Terrified Utah girl, 10, walked three miles home in middle of night to get away from uncle who'd sexually assaulted her, police say
Police say a terrified 10-year-old Utah girl walked three miles home alone around 1am to escape her uncle after he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
By JAMES GORDON, US NEWS REPORTER
Published: 01:03 GMT, 3 January 2026 | Updated: 01:03 GMT, 3 January 2026
A 10-year-old Utah girl made a harrowing decision in the middle of the night, slipping out of a relative's home and walking roughly three miles alone through the cold and dark after police say she feared her uncle would sexually assault her again.
That late-night escape has now landed a Tooele, Utah man in jail, charged with four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, one of the most serious felonies under Utah law.
According to court records, the case surfaced on New Years Eve when a woman contacted the Tooele City Police Department to report that her 10-year-old daughter had been sexually abused by her uncle.
Officers arranged for the child to be taken to a hospital for a sexual assault examination before investigators began interviewing her.
The girl painted a disturbing picture to police of a night that began as an overnight visit but ended with her leaving out of fear.
The child told investigators she had gone to her uncle's home the evening before to spend the night.
At some point, she fell asleep while sitting on his lap but later woke up to him touching her inappropriately.
The behavior escalated into sexual abuse, according to charging documents seen by ABC4.
A 10-year-old Utah girl slipped out of a relative's home and walked roughly three miles alone through the cold and dark in the middle of the night she feared her uncle would sexually assault her
The girl told police she 'didn't know what to do,' but said she asked him to stop and moved away from him. She then went into a guest bedroom and tried to sleep.
But police say the abuse did not stop there.
According to the child's statement, she woke up again to her uncle sexually abusing her.
Frightened, she asked him to leave the room. As he walked away, investigators say, the man warned her 'not to tell anyone' and told her she 'was his favorite niece.'
Alone and terrified, the 10-year-old waited until her uncle appeared to fall asleep before quietly sneaking out of the house.
Police say she began walking back towards her own home at around 1am, traveling roughly three miles in what she later described as 'dark and cold' conditions.
When she arrived, the girl first knocked on a sibling's window. When no one answered, she went to the front door.
When her family finally opened it investigators say the child 'began crying' and told them what had happened.