In the hot dry and isolated Utah desert law enforcement searchers have found what appear to be human remains. Bones discovered by a police cadaver dog near Topaz Mountain on Wednesday afternoon may be the remains of missing wife and mother, Susan Cox Powell. It is hard to imagine that the remains found may be all that is left of the smiling 28-year old stockbroker that has been missing since December 7, 2009. It is hard to imagine that her pretty white teeth and happy expression may have gone back to the dry desert sand. It is hard to imagine that the loving arms with which she cuddled her two young sons may never again caress them. It is hard to imagine that the man that she loved, married and shared children with may be the person that took her life and left her there alone for nearly two years.
Since his wife’s disappearance, Josh Powell has been “a person of interest”. He is believed to have been the last person to see Susan alive. Powell claims that he decided to take his two young sons ages two and four on a camping trip during a snowstorm with subfreezing temperatures on December 7, 2009. He says that he last saw his wife when she went to bed around midnight. Susan was likely already harmed when Powell took the boys (if he ever really did take them camping). As a mother, it is unimaginable that any mom would allow anyone to take her baby boys on a camping trip on such a cold night and at such a late hour. It is difficult to imagine that she would allow them to be awaken from their sleep and taken out of their warm and cozy beds, it is unimaginable that were she not already harmed that Powell would have been able to awaken both boys and get them out of the house without awakening their mother. Mothers have instincts when their children are in danger even when they are sleeping. Baby boys would have called out for their mom.
What kind of lessons would a father expect to teach his very young sons about camping, surviving or appreciating the experience on such a night? At two and four years old what would his sons understand? The plot thickens because common sense did not prevail. The actions seem deliberate, methodical and in poor judgment to say the least. Since her disappearance Powell has said that his wife was unhappy, often depressed and predictable. He implied that she may have left with another man? His story constantly changes and he shows no emotion or pain over his loss; his eyes are very cold and empty. . He shown no outward signs of distress that the mother of his two young children was gone; he took no ordinary or extraordinary measures to find her. Instead he moved away from the home he shared with his wife and children back to his hometown of Puyallup, Washington.
He is but one of a number of husbands who have opted to dispose of their wives not through divorce but through murder and sadly increasingly dismemberment. They have learned their CSI lessons on murder and disposal well, often their wives are never found. Whether the remains found in the desert or confirmed to be Susan Powell or not, in all probability she is dead. She was likely murdered by Josh Powell and he likely thought he could escape back to his hometown and pull one over on law enforcement. The truth will prevail and he will not be in Puyallup but will be put away for a very long time.
Note: Josh Powell has not been charged with a crime and when and if charged he is innocent until proven guilty. The human remains were found less than thirty miles from the site Josh Powell claims he went camping with his sons.