Missing / Located Persons > Rocky Mountain: CO, MT, UT, and WY

Missing Woman: Susan Powell--UT--12/06/2009

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Jenn:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20003515-504083.html

Susan Powell Update: Remains Found in Idaho Unlikely Those of Missing Utah Mom

Posted by Caroline Black April 27, 2010 11:38 AM

SALT LAKE CITY (CBS/AP) Police in Utah are investigating whether the remains of a woman found in Idaho are those of missing West Valley woman Susan Powell, who mysteriously vanished on December 7, 2009.
PICTURES: Missing Utah Mother Susan Powell

However, despite some reports speculating on a connection between the body and Powell's disappearance, 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."

Test results on the body could take anywhere from several weeks to a few months. McLachlan noted that the police department there had two missing women cases of its own that were still unsolved, reports the Deseret News.

Susan Powell, 28, was reported missing December 7, 2009 when she didn't show up for work and her two children were not dropped off at day care. Police went to the family's residence in West Valley City, a suburb of Salt Lake City, and found it empty, but did find two fans pointing at a wet spot on the rug.

Josh Powell, Susan's husband, told police that he had taken their two sons, ages 2 and 4, camping around 12:30 a.m. and returned later that evening. He has been named a "person of interest" in this case, but has not been arrested.

Jenn:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/03/grace.coldcase.powell/index.html

Stockbroker vanished; husband left town with kids

By Rupa Mikkilineni, Nancy Grace Producer May 3, 2010 12:00 p.m. EDT

New York (CNN) -- Tom McLachlan, a police captain in West Valley, Utah, felt a surge of adrenalin when he received a phone call two weeks ago from authorities some 200 miles away in Idaho.

A motorist looking for a better cell phone signal had found female skeletal remains on a hilltop near Idaho Falls. McLachlan had a case on his desk involving a 28-year-old stockbroker and mother of two who vanished in December under suspicious circumstances.

Could the body be Susan Powell's?

McLachlan says he now has doubts. The skeletal remains seemed to have been there much longer than Susan Powell has been missing.

"Susan has been missing for five months, so the body is likely not her," he told CNN. "We need to wait until DNA tests come back, which could take up to a few weeks."

Susan Powell's disappearance is the kind of case that gets under an investigator's skin. Right now, police have plenty of suspicion but scant evidence.

Powell simply vanished, leaving her purse, wallet and cell phone behind in her home.

Her husband, Josh Powell, told police she was asleep when he left after midnight, taking their children, ages 2 and 4, on a camping trip in below-freezing weather.

He told police he spent the early morning hours of December 7 with his children in the family van in Simpson Springs Campground, a 90-minute drive from the Powells' home.

Police entered the case that Monday afternoon. The children had not been dropped off at day care and neither Josh nor Susan Powell had shown up at work. No one had heard from them.

"We were concerned that the family was in the house and some accident, maybe a gas leak, had injured them," said McLachlan. "So we broke into the home when no one answered the door."

Police sources told CNN that officers found a large wet spot on the carpet in the home. It was being dried by two fans, they said, but would give no further details.

West Valley police say Josh Powell is the only person they are looking at, but they are not calling him a suspect in his wife's disappearance. They say they have no physical evidence of foul play.

CNN called several times seeking comment from Josh Powell and his attorney, Scott Williams. The phone calls were not returned.

Police say they have been unable to confirm Powell's story about the camping trip. They searched the campground, but any potential evidence had been covered by heavy snow.

Police characterize Josh Powell as being uncooperative, saying he would not lead them to the exact location of the camp site. In January, he packed up his belongings and moved with the children to his parents' home in Puyallup, Washington.

Susan Powell's father, Charles Cox, told CNN she is not the kind of person who would go off on her own without contacting her family.

"She would never leave those two children behind," Cox said.

Susan Powell's father says there was trouble in the marriage, with financial pressures being the primary issue between the couple. Josh had been unemployed until just before his wife disappeared.

In the months leading up to her disappearance, Susan Powell had talked about getting a divorce, family and friends told CNN. They asked that their names not be published because the investigation is ongoing.

Police are asking for the public's help in solving this case. Susan Powell stands 5-foot-3, is 130 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Susan Powell is asked to call the West Valley Police Department tip line at (801) 840-4000. An $11,000 reward is offered.

Jenn:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700039922/Family-hopes-billboard-leads-to-info.html

Missing woman Susan Cox Powell family hopes billboard leads to information

By Amy Joi O'Donoghue   Deseret News  Published: Monday, June 14, 2010 1:13 a.m. MDT



PUYALLUP, Wash. — The family of a West Valley woman missing since December is hopeful a billboard that bears her picture and a phone number will provide new information in a case that had led to more frustration than answers.

The billboard was installed on Washington's state Route 161 near the home of Susan Cox Powell's parents, Chuck and Judy Cox. The billboard features information about the mother of two and a photograph of her that was taken by her father.

"The purpose of the billboard is to remind the public that Susan is still missing. We continue to look for her, and we are asking for the public's help with that," Chuck Cox said.

"Susan's story has been kept alive with the help of local, national and social media, and the Cox family is especially grateful to Clear Channel for their contribution to the search for Susan," added Shelby Gifford, Cox family spokeswoman.

In February, the family announced the formation of the Susan Cox Powell Foundation — www.susancoxpowellfoundation.org — which is dedicated to helping others bring their missing loved ones home. The Susan Cox Powell Foundation's motto is "Hope — Pray — Help."

Jenn:
Charley Project Profile for Susan: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/powell_susan.html

LoriDavis:
http://technorati.com/blogging/article/social-media-increasingly-aids-hunt-for/

Social Media Increasingly Aids Hunt for Missing Americans
Author: John Egan
Published: September 03, 2010 at 9:43 am

Sept. 3 should be a happy day for friends of Lisa Stone of Dallas. It’s Stone’s birthday—a day that should be filled with cake and birthday cards and laughter and memories.

Instead, with Stone’s 52nd birthday upon them, friends are searching for her. She’s been missing since June 4.

But rather than let their anguish get the best of them, Stone’s loved ones have held prayer vigils and spread the word about the missing woman. Social media tools like Facebook and Twitter have proved invaluable for the effort to find Stone (photo).

In an August 2009 article, the Chicago Tribune noted:

“In the rapidly changing digital age, the same social networking sites that often are derided as places to trade gossip and waste time are increasingly being used to solve crimes and aid police in the hunt for missing persons. Yet police and private investigators say they’ve only begun tapping into the resources on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, where millions of people from around the world instantly share information at the click of a button.”

One of the most powerful tools in the Stone outreach arsenal has been Facebook. More than 1,800 people are members of a Facebook page dedicated to finding Stone. Through the FundRazer tool on Facebook, leaders of the “Looking for Lisa Stone” campaign are raising money to pay for an independent investigation into her disappearance.

Several videos about Stone’s disappearance are posted on YouTube.

“It has been 3 months now and the trail ... is growing cold ... so, we must find answers NOW!” longtime friend Tina Wiley wrote on Facebook.

Wiley isn’t the only loved one turning to social media for help in finding a missing person. Each day, about 2,300 Americans are reported missing.

Family and friends have organized search efforts online to hunt for Clay Branham, 30, of Ely, Nev., who was last spotted July 17 checking out of a lodge in Kanah, Utah. Branham remains missing.

The “Finding Clay Branham” search group has more than 3,000 friends on Facebook.

In January, friends and family of Susan Powell launched a 72-hour social media blitz—through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube—in hopes of finding the missing stockbroker and mother of two from Utah. Powell, 28, was last seen at her home in West Valley City on Dec. 6, 2009.

Powell’s Facebook page has more than 46,000 members. The search for Powell continues.

Earlier this year, her friends and family established the Susan Cox Powell Foundation, in part “to assist families of missing persons by providing no-cost strategic media consulting services to ensure that their loved one’s face and name remain in the public eye as long as possible.” The foundation says on its website: “Susan’s legacy is service. Her example of providing for others and loving her friends and family through their trials has set the standard for the foundation which bears her name. We share her desire to help others and to provide service to those who experience the painful ordeal of a missing loved one.”

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