Key facts
- Name: Macin Darrin Smith
- Born: April 7, 1998, American Fork, Utah
- Age at disappearance: 17
- Last seen: September 1, 2015, ~7:40 a.m.
- Location: Family home, Little Valley area, St. George, Utah
- Height / build: 6’4″, ~200 lbs, blond hair, blue eyes
- Status: Still missing — no confirmed sightings
- Investigating agency: St. George Police Department
The bus he never boarded
On the morning of September 1, 2015, Macin Smith’s father woke him for school and went back to sleep around 7:00 a.m. A little while later, his parents heard Macin moving around the kitchen of their home in the Little Valley area of St. George, Utah. At about 7:40, they heard the garage door close. The school bus stop was a two-minute walk away; the bus came at 7:41.
Macin never boarded it. He never arrived at Desert Hills High School, where he was a senior. When he didn’t come home at 3:15, his parents called the school and learned he hadn’t been there all day. His mother reported him missing to the St. George Police Department shortly before 10 p.m.
He’d left behind his phone. His wallet. His laptop. Everything.
A week later, his parents found a handwritten note inside his wallet. Its full contents were never disclosed, but it suggested Macin had been struggling emotionally — and possibly considering self-harm.
Who Macin was
Macin Darrin Smith was born April 7, 1998, in American Fork, Utah, the youngest of six children of Darrin and Tracey Smith. As a child he was diagnosed with childhood aphasia, a neurological speech disorder that affected his ability to communicate — improved significantly by adolescence, his mother said, but still slightly noticeable, sounding like “someone who is hard of hearing.”
He’d struggled with depression for years and had attempted suicide at 15, which led to a hospitalization. In December 2013, while the family lived in Alberta, Canada, he’d run away once after his father took away his video game system — leaving at 10 p.m. with a sleeping bag, food, and printed résumés, intending, he said, to prove he could support himself. He came home voluntarily by midnight.
The family had moved to St. George only months before he disappeared — April 2015. He was still finding his footing.
The investigation
In the first months, there were reported sightings — including a possible hitchhiker near a freeway exit close to his high school holding a sign requesting a ride to Las Vegas. None was ever confirmed. Searches swept the St. George area and extended to Las Vegas, with Red Rock Search and Rescue assisting relatives in Nevada. In June 2017, human remains found about 40 miles south of St. George, in Arizona, did not match Macin’s profile, his mother told Gephardt Daily — the bones were dated and not thought to be from a recent death.
The case drew national attention when Investigation Discovery’s Disappeared profiled it in April 2017 as “The Silent Son” (Season 8, Episode 2). His family built a social media campaign around a volunteer search group supporters called “Macin’s army,” and a $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to his location. A memorial bench was donated in his honor and placed at Crimson Ridge Park in January 2019. In later years, his mother spoke publicly about healing.
His mother once hoped he had run away and was living somewhere. In later years, she said she had come to believe her son might no longer be alive. The truth is that no one knows. More than a decade on, no confirmed sighting has ever been reported, and no trace of Macin has ever been found.
Theories: what might have happened
Suicide. The note in the wallet, the history of depression and a prior attempt, the deliberate leaving-behind of phone and wallet — this is the theory his mother eventually came to fear. Supports it: the note’s contents (as described), the mental-health history, the absence of any sign of foul play. Undercuts it: no body has ever been found despite extensive searching of the surrounding desert.
Voluntary disappearance / runaway. He’d done it once before, at 15, with a sleeping bag and résumés. Supports it: the unconfirmed hitchhiker sighting toward Las Vegas, his age. Undercuts it: he left his phone, wallet, and laptop — everything a runaway needs — and has never contacted anyone in over a decade.
Foul play. There is no public evidence of it, but in a case with no answers, it can’t be excluded. No suspect has ever been named.
Have information?
Contact the St. George Police Department at (435) 627-4300, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- April 7, 1998 — Macin Darrin Smith is born in American Fork, Utah.
- 2013 — Suicide attempt at 15; hospitalization; brief runaway episode in Alberta.
- April 2015 — Family moves to St. George, Utah.
- September 1, 2015, ~7:40 a.m. — Heard leaving home; never boards the 7:41 bus; never arrives at Desert Hills High.
- September 1, 2015, ~10:00 p.m. — Mother reports him missing.
- September 2015 — Handwritten note found in his wallet; sightings reported, none confirmed.
- April 2017 — Disappeared profiles the case (“The Silent Son”).
- June 2017 — Human remains found ~40 miles south of St. George (Arizona) do not match Macin’s profile.
- January 2019 — Memorial bench honoring Macin placed at Crimson Ridge Park, St. George.
- Today — Still missing; no confirmed sightings.
FAQ
Is Macin Smith still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Macin Smith has been missing for more than 11 years. There have never been any confirmed sightings.
Was Macin Smith ever found?
No. No trace of Macin has ever been found.
What was in the note Macin Smith left?
A handwritten note was found in his wallet a week after he disappeared. Police and family never disclosed its full contents, but it suggested he had been struggling emotionally and possibly considering self-harm.
How old would Macin Smith be today?
Macin was born April 7, 1998 — he turned 28 in April 2026.
What did Macin Smith leave behind?
His phone, wallet, and laptop were all left at home — unusual for a teenager, and one reason investigators took the case seriously from the start.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information should contact the St. George Police Department at (435) 627-4300.
Corrections (October 2026 verification pass)
- 2017 remains refined. The remains were found June 1, 2017, about 40 miles south of St. George in Arizona (Mohave County) — dated bones, less than a 10% chance of being Macin’s per his mother (Gephardt Daily, July 2017). Not a formal “ruled out” lab exclusion.
- “Police later said they were pursuing new electronic evidence” REMOVED. No published source found; retained as an unverifiable claim would violate our policy.
- Memorial bench: “2020” → January 2019 (Crimson Ridge Park, St. George; Deseret News via Wikipedia). The “fifth anniversary” framing was dropped as unverified.
- “Macin’s Army” clarified as a volunteer search group; added the verified $10,000 reward (Gephardt Daily).
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: St. George Police Department (435-627-4300); NCMEC.
- News: The Spectrum (St. George); ABC4 Utah, “Missing in Utah: Where’s Macin?” ; Gephardt Daily; Deseret News (May 2019).
- Reference: Wikipedia, “Disappearance of Macin Smith” (retrieved Oct 2026).
- Media: Investigation Discovery, Disappeared S8E2 “The Silent Son” (Apr 2017); Crime and Crime Again podcast, “The Disappearance of Macin Smith.”
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.