The life of a wife, mother, grandmother,teacher, sweeper, blogger examining the world around her. Warning this blog contains stories ripped from today's headlines and mindless commentary.
Police in Utah are investigating whether the remains of a woman found in Idaho are those of missing West Valley woman Susan Powell. Detectives believe that it is very unlikely that the remains are Powell's.
The badly decomposed remains were found last Friday about 12 miles east of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Idaho authorities "are pretty sure it's one of their missing-person cases from three years ago," West Valley Police Capt. Tom McLachlan told the Deseret News. "They're pretty positive it's going in that direction."
The West Valley police department has named Josh Powell, husband to Susan Powell, as a “person of interest” in the case. Josh Powell has not been arrested for Susan Powell’s disappearance, and detectives say only that interviews with him left “more questions than answers.
Today seems to be a day of updates. I was just thinking about Susan Powell yesterday. I prayed for her and for her sons. I don't know Susan. I just can't help but feel sorry for her sons. I had two sons and I think that my presence in their life helped shaped the men that they became.
I saw that te police have seized Josh Powell's van for the second time. I pray that police find the evidence that will solve the mystery of Susan's disappearance.
Sometimes I wonder if Susan's relatives would be willing to let me interview them. Would they be willing to post something here about Susan. Periodically I try to put something out there on twitter with the hashtag #SusanPowell. I try to link it up to my post that contains the information for the West Valley City Police. I think it's easy for the media to forget a story when new stories appear on the horizon. I don't want Susan's story to get lost. For the sake of her boys, for the sake of her family and friends. I want Susan found and I'm willing to keep trying to help if only I knew what to do to help.
Anyone with information about this case should contact the West Valley City Police at 801-840-4000.
Police found a carpet cleaning machine inside the house last week when Susan first went missing and during the early stages of the investigation. While police could not comment about the reported wet spot they did confirm a carpet cleaning machine was found in the home.
Keep in mind that taken at face value it means nothing. I have a carpet cleaning machine and my husband is still very much alive. It all goes towards the chain of evidence though. Will they find blood in the cleaning machine? Is that blood Susan's? If so how much blood was found?
Josh also rented a car when the police seized the van to search it. Josh wasn’t seen or heard from for nearly 24 hours and their is rumor that he put quite a number of miles on the vehicle. Where did he go? What was he doing? I'm certain that Susan's loved one would like to know. I'm sure a jury would be interested in just where he took the car and why.
Finally we can't forget the notebook or journal that was reportedly found at Susan’s work with entries describing an alleged threat made by her husband about a year ago. The police are quiet as to what it said.
Did it reveal a pattern of abuse? Did it document the demise of a marriage which included violence?
Where is Susan Powell? She has two young sons who love and miss her. Her family and friends miss her and love her. While I do not know Susan I am praying that someone somewhere knows what happened and they will contact the authorities.
If you have ANY information please contact the the West Valley City Police at 801-840-4000.
I was watching the news tonight and heard that Josh Powell is going trying to sell his home. It appears he wants to move to a gated community in South Hill, an area near Puyallup to live with his father.
Later I checked the internet to discover that just yesterday there was a bit of a dusty up between Josh's brother and Tim Peterson a a member of the same LDS church ward that the Powells attend.
It appears he tried to be supportive of Joshua at first. Then he learned that Joshua Powell planned to sell his West Valley City house and pack his belongings for a permanent move to his hometown of Puyallup, Wash., Peterson grew angry and drove to the Powells' home Wednesday to retrieve a playground set he had given the family.
Peterson allegedly said to Josh's brother, "This playground was for Susan and the kids and for their enjoyment. I said, she's not here anymore and you guys don't appear to be looking for her. So just in case you haven't noticed, Susan's gone"
Peterson had been providing marriage counseling to Susan and Joshua previously but they eventually stopped seeing him. Peterson says he encouraged Susan to leave Joshua because he was an energy suck.
When Peterson finally received permission to retrieve the playground equipment his truck got caught in the mud in the front yard and the police were called.
According to Peterson he went by the Powell home two days after Susan was reported missing. Peterson says he observed severe "wind burn" on the back of Joshua Powell's hands and watched as Joshua Powell kept applying lotion to them as they talked in Peterson's front room.
Peterson said his wife asked Joshua Powell about Susan's whereabouts and Powell replied "Well, it's not like I stabbed her."
Where is Susan? The boys deserve that answers. Her parents and friends deserve the answers. Susan deserves peace. She deserves justice. I am still praying that a miracle happens and Susan is found safe and well but of course as the days go by the probability seems more bleak.
One more thing, when I retrieved the video for this post I noticed a post from someone called fleetingdays. This person said "Josh needs help. Maybe, a fund could be set up to help him with attorney fees and money for the move. Susan might be in Washington state."
Is this person kidding? Josh needs help but a lawyer won't be able to help him. God knows what happened and God's memory is long. There is no parole in eternity. I'm not advocating doing something to Joshua but he should realize that our stay here on earth is only temporary. Josh needs help because his two sons will be asking him, "What happened to Mom? Where's Mom? Why did Mom leave us? Didn't Mom love us?"
If you have ANY information please contact the the West Valley City Police at 801-840-4000.
It is a new year and Susan Powell is still not home. Her friends and family have created a Facebook page and a YouTube page to solicit help in bring Susan home.
Susan Powell was last seen at her home in West Valley City, Utah on Sunday night, December 6, 2009. Anyone with information about this case should contact the West Valley City Police at 801-840-4000.
When the police begin taking DNA samples its seldom a good sign. I believe it signifies that the police realize that this is not a case of a wife who left her husband of her own vallition.
Josh Powell, Susan's husband, is now being labeled a person of interest and police believe foul play was involved in the disappearance of a Utah mother of two
Josh maintains that he took his kids camping. It was raining, snowing, and was only 10 to 15 degrees the night he took his kids camping and that's pretty significant.
If you are a mother and your husband said, "Honey, I'd like to take the kids camping tonight. I really have a craving for some S'Mores." What Mom in her right mind would say "Sure pack up the kids and take them out at this late hour. I realize it's raining and cold outside but gosh darn the kids would sure love to do that." I'm sorry but there is just no way I can imagine a woman who loved her children would have allowed her husband to take her kids camping under those conditions.
Several sources told the Deseret News that Susan kept a notebook in her desk at work regarding the relationship she had with her husband. One source said the notebook contained detailed information about threats that were allegedly made against Susan about a year ago.
Anyone with information regarding Susan Powell's whereabouts or her disappearance is urged to call the West Valley City Police Dept. at 801-840-4000.
Just yesterday I read Susan's father's Chuck Cox said, "I'm kind of concerned that all the focus is on him at the present. I mean he’s told his story - believable or not - and I don’t see him as capable of harming her,and the more time spent on him, the less time there is looking at other possibilities.”
So you might ask yourself why does the father want the focus off of Josh. Does he reallybelieve that Josh does not play a part in what happened? Does Susan's father really belive that Josh is incapable of hurting his daughter?
I believe at some level, Mr. Cox wants to believe that his daughter is OK. He wants to believe she will be coming home to those who love her. To admit to himself or even out loud that perhaps Josh is capable of hurting Susan is tantamount to believing that there is a real possibility that Josh did just that.
Hope causes us to blind ourselves to possibilities that what we want so desperately do not want to believe. My heart aches for Susan's father because I can't imagine what it would be like to lose your child. I too would love to believe that this was all a terrible misunderstanding. I think one of the most difficult thing about a missing child is that you are always waiting for the phone to ring. Unfortunately the odds against such an occurance happen hope springs eternal.
Recently the West Valley City Forensic's were at the house for two days removing a lot of objects, small and very large. Obviously they don't see this case as ending well. Notice the father still speaks of his daughter in the present tense.
Not surprisingly, husband Josh, has lawyered up. He has retained the services of attorney Scott Williams. In case his attorney's name sounds familiar it should be. His recent clients include Wanda Barzee, who has pleaded guilty in the 2002 kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart.
Many of her family members and friends were fasting, and praying for her return. I hope their prayers will be answered soon. In the meantime if you have any information on this case please contact the West Valley City Police at (801) 840-4000.
Friends and family of a 28-year-old mother who disappeared nearly a week ago are fasting and praying for her safe return as volunteers post thousands of fliers with her image on it. In addition they have set up a Facebook Account in hopes it will help to locate this missing mom.
About 30 detectives have been assigned to find out what happened to Susan Powell. West Valley City Police Capt. Tom McLachlan says police haven't been able to verify Josh Powell's story because snow had covered the spot along The Pony Express Trail where he said he took the children. It is the snow itself that's impeding the search for Susan Powell.
Please, if you have any information about this case contact the West Valley Police Department at 801-840-4000.
To say the story of missing Mom, Susan Powell is suspicious is like saying Tiger Woods is experiencing some marital difficulties.
Here are the facts as I see them,
* The husband and wife are having marital difficulties. That of course in itself does not mean that something happened to Susan but it does make you wonder in light of the other facts. * Powell failed to show up at her job at Wells Fargo Financial on Monday. Her purse, cell phone and car all were left behind at her home in West Valley City, a suburb of Salt Lake City. Again, a lawyer might argue that with her marriage in a state of disarray perhaps she just took off to get some time alone. Time to decide what she wanted to do with her life. EXCEPT no one who knows her could EVER imagine that she would leave her children behind for ANYTHING. * Susan Powell "left items at the house that you would normally associate if you were going on a trip or going somewhere." Susan Powell's father, Chuck Cox, said his daughter's purse and cell phone were still at the home. * Here's something interesting, Her husband, Joshua Powell, also was missing from work Monday after an alleged weekend camping trip. Isn't that interesting? * Josh Powell told the Deseret News he returned home Monday night after the trip to Tooele County to find a front window had been broken out. He said his wife wasn't home, but he didn't notice anything odd. I know what you mean. When I come home and I see our front window broken out I often think, "Nothing Wrong Here!" Actually the police had busted in the window because family members had couldn't reach either Susan or Josh. Officers went to the Powells' home. When no one came to the door, they broke a window and went inside, fearing a case of carbon monoxide poisoning. "When they broke the window and got in the house, they found my daughter's purse and cell phone on the bed, a wet spot on the floor dried by two fans," said Cox. "And the family was gone." Really? Fans? Wonder what's up with the fans. * Josh had to rush out and buy a new quilt. I gues it could be a gift but it probably isn't. * What's really odd is her husband's reaction to his wife's missing.
Watch his flat affect when speaking of the missing mother of his two children. His fake choking back the tears?
What is important is that there is a woman missing and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that something is wrong, very wrong with Josh's story.
Sadly, police say weather hampered their search of the location where the husband of a missing West Valley woman says he took the couple's young sons camping on the night she was last seen.
Susan Powell is 5 feet 4 inches, 130 pounds, with long, brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information about Susan Powell should call the West Valley police at 801-840-4000.
