On August 31, 2015, 17 year old Macin Smith texted his mom his straight A report card. The agreement was if his grades were As and Bs he could watch anime. But when he got home, his parents broke that agreement, disconnected the internet, removed the cords for his devices and hid them, took his phone, and took his laptop. They demanded he learn American driving with his dad. They’d moved from Canada and lived in St George, Utah only for a few weeks. The idea of driving in this new country scared Macin so much it made him physically ill and he had to go to bed. When he woke, he located his laptop and watched anime. His dad immediately came in, yelled at him, and took the laptop away, even though this was the agreement, and furthermore told him he was not getting them back and being punished. For what? Straight As?
Two years earlier, back in Canada, Macin had tried killing himself after years of being bullied for a speech impediment. He was hospitalized for a week. But it doesn’t appear that his parents sought treatment for him other than that hospitalization and during his senior year they uprooted him from Canada and moved him to the United States to the small Mormon town of St George, Utah. His siblings and all of his relatives were still in Canada. Macin coped by watching anime, which are animated graphic novels, NOT adult cartoons as his parents foolishly thought. A lot of depressed teens and young adults love anime. It’s escapism for depressives. But his parents continued to belittle him for watching it. They called it an addiction rather than a coping mechanism. Words like that hurt, especially when a teen is already depressed and suicidal.
After his father Darrin yelled at him and took his laptop away, Macin spent all night writing a letter to his parents. It was a runaway letter. It was pages long and took hours to write. He poured out his heart and told his parents about how they betrayed him. In fact, his parents were so ashamed of what was written in those pages it was weeks before they gave it to the police.
In the morning, his parents didn’t return his phone or electronic devices, so he left without them. He was seen by three witnesses with a sign that he needed a ride to Las Vegas which was two hours away on the freeway. He was never seen again.
Macin’s parents, Tracey and Darrin, waited an entire day to report him missing and when they did, they didn’t tell police the whole truth or their part in forcing their son out the door. They weren’t honest about how often they’d punished Macin by taking away his phone and electronic devices until weeks had gone by and by then it was too late. Police use cell phones and electronic devices to find patterns of behavior, contacts, and locations. But if your parents are constantly taking them away from you, then they’re useless. Plus, Macin’s parents were still denying they had anything to do with Macin running away.
Although Macin’s parents assumed he killed himself. The police think otherwise. He took resumes with him to find a job when he got there. But Las Vegas, like Utah, is full of predators. He was never seen again.
This was a case of parents pushing their child into an untenable position. They didn’t kill him, but they might as well have. He was a bright kid and did what they asked. That he could get straight As in a foreign school his first semester is incredible. He must have been so proud. His parents punished him and made fun of him for it. It’s shocking. They betrayed him. This is a map of how NOT to treat your depressed, suicidal child.
Macin is 6’4″, 200 lbs, blonde, and blue eyed. He is soft spoken, polite, intelligent, and handsome.
In September of 2018, Macin’s mom Tracey and her brother made a FaceBook post that they were officially giving up the search for Macin. His parents had divorced, so his dad made no comment at all. From the facts it looks like they gave up on him long before that.
Macin, if you are reading this, go to a church, ask for help. What you tell a priest or pastor is confidential. They can get in touch with your family without revealing any information about you and they can send you money. I think your sister wants to help you. And you deserve help.
Bibliography
Disappeared, Season 8 Episode 2: The Silent Son, air date: Apr 1, 2017.
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