Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
A US dad has been charged with child torture after taking his children on a hike that saw them subjected to freezing conditions.
According to police, on 11 October, Micah Smith, 31, took his children, aged eight, four and two, on a 'physically and emotionally gruelling' hike, which soon turned into a significantly longer ordeal.
While attempting to reach the summit of the Broads Fork Trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, they were declared missing after becoming trapped in a storm.
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In charging documents reported by Fox13, the father allegedly ignored a message from his oldest daughter which heartbreakingly asked if they were 'going to freeze to death' and instead suggested that they were nearly at the top.
When they were finally found the next morning, Smith was reportedly 'behaving oddly and did not appear to be concerned about the children'.
Two of his children were left fighting for their lives in critical condition after the weather 'turned into mist, fog, rain, and hail', police said. Smith was said to be in 'fair condition' and the third child was stable.
Smith told authorities that the youngest child had fallen and hit his head, while the four-year-old had to be resuscitated with CPR for 25 minutes after being discovered with no pulse.
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Even when he did finally stir, his body temperature was 20 degrees lower than it should be, and it was later reported that he'd suffered a stroke.
The eight-year-old told investigators that on the day Smith said it was going to be a 'nine-mile hike' or a 'nine-hour hike', but she couldn't remember which.
A GoFundMe page was set up in the wake of the incident, claiming that Smith had laid on top of two of his kids in order to keep them alive but police pointed out that the situation was his fault, especially after more details came out.
The children had reportedly all raised concerns about the hike before going but were 'ignored' and now officers have claimed that they may 'never fully recover' from the nightmare.
The Salt Lake City District Attorney said: "This is about the emotional and psychological harm. The way that he acted was in a depraved manner that caused emotional harm."
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Smith has since been booked into the Salt Lake County Jail and charged with three counts of child torture and three counts of aggravated assault. He’s reportedly in custody without bond.
The indictment stated: "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 defendant refused to turn around when their mom told him to turn around and get the children home. He also refused to turn around when [his daughter] said to him that she was scared and that they should go.
"During the 24-hour ordeal, the victims expressed that they were cold, tired, and wanted to go home. The defendant, who is supposed to be the protector of his children, was ill-prepared and extremely selfish."
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If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
James Moorhouse