Each year there are approximately 800,000 missing children reported in America; that’s more than 2,000 every day. That would be the equivalent of the entire population of San Francisco, California, just disappearing.
800,000 kids. Some are runaways, some kidnapped, some lost, and some simply tossed out by their families. Here are some statistics:
Of the 800,000 children:
- 500,000 ran away from home, or are tossed out by their family.
- 71,000 of these runaways become victims of child sex trafficking.
- 260,000 are victims of kidnapping
- 200,000 of these kidnap victims are abducted by members of their own family
- 60,000 of these kidnap victims are abducted by non-relatives, or strangers.
- 40,000 are lost; most are eventually found.
How do these children just disappear? In today’s day and age, when everything is online, you leave a digital footprint wherever you go. Even adults, with connections to get fake ID’s, new bank accounts, etc… can still be found with the help of a trained investigator. But many of these children are gone, just gone without a trace. Many assumed runaways, but what do we really know?
Macin Smith, a 17 year old boy living in St. George, Utah, left home the morning of September 1, 2015, to catch the bus to school. He was never seen or heard from again. Did he run away? Was he kidnapped? We may never know.
Macin Smith was a shy boy, bullied in middle school for his speech impediment, and some depression. He was close with his mom, and had a positive upbringing with six brothers and sisters. As is the case with most teenagers, there was tension and conflict between Macin and his parents from time to time, often because Macin would stay up late, on his laptop or cell phone.
On the evening of August 31, 2015, Macin’s mother found him in bed, lights out at 8:30 pm. It was unusual, so she asked if he was okay. He told her he wasn’t feeling well, and that was that. Shortly afterward, she unplugged the internet router, to keep Macin from getting up and getting online.
Around 1:30 am on September 1, Macin’s father awoke to find a light coming from under Macin’s bedroom door. He went in and took away Macin’s laptop and cell phone, with the intention of making him go to sleep. Six and a half hours later, at 7 am, Macin’s father woke him up for school, and went back to bed, though he and Macin’s mother could hear him rustling around in the kitchen. Around 7:40 am, they hear the garage door close, and they knew he was off to catch his bus.
The school bus returns to the neighborhood around 3:15 pm, but Macin doesn’t get off. His father begins to look for him, but has no way to contact him, as he never returned Macin’s laptop or cell phone. He texts his wife, letting her know Macin didn’t get off the bus, and a short while later, she receives an email from the school, informing her that Macin never showed up.
When his mother gets home, she begins texting people from Macin’s phone, asking if anyone knew where he might be. She found his bedroom door locked, which was unusual, but she didn’t think anything of it. By 10 pm, when Macin still isn’t home, they call the SGPD and file a missing persons report.
Investigators came out and with the help of Macin’s parents, determined that he left with nothing but the clothes on his back. Macin’s cell phone, laptop, wallet with all his cash, backpack, and his passport were all left home. Police went through his texts, emails, internet history, and came up with no leads. It was as if he just vanished.
Friends, teachers, classmates, church acquaintances, neighbors, everyone was interviewed. Homeless shelters, were searched, and even psychics were used to find some lead. They all came back with nothing.
A few days later, Macin’s mother went through his wallet and found a note. The note indicated that he might have had the intention of harming himself. No body has been recovered.
In the days to come, reports come in of possible sightings. At least five individuals report seeing Macin on the side of the road near Interstate 15, near Exit 4. They say he had a sign reading “Las Vegas,” but this is later ruled out.
Several searches are conducted in the Warner Valley area, but there is no sign of him anywhere. The area is swept on September 8, 14, 16, 26, 27, again October 25, and November 28. April 7, 2016, Macin would turn 18. Red Rock Search and Rescue conduct another series of searches for him starting April 30, 2016, and again May 1, June 29, October 29, and November 5 and 6. Still no sign of him.
Searches continue in 2017, and no new leads until June 1 when unidentified human remains are found approximately 45 miles south of St. George by a county road employee. There wasn’t much to go off of, just a lower half of a human jaw and some long bones. The Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office have not yet positively identified the bones, however Macin’s family has been told that there is less than a 10 percent chance the remains are his.
No identification, no cash, no clothes, no identifiable plan – where did Macin go? How does a teenage boy just disappear?
Anyone who has information leading to Macin’s return home is instructed to contact SGPD at 435-627-4300. There is a $10,000 reward for any information regarding his whereabouts. Macin’s National Center for Missing and Endangered Children case number is 1254151. Connect with Macin’s Army on Facebook at facebook.com/macinsarmy.
The number of children who go missing and are never found is tragic. Read this story about Nicholas Barclay, and see what can happen when that child is found, or not.
This is such a devastating and perplexing case )=