Case overview
Susan Powell disappeared from her West Valley City, Utah home on December 6, 2009, after her husband Josh Powell reported taking their two young sons on a spontaneous midnight camping trip in freezing weather. Investigators found her purse, cell phone, and identification inside the home, but Susan was never seen again. Despite extensive searches, charged legal battles, and multiple persons of interest, her remains have never been located.
The final Sunday
The last confirmed sighting of Susan Powell came on December 6, 2009. That evening, neighbors and friends recalled nothing unusual about the 28-year-old mother of two. She spent the day at home with her husband Josh and their sons, Charlie and Braden, then four and two. The family attended services that morning at their local congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Susan worked as a financial analyst and had taken time off during the holiday season. Friends described her as organized and devoted to her children. In the months before her disappearance, Susan confided in close friends about tensions with Josh and concerns about his controlling behavior. She also began documenting her fears in a handwritten will and safety deposit box materials, stating that if anything happened to her, it may not be an accident.
By Sunday evening, Susan was home with her family. What happened in the hours that followed remains the central question.
The midnight camping story
Josh Powell told police he left the family home around 12:30 a.m. on December 7, taking Charlie and Braden camping in the Simpson Springs area of the West Desert, approximately 40 miles southwest. He said Susan stayed behind because she had to work the next day. According to Josh, the trip was spontaneous, and he did not notify anyone before leaving with two toddlers in subfreezing temperatures in the middle of the night.
Josh said he returned home the following afternoon to find Susan missing. He reported her disappearance to police, saying he had no idea where she had gone. Investigators immediately found his account improbable. Susan’s car was in the driveway. Her purse, identification, and cell phone were inside the house. There were no signs she had prepared to leave.
Police questioned why a parent would take two small children camping in December at that hour. Josh offered few specifics and appeared detached during interviews. His timeline shifted in subsequent questioning.
What investigators found at the home
West Valley City police secured the Powell home and began processing it as a potential crime scene. Inside, they found fans positioned near a wet spot on the living room carpet, as if someone had tried to dry it quickly. The spot tested positive for blood, though not in quantities suggesting a fatal injury had occurred there.
Investigators also found that Susan’s winter coat, boots, and other personal items remained in the house. Her work materials and daily necessities were untouched. Nothing indicated she had packed or left voluntarily. Her cell phone records showed no outgoing activity after late Sunday evening.
Josh’s vehicle, a minivan, was impounded and searched. Forensic teams found traces of Susan’s blood inside, along with a shovel, a tarp, and cleaning supplies. Josh said the shovel had been used for a previous project, and the blood could have come from a nosebleed or minor injury. He denied any involvement in her disappearance and maintained that Susan had been home when he left for the camping trip.
Search warrants executed at the residence over the following weeks turned up additional evidence of marital discord. Investigators recovered journals, financial records, and personal writings. Susan had written about feeling unsafe and trapped. Josh had documented grievances about Susan and their marriage in his own records.
The search and the silence
Ground searches were conducted across the West Desert, focusing on areas near Simpson Springs where Josh said he had camped. Volunteer teams, search and rescue units, and law enforcement agencies combed remote terrain for weeks. No sign of Susan was found. Investigators also searched mine shafts, abandoned structures, and bodies of water in the region. None of the efforts yielded evidence of her whereabouts.
Josh Powell refused to cooperate with detectives beyond his initial statements. He retained legal counsel and declined to participate in further interviews or polygraph examinations. He also stopped communicating with Susan’s family, who became increasingly vocal in their belief that he was responsible for her disappearance.
In the months following Susan’s disappearance, Josh relocated with Charlie and Braden to Puyallup, Washington, where he moved in with his father, Steven Powell. Steven Powell quickly became a secondary focus of the investigation. Police uncovered evidence that he had an obsessive fixation on Susan, including thousands of images he had secretly taken of her. His journals contained explicit sexual fantasies involving her.
In 2011, Steven Powell was arrested on charges of voyeurism and possession of child pornography unrelated to Susan’s case. During the execution of search warrants at his home, investigators found additional disturbing materials but no direct evidence linking him to Susan’s disappearance. He was convicted and sentenced to prison.
Custody and crisis
Following Steven Powell’s arrest, Charlie and Braden were removed from Josh’s care and placed with Susan’s parents, Charles and Judy Cox. Josh Powell was granted supervised visitation while he worked to regain custody. He underwent court-ordered psychosexual evaluations and parenting assessments, but his legal position remained tenuous.
On February 5, 2012, during a scheduled supervised visit at his rental home in Graham, Washington, Josh Powell allowed his sons to enter the house ahead of the social worker overseeing the visit. He then locked her out. Moments later, he attacked Charlie and Braden with a hatchet, poured gasoline throughout the home, and ignited an explosion that killed all three.
The murder-suicide destroyed any remaining possibility of learning the truth directly from Josh Powell. It also eliminated the two individuals who might have provided information about what happened the night Susan disappeared.
Leads that went cold
In the years since Susan’s disappearance, law enforcement has pursued numerous tips and investigative leads. Searches have been conducted in multiple states, including Nevada and Oregon, based on information suggesting Josh or his family members may have traveled to remote areas around the time Susan vanished. None resulted in the recovery of remains or physical evidence.
Investigators also examined the possibility that Josh had assistance in concealing Susan’s body. His brother, Michael Powell, was considered a person of interest after inconsistencies emerged in his statements about his whereabouts during the relevant time period. Michael Powell died by suicide in 2013.
West Valley City police have classified the case as a homicide investigation with Josh Powell identified as the sole person of interest. Despite this designation, no charges were ever filed due to insufficient evidence to prove what happened to Susan or where her remains were located.
The documentary record
Susan Powell’s case has been the subject of extensive media coverage and investigative journalism. Her family has remained active in advocating for continued attention to the case and for legal reforms related to custody and domestic violence protections. The Cox family established the Susan Cox Powell Foundation to support these efforts and to keep public focus on finding Susan.
The case remains open. West Valley City Police continue to accept tips and pursue credible leads, though the passage of time and the deaths of key individuals have created significant investigative obstacles.
Where to look next
- Documentary: “The Disappearance of Susan Cox Powell” (Oxygen)
- Podcast: “Cold” (KSL Podcasts)
- Book: “If I Can’t Have You: Susan Powell, Her Mysterious Disappearance, and the Murder of Her Children” by Gregg Olsen and Rebecca Morris
