Susan Powell -- Missing 12/7/09

Just like Scott Peterson( attending vigils) except he wants the children. Susan's father knows he can not bad mouth him for now as he has those two beautiful boys. When asked if he thought they were safe with the father he said yes but you could see the worry. I would be terrified he would do something to them as well. My heart breaks for them. Hopefully they willfind her soon
so they can get those boys into safe arms.

I honestly expected her husband to be under arrest by now. kh

The husband of a missing Utah woman rented a car two days after his wife was reported to have disappeared, logging hundreds of miles on the vehicle as police try to determine where he traveled, the Deseret News reported.

Police in West Valley City, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, say that Joshua Powell — a person of interest in his wife's disappearance — rented the car for 24 hours while police had his minivan in custody to process it for evidence.

Police are now looking into where Powell drove during that 24-hour period because the car lacked a GPS tracking device but had "several hundred" extra miles on it when he returned it to the rental car company, the Deseret News reported.

Police did not hear from the 34-year-old Powell during that period of time, the paper reported. His minivan has since been returned to him by police and he has not been named a suspect in his wife Susan's disappearance.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,580882,00.html

The police should have had a tail on him at all times. If he did kill Susan, he could have used the minivan to move her body hundreds of miles away from where he originally dumped it.

My thoughts exactly, J4A.......he moved her body. Hopefully there is DNA or fibers to be found in the rental.

Everytime I log on and there is a new entry to this thread I hope that they found her. And every day I am disappointed.

i am with you on that dis..

everytime i log on, i think they have arrested this ahole...hasnt happened yet..

i will check back tomorrow, and maybe then...

Salt Lake City, Utah—E-mails from missing mother Susan Powell to her friends have now been turned over to investigators and reported in Salt Lake Newspapers.

The e-mails say she lives in fear that her husband might kidnap her two boys, divorce her, or worse. The e-mails were written last year, when her friends say her marriage was at its lowest point. Susan writes that her Husband Joshua is very controlling.

Susan was reported missing December 7th. Two days later, police confiscated the family’s van to search for evidence. It was the couple’s only vehicle, but when husband Joshua went to the Salt Lake Airport, to rent a car, it somehow took investigators by surprise.

Capt. Tom McLachlan, West Valley City Police Department: “We were unaware that he had gotten a rental car and was on the move. He had that rental car for 24 hours, or less.“

In that short time Joshua drove more than 200 miles.

Mike von Fremd, reporting: “Just what he did with the rental car, and where he drove it, is one of many questions investigators want answered. Police have not filed any charges, but investigators are learning painful personal details about a missing mother who in her own words, feared her husband.“

http://www2.wjbf.com/jbf/news/national/article/missing_utah_mom_investigation_focusing_on_car_her_husband_rented_e-mails/46896/

if that were MY sister.. i dont think i would be SAD...

i would be PISSED..

please tell me they are going to arrest this "man" soon.. i pray the children are safe.

Police scaling back search for Susan Powell: Family asking for "acts of kindness"


This Christmas Eve West Valley Police confirm that they will scale back their investigation for Susan Powell over the holiday. Meanwhile, family and friends of Susan are asking for people to step up and doing something nice for someone else in her honor.

Detectives have been working around the clock since December 7th searching for answers in Susan's disappearance. Captain Tom McLachlan said some of his investigators will take tomorrow off to spend time with their families.

Yesterday, Susan's family sent out a press release asking those who want to honor Susan to go out and do some "acts of kindness" for others. People went straight to work donating to families in need.

There are also questions surrounding some of the anonymous emails that have been reported from Susan saying she would never commit suicide and that she was afraid of her husband. Police won't discuss any emails or other evidence gathered in this investigation.



http://www.abc4.com/content/news/state/story/Police-scaling-back-search-for-Susan-Powell/KiChmFmN1EO058JXV6PYww.cspx?rss=1451

Constant new leads coming in over Susan Powell case

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Police are getting new leads in the case of missing West Valley woman Susan Powell. And that’s bringing comfort to her family and one of Susan's closest friends.

Police are staying tight lipped about any new findings coming in; in fact ABC 4 has learned the search warrants for the Powell home have now been sealed off. But police are saying they're constantly getting new tips.

It's now been three weeks, and no sign of Susan Powell. Hope of finding her since she disappeared from her West Valley home may seem bleak, but police said fresh leads are coming in all the time.

“It's been a continuous stream,” said Capt. Tom McLachlan, West Valley Police.

In fact, police said they're getting tips about Susan's disappearance from all sorts of sources.

“People have called in leads, we get leads over the internet, some of them have information that we deem as high priority and some of them have lower priority, but we follow up on everyone of them,” said McLachlan.

Susan's family and one of her closest friends Kiirsi Hellewell said they're encouraged from the constant energy police are getting in the case.

“Because I know they're working hard, but it's nice to hear confirmation of that, that the case is still going on, and they're still looking,” said Kiirsi Hellewell, Susan Powell’s best friend.

Hellewell said she's also finding comfort through the internet.

“People all over the country and all over the world are constantly sending messages saying we're praying for you guys, we're posting her flyer even here in Europe, don't give up, keep going, we believe that she'll be found, and it's really encouraging,” she said.

But right now police said everything that's coming in about Susan hasn't changed the nature of the case.

“This is a suspicious missing person’s case, but like I say it's still a missing person’s case,” said McLachlan.

One thing Susan's friends and family are doing to help police keep up the constant stream of new leads is they're planning a media blitz in the next few days to get Susan's picture in every house in America.

http://www.abc4.com/content/news/state/story/Constant-new-leads-coming-in-over-Susan-Powell/Z7bSW8RIuEyo0IDQQ4AL0g.cspx

Search warrants relating to missing Utah Mom sealed
Search warrants in the case of a 28-year-old Utah woman missing for three weeks have been sealed.

SALT LAKE CITY, Ut. (KKCO) - Search warrants in the case of a 28-year-old Utah woman missing for three weeks have been sealed.

Susan Powell was last seen Dec. 7, when her husband Josh Powell says he left their suburban home in West Valley city about 12:30 a.m. to take their two boys camping in freezing conditions.
Click here to find out more!

She was reported missing the same day when she failed to show up for her stockbroker job and her kids weren't dropped off at day care.

Josh Powell returned later that evening to find his wife missing. He has been named a person of interest in the case, but not a suspect.

Police have searched the Powell home and van. The 3rd District Court Clerk's office said Monday that the search warrants have been sealed by a judge.


Warrants sealed in Susan Powell case, newspaper plans challenge
Court » The Tribune, in a motion it intends to file today, wants to have that information made public.

Police and prosecutors don't want the public to know what they took from Susan Powell's house and husband.

State court clerks on Monday confirmed search warrants in the Powell case have been sealed. A lawyer for The Salt Lake Tribune said Monday the newspaper plans to file a motion today to have those warrants disclosed.

"Public access helps ensure accuracy, accountability and fairness in the court systems simply because it is a lot easier for abuses to occur in secret than in the light of day," Tribune attorney Michael O'Brien said Monday. "Access is especially important in prominent cases, such as the Powell case, because the public is paying more attention to how well the court and law enforcement systems work in such cases."

West Valley City police referred comment to prosecutors. A spokesman for the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office declined to comment.

Police have said they executed three search warrants in the Powell case. Two warrants were to search the Powell home and van; one warrant was to draw blood and other biological samples from her husband, Joshua Powell.

Search warrants in Utah typically include written statements by police officers explaining why they have cause to search. After a search warrant is executed, it is returned to a courthouse with an inventory of what police seized. The warrant and inventory log are made public 20 days later.

Brian Barnard, a Salt Lake City attorney who in 2004 sued the state court system over its handling of search warrants, said law enforcement can only seal a search warrant by showing a judge disclosure would harm an investigation. That might mean tipping off coconspirators or identifying a police informant, Barnard said.

But Barnard said it's rare for law enforcement to seek such seals because word of the search usually spreads.

"The proverbial cat is out of the bag to someone," Barnard said.

Susan Powell was reported missing on Dec. 7. Joshua Powell said he took their two sons, Charlie, 4, and Braden, 2, on a camping trip in Utah's snowy west desert the previous night. Susan »Powell's friends and family have acknowledged their marital problems, but have also said she would never leave her children.

Family spokeswoman Shelby Gifford said Chuck and Judy Cox, Susan Powell's parents, spoke with police investigators Monday and were told there were no new developments in the three-week-old case.

The Coxes, who live in Pullayup, Wash., were able to see their grandsons on Christmas and hope to have another visit soon, Gifford said. Joshua Powell traveled to Washington before Christmas with the boys and is staying with his father, who also lives there.

Gifford said Chuck Cox will stay in Pullayup to care for his wife Judy, who is not in good health, until there is a "reason or role" for him to fill by returning to Utah.

Gifford said that West Valley City police are receiving dozens of leads a day and are devoting "unfathomable" hours to running those tips down.

"We feel like we're trying to put together a puzzle without all the pieces," Gifford said. "Until we get all that information, we are going to proceed and take actions as though Susan is being held some place against her will, and doing whatever we can to help the police department."

She said many individuals and groups have offered to help search or loan equipment that could be used in a search. Gifford said the family is asking that such efforts be coordinated with the West Valley City Police Department so as to not jeopardize any future court case.

Kiirsi Hellewell, one of Susan Powell's best friends, responded in a post on her personal blog Monday to criticism that there has been no coordinated search for the missing mother.

"There are things the general public has never even thought of about this investigation," Hellewell wrote.

Hellewell said in her post she has reasons for believing that Susan "has been taken against her will and is most likely not in the state of Utah. This is why I personally am not out searching the desert or mountains with my three little kids. I won't waste my time or resources fruitlessly looking for someone who may not even be in the state. Instead, what I believe to be the greatest help here is the vast power of the Internet."

Hellewell also helps run a Facebook page dedicated to the effort to find Susan Powell.

"I believe and hope that Susan is still alive," she wrote. "And even if she isn't, I also believe that someone, somewhere, knows or has seen something that will help us find her. So yes, I believe I am not wasting my time by doing everything I can do -- especially online -- to spread her name and picture to the far corners of the globe."

The Friends and Family of Susan Powell site is organizing a social media blitz Jan. 4-6 to spread word about the missing woman.


http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_14082069

I pray to God she is ok. It doesn't look good though. Peace be with her family. I hope they at least get enough evidence to prove who is involved, I don't think any of us would be surprised if it is her husband.

The only thing else I can say is....Those poor boys! They are probably so confused that their Mommy is not there. What a horrible thing for a kid to face at Christmas. Everyone knows when kids are little they favor their Mom. How sad....they need her right now...I hope she is found soon. One way or the other, I hope she is found, I don't want those boys to ever think that she left them.

Social Media Plays a Major Role in Susan Powell Case

http://newsblaze.com/story/20091230091524kays.nb/topstory.html

New information in the missing persons case of Susan Powell is scarce. Speculation on the internet and TV suggests that the West Valley Police are carefully making their case. This kind of media blitz is nothing like anything that they have ever experienced. They feel the pressure and must get it right, a picture perfect investigation.

State court clerks confirmed on Monday that search warrants in the Powell case have been sealed. The Salt Lake Tribune has filed a motion to have the warrants opened. Michael O'Brian, a Tribune attorney, said: "Access is especially important in prominent cases, such as the Powell case, because the public is paying more attention to how well court and law enforcement systems work in such cases." (Warrants sealed in Susan Powell case, newspaper plans challenge by Nate Carlisle and Brooke Adams-The Salt Lake Tribune-12/29/2009)

The police had issued three search warrants, two were at the Powell home and one was to draw blood and other biological samples from 'the person of interest,' husband Joshua Powell. The contents of the warrants should be made public after 20 days, but the tension is mounting to make an arrest. (ibid-The Salt Lake Tribune)

The DNA tests and other tests from the lab will take a long time to produce results. I read that the Salt Lake City lab is understaffed, and they are under pressure to 'get it right.' Remember how Johnny Cochran nailed the L.A. prosecutors when he proved that the chain of evidence was tainted? Prosecutors must be able to demonstrate every move, every change in the providence of evidence.



Last night on the HLN show Issues with Jane Velez Mitchell (guest host last night) one guest suggested that the West Valley Police have other 'persons of interest,' besides Josh Powell. I don't see any way that there could be anyone else? Perhaps this is just a strategy by the police to get Josh's guard down, to make him calm down and possibly say the wrong thing.

This coming Monday, January 4th, the Friends of Susan Powell hope to organize a ribbon campaign to accompany a social media blitz. Kiirsi Hellewell, a close friend of Susan's, is organizing the ribbon campaign, and says that lavender and sage green were Susan's favorite colors. The social media blitz will last for 72 hours and will utilize Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. (Ribbon campaign planned for Susan Powell by Pat Reavy-Deseret News-12/29/2009)

We have never witnessed this type of coverage for a missing persons case. We now have more social media than ever before. Think back on the Scott Peterson case, for example. And people from all over the world want to get involved. Everyone is their own Sherlock Holmes, Johnny Cochran or Walter Cronkite.

I have seen up to 40 or 50 (even 100) comments on many of the Susan Powell articles that I have read. It's almost getting to be 'social network vigilantism' though? The West Valley Police must be quaking from the tremendous pressure? I myself am afraid they'll drop the ball. Some facts have just disappeared, like the two fans on the wet spot. Is this now a three ring circus' that is spinning out of control?

I am linking the full six minute pristine 'navy blue cap' interview with Josh Powell, that was conducted on December 10th. After each viewing it takes on different meanings.



John Kays identifies timeless remnants from our past that will endure, or be admired by future generations.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9261687

By Shara Park

WEST VALLEY CITY -- After spending weeks in Washington with his family, the husband of Susan Powell returned to Utah to pack up and move out of the state for good.

West Valley City police say Powell has the right to move out of the state because he is not a suspect in his wife's disappearance.

"Legally he has that freedom of movement," said Capt. Tom McLachlan with the West Valley City Police Department.

Friends and neighbors who have been searching for Susan Powell say her husband's decision to leave the home where she was last seen is frustrating. Neighbors say Josh's decision to move to Washington is a little unexpected.

Police say the move doesn't really affect their investigation, because he's been uncooperative the whole time.

"Whether or not he's up there talking to us or down here not talking to us, it really doesn't make that much difference," McLachlan says.

It's been exactly one month since the disappearance of 28-year-old Susan Powell and police say they still have yet to formally talk to the one person who saw her last.

"We would love to talk to Joshua and we would love to verify what he has initially told us, but he has removed himself from our ability to do that," says McLachlan.

Josh Powell has been called the only person of interest in his wife's disappearance, but police say that doesn't mean he is required to stay in Utah. Close to three weeks ago he took his two boys to Washington state to stay with his dad for the holidays, but has now decided to make that permanent.

"I was really surprised because that's his wife," says neighbor Betty Trujillo.

Trujillo doesn't agree with Josh's decision to move. As one who has been searching for Susan, she feels he should be doing the same.

"You would think he would be out there searching for her and waiting for her to come home," Trujillo says. "If anything you're going to be there for her and with him leaving that's surprising to me."

Trujillo watched as Josh returned to his West Valley City home Wednesday. She says he and his brother pulled into his garage and shut the door. She says his brother finally emerged from the house later that afternoon, when Tim Peterson showed up to remove a swing set from the backyard.

"He's not looking for his wife. That much I know," Peterson told KSL Wednesday. "I just want to make sure I get my playground, OK, so I can give it to someone else in the ward."

Peterson did not get the swing set back. Powell's brother called police and reported he was trespassing.

Josh's presence back in the neighborhood is another reminder to neighbors that Susan is still out there. Trujillo says even though it's been a month, her disappearance is still fresh in her mind.

"To me it does, I think it's going to be until we find her," she says.

Police say the recent media blitz to help find Susan has resulted in dozens of calls. They wouldn't say whether or not any of them were credible leads into her disappearance, but they did say they still have several tips to follow up on.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,582388,00.html?test=latestnews

Huh????

kh

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_14203941

By Sheena McFarland

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated: 01/15/2010 10:20:40 PM MST

The father of Susan Powell, a missing West Valley City woman, told followers of a Facebook page that police recently have received results on some forensic evidence in the case.

Chuck Cox posted on the Friends and Family of Susan Powell Facebook page that some, but not all, forensic evidence is in, but added that police won't comment on any specifics as "it could impact the ongoing investigation."

Several calls to the West Valley City Police Department went unreturned Friday night.

On the Facebook page, Cox wrote that although the missing 28-year-old woman's husband, Josh Powell, has moved to Washington with his two young sons, the West Valley City Police Department is still hard at work.

"If anything, it provides more determination and more law enforcement officers, because we have law enforcement in Washington State also," Cox wrote.

However, there's "still no cooperation or help from Josh [Powell]" he wrote.

Cox asked people to continue to pray for his daughter.

"We are still confident that Susan will be found, and very hopeful that she will be found alive," he wrote. "Make sure that people know she is still missing and make sure no one gives up hope."