2 young girls found in refrigerated trailer at scene of Lindon accident, police say

LINDON — A crash in Lindon on Wednesday involving a semitruck led police officers to make a concerning discovery: Police documents say two young girls were inside the semi’s refrigerated trailer at the time of the accident.

A probable cause statement named 28-year-old Jacob Ortell Scott as the driver of the semitruck, and said he was driving from Huntington to Salt Lake City — more than a two-hour trip.

“While investigating the traffic accident, Troopers conducted an inspection of the tractor-trailer,” the statement said. “While a Trooper conducted the inspection, he observed two sets of eyes in the refrigerated trailer.”

The statement said the troopers asked Scott who was in the trailer, and he “looked surprised.” But he spoke with another person who was in the cab with him, then told officers there were two girls in the trailer.

The two girls were reportedly 12 and 14 years old, and officers noted that they had no way of getting out of the trailer from the inside. They didn’t have any visible injuries.

“They were very scared, very nervous. They obviously had no idea what was going on,” said Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Clay Morgan.

Morgan said the girls, driver and passenger were all half-siblings, and authorities did not suspect human trafficking.

“We determined that they are family members. We felt that they were just trying to get to Salt Lake, and instead of trying to find a way to travel safely, they decided that this truck was going anyway, so they put them in the back,” Morgan said.

Authorities noted that the temperature inside the trailer was set to 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and Morgan said the girls had been inside for close to three hours. There was also luggage and makeshift bedding in the trailer.

Scott was taken to the hospital after the accident, then booked into the Utah County Jail on accusations of aggravated child abuse.