HURRICANE, Utah, May 13, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — A woman who disappeared with her 6-year-old son Monday night after making comments suggesting they were at risk, sparking a missing-endangered alert notice, has been arrested for abuse or neglect of a child with a disability.
Mersadee Ann Jacobs, 34, was charged with the third-degree felony, and booked into the Washington County jail, with her bail set at $5,000. As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, she was still listed among inmates.
A missing-endangered advisory was issued at 3:12 p.m. Tuesday, seeking information on Jacobs and her son, who was described as high-functioning autistic, in need of his medication. According to the alert, Jacobs, from St. George, had last been seen the night before, and had been hallucinating and depressed. The alert said Jacobs had previously threatened to harm herself and her children.
After the alert went out, with a description of Jacobs’ car and license plate, someone reported seeing the vehicle in a Hurricane Walmart parking lot. A Washington County Sheriff deputy responded.
“Upon arrival, I observed the car, a black Hyundai Elantra, was not running, and both the front driver and passenger doors
were open,” the deputy wrote in Jacobs’ arrest document.
Jacobs and her son were found in the car. The boy “was observed not wearing a shirt, sweating profusely, his face was flush and red, and he appeared lethargic, with little energy and was slumped leaning back in the vehicle. Mersadee was also sweating profusely.
“The ambient outside temperature at the time of contact was recorded as 104° from my vehicle thermostat.”
Post Miranda, Jacobs “confirmed her child was autistic. When questioned about the outside temperature, she stated ‘it feels like 112°,’ indicating a clear awareness of the extreme heat. She had the doors open for extra air flow, as the vehicle was not operating to provide air conditioning.
“Hurricane Valley Fire Department arrived on scene to assess the child, whose body temperature was elevated at 99.5°. Deputies on scene provided water bottles to the child, who stated he was thirsty and needed water. I determined Mersadee recklessly placed her child in a position of extreme danger.
“Despite having a residence in St. George which she could return to at any time, and allow for her child to receive air conditioning in a sheltered environment, she drove in circles around the Hurricane Walmart, until her vehicle ran out of gas, and was parked on the east side of the Walmart since 10 a.m., according to a witness.”
The car’s gas indicator was on “E” for nearly empty, the deputy stated. The Utah Division of Child and Family Services was contacted for the child, and Jacobs was placed under arrest.
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