Susan Powell, 28 yo, missing 12/6/09 West Valley City, UT 12/10/09 - 8/17/10#1

[Leroy]

Reward offered for information leading to Susan Powell's whereabouts
December 21st, 2009 @ 12:10pm

WEST VALLEY CITY -- West Valley City police say an anonymous donor is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the whereabouts of Susan Powell.

She was reported missing Dec. 7 when she didn't show up to work and her children weren't dropped off at day care. Josh Powell told police he took his two boys camping around 12:30 a.m. that day and returned in the evening.

If you have information that could lead to the whereabouts of Susan Powell, you are asked to call 801-840-4000.

Josh Powell is considered a person of interest in the disappearance of his wife. He was among more than 60 people who attended a vigil for her Sunday night in her parents' hometown in Washington state.

Susan's husband Josh suddenly left Utah over the weekend. Although he's been called a person of interest by police, Josh Powell is legally free to leave the state.

West Valley City police Capt. Tom McLachlan said, "So far he's given us no indication that he really is a flight risk. He was very free in his communication with his neighbors, who called us, that he was going Washington, the state of Washington, where his family is located."

His arrival in Washington was a surprise to friends of Susan Powell there. They say he was surrounded by friends and family, shielding him from the media at the vigil held there.

Over the weekend, friends and family moved large items out of the Powell home. Police say it is not a crime scene at this point so Josh has the right to say who can come and go from the house and what items can be taken.

Police have said they have already seized everything from the house that is pertinent to their investigation.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9105519

[klaasend]

IMO, Josh no longer has a job or reason to stay in Utah.  It sounds like Josh's father didn't agree with the LDS faith and maybe Josh is now leaning in that way.  We know from reports that Josh felt that Susan was spending too much time with church activities. 

I believe Josh has moved back to Washington and has no plans on returning to Utah.

[MunkeyMunk]

IMO, Josh no longer has a job or reason to stay in Utah.  It sounds like Josh's father didn't agree with the LDS faith and maybe Josh is now leaning in that way.  We know from reports that Josh felt that Susan was spending too much time with church activities. 

I believe Josh has moved back to Washington and has no plans on returning to Utah.

BBM that thought crossed my mind too, Klaas

[Nut44x4]

I don't suppose anyone thought to check dumpsters when she first went missing, eh?

[no rose colored glasses]

I don't suppose anyone thought to check dumpsters when she first went missing, eh?

I'll bet not    But sure hope so.

[Tamikosmom]

I was really hoping there would be some process in regards to the justice process today.

The more I think about the case ... the more frustrated I get.  There are so many red flags that implicate Josh Powell in the disappearance of his wife yet ... it is him that seems to be running the show ... not the investigators.

The biggest red flag for me is Josh Powell's claim that he had the days mixed up.  Logic dictates that Josh is lying.  Aside from attempting to prevent this guy from taking her babies out in below freezing weather to camp in a vehicle ... if Susan had been alive ... she would have been reminding Josh that they both had to be at work in a matter of hours.

I could be wrong but ... I have a hinky feeling that there may be connections between Josh's relatives in Utah ... the Mormon church and ... those within the investigation.  It has happened before in cases involving polygamists.

It appears that Josh Powell has a support base despite the impression that he has nobody on his side in Utah.

Good Night Monkeys.

Janet
10:20 PM PT


+++++++

Reward offered for information leading to Susan Powell's whereabouts
December 21st, 2009 @ 12:10pm

Over the weekend, friends and family moved large items out of the Powell home. Police say it is not a crime scene at this point so Josh has the right to say who can come and go from the house and what items can be taken.

Police have said they have already seized everything from the house that is pertinent to their investigation.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9105519

[Northern Rose]

Police ask why Powell drove so far in rental car

WEST VALLEY CITY — A car rented by Josh Powell two days after his wife was reported missing was returned just 24 hours later with a lot of miles on it, according to police.

"It looks like there were several hundred miles driven," West Valley Police Capt. Tom McLachlan told the Deseret News.

Investigators do not know where the car was taken or where Josh Powell was during that 24-hour period. There was no GPS data stored in that rental car, said McLachlan, who declined Monday to say from where the vehicle was rented.

Powell reportedly rented the car after police seized his minivan — his only vehicle — to be processed for evidence in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Susan Powell. The van has since been returned to Josh Powell.

Questions surrounding the rental car are just a few of many to which West Valley police would like Josh Powell to provide detailed answers. But as of Monday, they say, he continues to be non-forthcoming and has not accepted their open invitation to return to police headquarters for another interview.

Powell has been named a person of interest in the missing person case by police, but not a suspect.


Susan Powell has been missing for more than two weeks. She was last seen Dec. 6. Josh Powell said he took his two young sons camping in remote Tooele County about midnight that night. Temperatures that night were well below freezing.

When Powell returned the following afternoon, his wife was gone.

West Valley police attempted to search the Simpson Springs recreation area in Tooele County along the Pony Express Trail, but their efforts were hampered by fresh snow and the vastness of the area. McLachlan said Monday there were currently no active searches happening.

"There is just no specific area or location you can go to," he said.

But investigators continue to receive tips and are following potential leads. "We're moving forward with it," McLachlan said of the case.

Also Monday, an anonymous donor offered a $10,000 reward for original information that results in Susan Powell being found. No other information about the donor was available.

Two vigils were held Sunday night — in West Valley City and Puyallup, Wash., Susan Powell's hometown — for the mother of two.

Josh Powell left Utah this weekend with his two young boys to spend the holidays in Washington. Neighbors have reported seeing many of the family's items being moved out of their house. Police say Powell is free to come and go as he pleases because he is not a suspect. Investigators do not know how long he intends to stay in Washington.

Friends say Powell was recently fired from his job. They told the Deseret News that he said he was fired because of the attention surrounding his wife's disappearance.

He attended Sunday night's rainy vigil in Puyallup, as did Susan's grandparents, parents and siblings. Josh Powell did not speak to reporters gathered at the event.

Josh came after the vigil had ended and family members were hugging each other before leaving, said Shelby Gifford, a family spokeswoman and a friend of Susan Powell. He arrived with his 4-year-old son, Charlie, and a group of friends who shielded him from others already at the vigil, including Susan's family, with umbrellas, she said.

Chuck Cox, Susan's father, later posted on a Facebook page dedicated to Susan that he wasn't sure why Josh showed up at the vigil. The post has since been removed.

Gifford tried to clarify that statement Monday, saying, "It's not as big a production as it's made out to be."

Josh had every right to be at the vigil, she said. What puzzled the family was why Josh seemed to isolate himself from everyone else except his friends who came with him.

"Josh surrounded himself with friends. No one could speak with him," Gifford said. "There's not two different camps. It would have been nice to talk to Charlie and Josh."

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705353130/Police-ask-why-Powell-drove-so-far-in-rental-car.html

[Northern Rose]

BLOCKED WEBSITE

[no rose colored glasses]

Thanks for those articles, all the warning signs were there, how I wish she would have grabbed her kids and left, but it sure appears that Susan was trying to do the right things for her boys by staying with their father 

[bananas]

Over the weekend, friends and family moved large items out of the Powell home. Police say it is not a crime scene at this point so Josh has the right to say who can come and go from the house and what items can be taken.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Does anyone find this to be an odd thing to do?  I am trying to imagine if it were me and my loved one was missing.  Move out and have my family and friends taking our things from the house?  I don't think this would be my reaction..... I'm just sayin....

[Leroy]

Over the weekend, friends and family moved large items out of the Powell home. Police say it is not a crime scene at this point so Josh has the right to say who can come and go from the house and what items can be taken.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Does anyone find this to be an odd thing to do?  I am trying to imagine if it were me and my loved one was missing.  Move out and have my family and friends taking our things from the house?  I don't think this would be my reaction..... I'm just sayin....

It sounds to me like family & friends were helping Josh move out of the house.  I find that very odd!  However, everything Josh has done up until now has been very odd.

[BooMonkey]

I believe the police will be able to nail him. With the GPS, the cell phone pings, etc. they will be able to track him. If they can find her body, hopefully the cold will help her contain enough evidence to find out how he killed her.

He probably put her body in the back of the van, then woke the kids up, put them in the van and drove away. Being that it was in the middle of the night, the children would have slept through any starts and stops. If he stopped at a gas station for gas or coffee, they will have him on camera. On a full tank of gas, the police still have a determinable radius in which to look. He could have dumped her anywhere, but digging a grave in the middle of a snow storm would not be an easy feat.

He is a self serving control freak. Her independence was the last straw. No one was going to leave HIM. It really does sound like he poisoned her, waited for her to die, then took off to dispose of her. No innocent person acts the way he has been. No break in of the home, the wet spot, the stupid story. It's only a matter of time. But I hope it's soon.

[Leroy]

I believe the police will be able to nail him. With the GPS, the cell phone pings, etc. they will be able to track him. If they can find her body, hopefully the cold will help her contain enough evidence to find out how he killed her.

He probably put her body in the back of the van, then woke the kids up, put them in the van and drove away. Being that it was in the middle of the night, the children would have slept through any starts and stops. If he stopped at a gas station for gas or coffee, they will have him on camera. On a full tank of gas, the police still have a determinable radius in which to look. He could have dumped her anywhere, but digging a grave in the middle of a snow storm would not be an easy feat.

He is a self serving control freak. Her independence was the last straw. No one was going to leave HIM. It really does sound like he poisoned her, waited for her to die, then took off to dispose of her. No innocent person acts the way he has been. No break in of the home, the wet spot, the stupid story. It's only a matter of time. But I hope it's soon.

I agree Boo - it is only a matter of time.

I wonder if he moved her body with the rental car to a lake or river since it would have been difficult to dig a hole in that climate.

[bananas]

I believe the police will be able to nail him. With the GPS, the cell phone pings, etc. they will be able to track him. If they can find her body, hopefully the cold will help her contain enough evidence to find out how he killed her.

He probably put her body in the back of the van, then woke the kids up, put them in the van and drove away. Being that it was in the middle of the night, the children would have slept through any starts and stops. If he stopped at a gas station for gas or coffee, they will have him on camera. On a full tank of gas, the police still have a determinable radius in which to look. He could have dumped her anywhere, but digging a grave in the middle of a snow storm would not be an easy feat.

He is a self serving control freak. Her independence was the last straw. No one was going to leave HIM. It really does sound like he poisoned her, waited for her to die, then took off to dispose of her. No innocent person acts the way he has been. No break in of the home, the wet spot, the stupid story. It's only a matter of time. But I hope it's soon.

I agree Boo - it is only a matter of time.

I wonder if he moved her body with the rental car to a lake or river since it would have been difficult to dig a hole in that climate.

Yes agreed.  I think the police are still collecting evidence and making sure when they arrest him, it is going to stick.  The guy is acting crazier than a loon!

[no rose colored glasses]

I agree the police are waiting for the right time to pounce on this creep, I just hope he is still in the country when it is time 

[Tamikosmom]

Who is financially backing Josh Powell while justice for Susan Powell remains ellusive?

Janet

++++++


The husband of Utah mom Susan Powell who has been missing for a week has hired a prominent criminal defense attorney.
Susan Powell, 28, Feared Dead After Disappearing Dec. 7
By LISA FLETCHER, LEE FERRAN and SARAH NETTER
Dec. 14, 2009

The office of attorney Scott Williams confirmed for ABC News today that he is now representing Joshua Powell, Susan Powell's husband. Williams is a leading criminal attorney in the area and his recent clients include Wanda Barzee, who has pleaded guilty in the 2002 kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/susan-powell-missing-utah-mom-missing-week/story?id=9326774

[no rose colored glasses]

Who is financially backing Josh Powell while justice for Susan Powell remains ellusive?

Janet

++++++


The husband of Utah mom Susan Powell who has been missing for a week has hired a prominent criminal defense attorney.
Susan Powell, 28, Feared Dead After Disappearing Dec. 7
By LISA FLETCHER, LEE FERRAN and SARAH NETTER
Dec. 14, 2009

The office of attorney Scott Williams confirmed for ABC News today that he is now representing Joshua Powell, Susan Powell's husband. Williams is a leading criminal attorney in the area and his recent clients include Wanda Barzee, who has pleaded guilty in the 2002 kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/susan-powell-missing-utah-mom-missing-week/story?id=9326774

I'm going to guess his dad is, but don't really know.

[Tamikosmom]

The tail is wagging the dog.  Josh Powell is calling the shots.

 
 
If Josh Powell was determined a POI from the getgo ... why was this guy not under surveillence?  The red flags were all there.  Something is not right.

Janet

++++++

Police ask why Powell drove so far in rental car
By Pat Reavy
Deseret News
Published: Monday, Dec. 21, 2009 9:03 p.m. MST

WEST VALLEY CITY — A car rented by Josh Powell two days after his wife was reported missing was returned just 24 hours later with a lot of miles on it, according to police.

"It looks like there were several hundred miles driven," West Valley Police Capt. Tom McLachlan told the Deseret News.

Investigators do not know where the car was taken or where Josh Powell was during that 24-hour period. There was no GPS data stored in that rental car, said McLachlan, who declined Monday to say from where the vehicle was rented.

Powell reportedly rented the car after police seized his minivan — his only vehicle — to be processed for evidence in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Susan Powell. The van has since been returned to Josh Powell.

Questions surrounding the rental car are just a few of many to which West Valley police would like Josh Powell to provide detailed answers. But as of Monday, they say, he continues to be non-forthcoming and has not accepted their open invitation to return to police headquarters for another interview.

Powell has been named a person of interest in the missing person case by police, but not a suspect.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705353130/Police-ask-why-Powell-drove-so-far-in-rental-car.html

[klaasend]

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9114913

Police defend pace of Susan Powell case
December 22, 2009

WEST VALLEY CITY -- West Valley City police say they're feeling pressure in the case of 28-year-old Susan Powell, who has been missing since Dec. 7.

Also, friends say Powell told them a year ago that she was worried about what would happen if she sought a divorce from her husband, Josh Powell, who police call a person of interest in the case.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Susan Powell was afraid Josh Powell would try to break her financially and kidnap their children if she left him. She made those statements a year ago. The Tribune reports she even took steps to leave him if necessary, like making a will and setting up a separate bank account. She ultimately decided to stay and work on the relationship.

Meanwhile, West Valley City police Capt. Tom McLachlan says he is feeling heat from the community to make an arrest.

"The pressure is to conduct the investigation of this missing person in a legal fashion where we can get a resolution that will stand up in any court," he says.

In the investigation, police want to know more about a rental car. They tell the Deseret News Josh Powell rented a car two days after his wife was reported missing, then returned it a day later with several hundred miles put on it. Police say they do not know where the car was taken and there was no GPS data stored. Josh Powell has not talked to police about it.

Powell rented the car after police seized his minivan to process it for evidence.

Susan Powell was last seen on Dec. 7, when Josh Powell says he left their suburban home in West Valley City about 12:30 a.m. to take their two boys, ages 2 and 4, camping in freezing conditions. She was reported missing the same day when she failed to show up for her stockbroker job and her children were not dropped off at day care.

[klaasend]

http://connect2utah.com/content/news/story/?cid=68191

Susan Powells Father Wants Answers From Her Husband
Reported by:
Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009 @11:01am

The father of Susan Powell is asking that his son-in law start talking.

Chuck Cox says he's expecting answers from his son in law Josh Powell about what happened to his daughter.

“I would like to hear a credible story. I would like to hear the facts of what happened. What does he know, what does he not know, and if it clears him, that's great because now we can get on to the main focus, which is where is my daughter at,” Cox said.

Josh Powell, is the only person of interest in the disappearance of his wife Susan, who vanished from the couple's home in West Valley City, two weeks ago.

Powell is now in seclusion in Washington State with his father, who lives in Puyallup.

Two weeks ago, Josh Powell says he left the couple's home, with his two sons, ages 4 and 2.

He told police he decided to take his kids camping in a very remote mountain area, in 20 degree weather.

When neither Josh, nor Susan reported to work the next day.

Josh told police at first, he lost track of what day it was--and he didn't know what happened to Susan. Josh said she vanished from their home--without a trace.

Josh Powell gave detectives a DNA sample, but would not answer any more questions. Even though police consider him a person of interest in this case--he is free to travel, but Susan's family tells us they're surprised he showed up at a candlelight vigil for Susan, in Washington Sunday night.

Susan's father says the mystery needs to be solved for his two grandchildren.

“She's got two little boys that miss their mommy right now. And I understand the oldest one has been told that mommy is lost somewhere. That's great, I can deal with that, but mommy needs to come home,” Cox said.

An anonymous donor in Utah has now put up a $10,000 reward. CrimeStoppers is offering another $1,000 for information.