‘Selfish’ Utah dad charged with child torture after dangerous hike that left children hospitalized

A “selfish” Utah dad allegedly tortured his three young children by taking them on a difficult hike before going missing, as cellphone footage captured his daughter asking if they were “going to freeze to death.”

Micah Smith was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse and child torture for taking his 2-, 4-, and 8-year-olds on a brutal hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon on Oct. 11.

“What seemed like an innocent hike with his three children quickly turned into a nightmare when the defendant chose to summit a mountain over the safety of the kids,” the indictment read.

The 31-year-old father told his children they were doing the Broads Fork Trail, with his daughter hearing it was either a 9-mile or 9-hour hike, but she couldn’t remember which, according to an indictment obtained by Fox13.

“Not an easy hike that you would take a child upon,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said.

The trail is a “strenuous” five-mile round-trip hike that features a 2,100 ft elevation change and is rated as difficult, according to online guides.

Family and friends reported the father and his children missing after failing to return.

Rescuers found the family about 600 feet from the top, where they had taken shelter, because Smith’s youngest reportedly fell and hit his head and appeared dazed, officials said.

The makeshift structure included a boulder and a few sticks to block the wind.

Rescuers found Smith’s 4-year-old son lying on top of the 2-year-old, unconscious and not appearing to be breathing.

The father revealed he performed CPR on his youngest two children after they had fallen unconscious and weren’t breathing.

Both of the younger kids were not wearing a lot of clothing, the indictment said.

At one point during the night, Smith taught his daughter how to perform CPR before heading down the mountain by himself, Fox 13 reported.

First responders rushed the family of four down the mountain and performed 25 minutes of CPR on the 4-year-old.

By the time the group was two-miles from the top, Smith’s daughter began warning him about turning back, but was quickly shot down by her father for missing out on the experience.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” the young girl recalled her father saying, before stopping her from going back down.

“You shall not pass,” he allegedly said.

During the investigation, officials found Smith had been texting his wife who had asked if their children were safe.

“Yes, [the 4-year-old] is exhausted,” Smith said at around 5:18 p.m. “We’re almost to the very top, but everyone is starting to fail and it’s starting to rain. I’m getting tired of carrying [2-year-old]. It’s tough with three children and no second parent.”

Smith also recorded a video from the mountain, capturing his daughter as storm clouds moved in.

“Are we going to freeze to death, daddy?” the little girl asked.

Smith and his three children were hospitalized after being rescued.

The father was reported in mild condition, with his daughter listed as stable.

The two youngest children were both in critical condition.

The four-year-old remains in the hospital after suffering a stroke, requiring surgery to remove a portion of his skull.

When he arrived to the hospital his body temperature measured at 62.6 degrees, KTVX reported.

Smith was booked into jail in Salt Lake County on Nov. 25.

He is being held bond, according to online jail records viewed by The Post.

Smith has had previous encounters with police, including a month before the hiking incident where he was found with two guns and an axe attempting to locate a mountain after expressing suicidal intentions.

He told officers that he was “going through a really hard time” and wanted “hike up to the top of the mountain.

Smith said he wasn’t going to harm himself despite the weapons in his car.

On Nov. 10, a month after he was rescued, Smith was accused of trespassing at Primary Children’s Hospital, attempting to interfere with his 4-year-old son’s care and tampering with equipment, the Fox 13 reported.

He was later arrested for domestic violence for the

“The defendant’s behavior is clearly spiraling, and he’s not only a danger to himself, but he is a danger to these victims,” the indictment read.