying out that sort of plan? It's difficult for me to think that someone who wanted to harm himself would decide to wander around the desert intentionally until he collapsed. This leads me to think possibly he decided to wander around to think, got lost, and unfortunately he succumbed to the elements.

 

[lindamichelle1]

Just finished the episode, watching from Australia, poor Macin, I like someone else said a few posts ago that I really got the impression he walked into the mountains. All the photos of him standing on the rocks that seemed to be his place, I think he went out there to think and something happened or he purposely went out there to end his life. It is weird they haven't found his body though but also agree that it will be found by hikers or something one day, so many cases they are found close to where they went missing but just weren't found, especially in that type of terrain.
The only thing that maybe gives me hope is the sightings off the young man who only takes the change he needs who match his description. But could also be a coincidence.
Were they Mormon? I didn't pick that up in the episode, maybe he was gay? He didn't seem interested in speaking to girls and I feel like the anime addiction could have something to do with maybe he was watching one of the gay ones. I don't watch it myself but know people who watch it. Maybe he was struggling to come out or thought his family wouldn't be accepting. Could that have been in the note?
I feel like the parents are leaving something out. Something isn't adding up to me when I listen to them speak and especially about that night taking the electronics and the note. Maybe they caught him watching something gay related.
She was also a bit weird about saying they didn't have prescription meds in the house.
Also do understand about the driving thing, I didn't get my learners til i was probably 18 or older coz driving stressed me out so much and always would end in fights with my dad on lessons because I was so stressed and hated it.
Hopefully he is just living his life the way he wants as a transient. He has obviously got something going if he hasn't been found and he is so tall and stands out. But in all honesty he most likely is out in that desert.

 

[perfectingpink]

Someone on FB suggested Macin.

Human remains found near Arizona Strip

Human remains were discovered approximately 45 miles south of St. George in Mohave County, Arizona, Thursday.

At approximately 2 p.m. deputies from the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office responded to an area in the desert near County Road 101 at mile post 22, Trish Carter, the Mohave County Sheriff’s public information specialist, said in an email Friday.

Mohave County, Arizona, County Road 101 is also known as Mud Mountain Road.

https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/a...emains-found-near-arizona-strip/#.WTL1hNwjXIV

 

[Gardener1850]

Someone on FB suggested Macin.

Human remains found near Arizona Strip


https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/a...emains-found-near-arizona-strip/#.WTL1hNwjXIV

I thought of Macin when I saw that too.

Thread for the remains is here: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...-Mountain-Rd-Lower-Jaw-amp-Long-Bones-June-17

 

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]Members of Macin Smith group 'worried' over unidentified human remains[/h]

The unidentified human remains recovered last week in a desert just south of where a 17-year-old St. George boy went missing nearly two years ago are cause for concern for some of his supporters.

Some members of an online group supporting Macin Smith's location efforts were alarmed upon hearing deputies couldn't identify the few human remains they found on Thursday, much less give an age range or other demographic to rule Macin out.
"I think a lot of people are particularly worried about this one, and with good reason," said TaeLynn Johnson, an administrator of the webpage. "The proximity to St. George does make your heart stop a little."

http://www.thespectrum.com/story/ne...ed-over-unidentified-human-remains/371974001/

 

[rascal32]

Well whether or not it's Macin someone is going to bring their loved one home. I know it's not the way they would want but someone is going to get answers soon so I am thankful for that. Prayers going up.

http://www.missingin.org/arizona/mohave_county.htm
There does appear to be quite a few missing persons from Mohave County

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[Gardener1850]

[h=1]Exclusive: Mom of missing St. George teen: ‘I refuse to believe Macin is dead’[/h]

ST. GEORGE, Utah, June 15, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — The discovery of human remains early this month about 40 miles south of St. George led to a flurry of speculation that the search for missing St. George teen Macin Smith could be over.
But Macin’s mom, Tracey Bratt-Smith, says unequivocally that neither she nor her husband, Darrin, believe that the bones are their son’s.

“I refuse to believe Macin is dead until I know otherwise,” Bratt-Smith told Gephardt Daily exclusively on Thursday.

http://gephardtdaily.com/local/excl...eorge-teen-i-refuse-to-believe-macin-is-dead/

 

[DakotaMayi]

Exclusive: Mom of missing St. George teen: ‘I refuse to believe Macin is dead’


http://gephardtdaily.com/local/excl...eorge-teen-i-refuse-to-believe-macin-is-dead/

Darrin has stated numerous times that he believes Macin is dead, so I wonder what it is about these remains that makes him so sure they aren't his.

 

[LisaWL7TR]

Mom of missing St. George teen: Remains found do not match Macin’s profile

The human remains found last month 40 miles south of St. George do not match the profile of missing teen Macin Smith, his mother says.

Bratt-Smith said the*Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet positively identified the bones, as they are not thought to come from a recent death, but she has been told there is less than a 10 percent chance the remains are those of her son.

Help Find Macin Smith is still updated
https://www.facebook.com/groups/macinsarmy/

http://gephardtdaily.com/local/macin-mom-summer/amp/

 

[Leomoon80]

I wonder if they checked to see if it was the remains of Steven Koecher? He was from St. George Utah:

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/k/koecher_steven.html

 

[BethAnn777]

Bumping for Macin.

 

[0101ABA]

Mom of missing St. George teen Macin Smith reflects on grief as 2-year anniversary approaches

As the search for one local missing man, Paul Swenson, comes to a tragic end, the search for another, Macin Smith, shows no sign of conclusion.

The Smith family, in fact, is preparing for the day they thought would never come: the two-year anniversary of Macin’s Sept. 1 disappearance.

 

[Gardener1850]

This is probably not Macin but a body was found on a remote hiking trail just North of St. George:

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah, Aug. 20, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Hikers in Washington County found a body, believed to be that of a male, in a remote area Saturday morning, officials said Sunday.

Officials described the body as being in an advanced state of decomposition, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.


The hikers found the body at about 11:30 a.m. near the Washington Hollow Trail area, which is in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, just north of Washington City. Washington City is just north of St. George.
Search and rescue crews recovered the body but found no evidence of the person’s identity, the statement said.

http://gephardtdaily.com/local/washington-county-body/