
A Utah trucker’s reckless endangerment of two young girls in a freezing trailer exposes horrifying gaps in child protection that should outrage every parent and patriot.
Story Highlights
- Two girls, ages 12 and 14, discovered trapped in 30-degree refrigerated trailer after highway crash
- Driver Jacob Ortell Scott arrested for aggravated child abuse, held without bail
- Girls had no means of escape during two-hour journey from Huntington to Lindon, Utah
- Discovery only happened by chance when trooper spotted “two sets of eyes” through trailer slats
- Case highlights dangerous vulnerabilities in child protection and commercial vehicle oversight
Shocking Discovery During Routine Crash Response
Utah Highway Patrol troopers responding to a tractor-trailer crash on Interstate 15 in Lindon made a chilling discovery that nearly cost two young lives. During routine inspection of the damaged vehicle, a trooper noticed “two sets of eyes” peering through the trailer slats. Inside the refrigerated compartment, officers found two girls, ages 12 and 14, trapped in life-threatening conditions with the temperature set to a bone-chilling 29.5-30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Life-Threatening Conditions and Criminal Negligence
The girls had been locked inside the freezing trailer since leaving Huntington, Utah, enduring nearly two hours of sub-freezing temperatures with no means of escape. While they had bedding, the deliberate nature of their confinement suggests premeditation by driver Jacob Ortell Scott, 28. Child safety experts emphasize that such temperatures pose immediate hypothermia risks and potential death within hours. This wasn’t an accident—it was criminal endangerment that could have easily become a double homicide.
Trucker arrested after young half-sisters found trapped in refrigerated trailer set to hypothermia-inducing 30 degrees https://t.co/DIevGgB2VM pic.twitter.com/CvMmUI6cgH
— New York Post (@nypost) September 19, 2025
Scott, who has a prior misdemeanor record, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated child abuse after being treated for a hand injury from the crash. Judge Sean Petersen ordered him held without bail, citing danger to the community. The Utah State Bureau of Investigation and Division of Child and Family Services have launched a comprehensive investigation, though Scott’s motive for confining the girls remains unclear and under active investigation.
Systemic Failures in Child Protection
This case exposes dangerous vulnerabilities in our child protection systems that should alarm every American family. The fact that two children could be transported in such horrific conditions for hours without detection raises serious questions about oversight and accountability. Law enforcement professionals highlight the critical importance of thorough vehicle inspections, but this discovery happened purely by chance during a crash response, not through systematic safety measures.
The incident underscores the need for stronger protocols in commercial transportation and enhanced vigilance in identifying potential child endangerment. Experts in child welfare and criminal justice note that while such extreme cases are rare, they reveal systemic gaps that predators can exploit. The girls are now in state custody and have been interviewed by investigators, but the trauma they endured represents a failure of the systems meant to protect America’s most vulnerable citizens.
Sources:
2 young girls found in refrigerated truck after crash on I-15 in Lindon
Utah trucker arrested after teens found in 29-degree trailer
2 young girls found in refrigerated trailer of truck that lost tire, caused injury crash