Utah Dad Charged with Torture after Hike from Hell | Micah Smith Full Story

Hidden True Crime

Documentary, Society & Culture, True Crime, News, News Commentary

4.8 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 3 December 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A father sets out for what should have been a simple family hike—three kids, a familiar canyon, a day in the mountains. But by nightfall, it had spiraled into a near-fatal ordeal that left two young children fighting for their lives and investigators questioning everything about his decisions. Text messages, photos, and heartbreaking statements from the children now paint a picture far more disturbing than a tragic accident. Was this adventure gone wrong… or reckless endangerment that crossed into something darker? About Hidden True Crime What started as a simple conversation at their dinner table became a captivating podcast. Join the dynamic duo of Dr. John Matthias, a criminal psychologist, and Lauren Matthias, an investigative journalist, as they delve into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes every week. Their unique perspectives and in-depth analysis offer a fresh take on true crime storytelling. Thank you for your support through sponsorships, subscribing, listening, and becoming a Patreon member at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/HiddenTrueCrime⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sources: Charging Documents https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/us/utah-dad-child-abuse-hike.html https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/northern-utah/utah-father-who-went-missing-with-3-children-on-hike-charged-with-child-torture-abuse https://nypost.com/2025/11/27/us-news/utah-dad-micah-smith-charged-with-child-torture-after-taking-children-hiking-resulting-in-them-missing-and-hospitalized/ https://www.abc4.com/news/crimes-against-children/father-big-cottonwood-hiker-missing-torture/amp/ https://people.com/utah-dad-who-got-stranded-on-hike-with-3-kids-charged-with-child-abuse-11858399 https://globalnews.ca/news/11546661/utah-father-child-abuse-charges-hike-kids/amp/ https://www.ksl.com/article/51411042/extremely-selfish-dad-charged-with-taking-young-kids-on-dangerous-hike-that-ended-in-a-rescue https://gephardtdaily.com/local/father-who-took-children-on-mountain-hike-in-snowstorm-arrested-for-alleged-child-torture-intentional-abuse/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Every story starts somewhere, a moment that seems ordinary until it isn't. Today, we're diving
0:07.8	into another case where everything changed in an instant. My name is Lauren Matthias, and this
0:13.6	is hidden true crime. Some of the brightest memories from childhood come from the adventures we share with our parents.
0:29.5	Maybe it was early morning fishing trips with your dad, weekend hikes as a family,
0:33.8	or piling into the car for a cross-country drive.
0:36.8	And for most kids, few places feel
0:39.6	safer than being right beside the people who raised them. So when a father set out on a mountain
0:46.2	hike with his three young children, there was no reason for them or anyone else to feel
0:52.1	afraid. After all, no responsible parent would ever push toddlers to the edge of
0:57.5	their limits or challenge the forces of nature to reach a summit. A loving parent knows when to
1:04.5	turn back. A loving parent doesn't gamble with their kids' lives. But on this particular trip in mid-October, one bad circumstance slid into the
1:14.8	next, sudden weather, a dangerous fall, and a level of unpreparedness that stunned even seasoned
1:21.5	rescuers. By the time a full search and rescue mission unfolded, many were certain they were witnessing an act
1:28.7	of pure heroism, a father sacrificing everything so his children could make it off the mountain alive.
1:35.9	And yet, as investigators peeled back the layers, a different picture began to emerge,
1:42.4	one that suggested this might not be a heroic tragedy after all,
1:46.6	but a preventable disaster born from choices that went far beyond simple negligence.
1:54.2	In today's episode, we're walking through everything we know about the harrowing ordeal in
1:59.4	Big Cottonwood Canyon in Utah involving Micah Smith
2:02.6	and his three children and asking the difficult question, at what point does determination and
2:10.2	adventure turn into something deadly? Micah Smith was born on December 8, 1993, a Utah native who grew up surrounded by Red Rock
2:20.8	Horizons, wide open sky, and a pull towards the outdoors that never really left him.
	...

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