Her husband, Joshua Powell, was considered a person of interest by the police but was never charged.
Authorities believed Joshua killed Susan, with help from his brother Michael, who died by suicide in February 2013.
However, Susan have not been found since then dead or alive
Background
Joshua met Susan Cox while attending a Church course in Tacoma, Washington, in November 2000.
They started dating after meeting at a dinner party in Joshua's apartment.
They got married in April 2001.
Joshua had a bachelor's degree in business and worked at various companies over the years.
Susan, who was trained as a cosmetologist, found a job at Wells Fargo Investments after they moved to West Valley City, Utah, near Salt Lake City.
The couple had two sons: Charles, born in 2005, and Braden, born in 2007.
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| Susan Cox, her husband Joshua Powell and their kids |
After getting married, Joshua and Susan briefly lived with Joshua's father, Steven, in South Hill, Washington.
During this time, Joshua's father Steven became obsessed with Susan.
He often followed her around with a camcorder and spied on her with a mirror while she used the bathroom.
He also stole her underwear, read her journals, and anonymously posted love songs online.
In 2003, Steven confessed his romantic feelings to Susan, which she rejected.
Shortly after this incident, the Powells moved out of state, partly to create distance from Steven.
It's important to note that Joshua and his brothers grew up in a troubled home because of his father's abusive behavior towards their mother.
According to divorce papers filed by Terrica in 1992, Steven exposed his sons to pornography and didn't set clear rules for certain behaviors.
As a teenager, Joshua reportedly killed his sister's gerbils and threatened his mother with a knife.
He also tried to take his own life at least once.
Disappearance
On the morning of December 6, 2009, Susan, Charles, and their young son Braden went to church.
In the afternoon, a neighbor visited them at home and left around 5:00 p.m.
This was the last time someone from outside the Powell family saw Susan.
Initially, relatives reported the entire Powell family missing on December 7th.
Joshua's mother, Terrica, and his sister, Jennifer Graves, went to their house when they found out the children didn't attend daycare that morning.
Unable to reach Joshua or Susan, they called the police.
Concerned that carbon monoxide might have affected the family, the police broke into the house but found no one.
They did notice two fans blowing air over a wet spot on the couch.
Susan didn't show up for work that day, and her purse, wallet, and ID were found inside the house.
Her cellphone was later discovered in the family's only vehicle, a Chrysler Town & Country minivan that Joshua had been using.
Later that day, around 5:00 p.m., Joshua came home with his two sons and was taken to the police station for questioning.
Investigation
During interrogation, Joshua said he left Susan sleeping at home around midnight on December 7th and had taken the boys on a camping trip.
Police went to the area Josua went camping on December 10th, but found no signs of a campsite.
They also found it strange that Joshua would take his young sons camping at midnight, especially when they were supposed to be at daycare shortly after.
Joshua did not tell his boss he wouldn't be at work that day too.
He explained to police that he thought it was Sunday instead of Monday.
When investigators searched the Powell home, they found Susan's blood on the floor, life insurance policies totaling $1.5 million for Susan, and a letter she had written expressing fear for her safety.
Investigators questioned the couple's older son, Charlie, who confirmed the camping trip Joshua mentioned did happen.
However, unlike his father, Charlie said Susan went with them and didn't come back.
A few weeks after Susan went missing, a teacher said Charlie mentioned his mother was dead.
Also, Susan's parents, Chuck and Judy Cox, said that months later, at daycare, their younger grandson Braden drew a picture showing a van with three people inside and told caregivers, "Mommy was in the trunk."
Joshua, A Possible Suspect.
On December 14, 2009, Joshua hired a lawyer regarding the investigation.
Police also said he suddenly became uncooperative compared to when he was interviewed earlier.
By December 24, police believed Joshua was a person of interest regarding the investigation.
On January 6, 2010, a few weeks after Susan's disappearance, Joshua packed his things and moved permanently to Puyallup to stay with his father Steven.
In Puyallup, Joshua lived in a house with his two sons, his father Steven, his brothers Michael and Jonathan, and his sister Alina.
Joshua said he planned to rent out his house and that he moved back to Puyallup because he lost his job back home.
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| Powell family home |
Shortly after he moved, the website SusanPowell.org went live. It was called "the official website of Susan Powell."
The site's anonymous posts defended Joshua, saying Susan's family, his sister Jennifer, and the LDS Church were spreading lies about him.
Other posts suggested Susan might have run away with Steven Koecher, a journalist who disappeared in Nevada the same week.
Some people believed Joshua and his father Steven wrote these posts and were behind the website.
By late 2010, both men said Susan left her family because of mental health issues and went away with another man.
Susan's family did not agree and they said the claim had no proof.
Investigators began looking closely at Steven after a family friend revealed he had an unhealthy obsession with his son's wife.
When they searched his home in 2010, they found 4,500 images of Susan, many taken without her knowing, including close-up photos of specific body parts.
Police also started investigating Michael when they learned he had sold his Ford Taurus to a wrecking yard in Pendleton, Oregon, shortly after Susan went missing.
Later, he ordered satellite images of the yard.
When police located the car, a cadaver dog detected signs that human remains had been in the trunk.
However, DNA tests on the car did not provide clear results.
On September 14, 2011, Utah authorities found what they thought might be a burial site while searching Topaz Mountain, a desert area near Nephi, Utah.
Joshua had often camped there.
They noticed signs of recent digging and soil disturbance.
Despite carefully digging several feet into the ground and sifting through the soil, police didn't find any remains.
Experts also determined it wasn't an ancient burial site.
In late September 2011, his sister, Jennifer Graves said she believes her brother Joshua was "the one who caused his wife Susan Powell to disappear."
His other sister, Alina Powell, had also been doubtful of him at first, but later changed her mind.
She felt Joshua was unfairly treated by the investigation.
In August 2012, police revealed documents that highlighted Joshua's suspicious actions after Susan disappeared.
He allegedly cashed out Susan's retirement accounts, stopped her scheduled chiropractic appointments, and pulled his children out of daycare.
He also talked to his coworkers about hiding a body in an abandoned mineshaft in the western Utah desert.
Joshua was never officially charged in connection with her disappearance.
Joshua's Death and Continued Investigation
Susan's father filed for custody of her children after her disappearance.
A Washington court gave temporary custody of the boys to him, ruling that Joshua had to leave Steven's home to regain custody.
Joshua rented a house in South Hill, but authorities later claimed he never moved in there.
They said he made it look like he lived there so that he could get custody of the kids.
He only got supervised visitations for his kids.
On February 5, 2012, a social worker called 9-1-1 after taking Charlie and Braden to a supervised visit at Joshua's home in South Hill.
The social worker, who was supposed to oversee the visit, said Joshua grabbed his sons and wouldn't let her enter.
Shortly after, the house exploded, killing Joshua and the two children.
Local authorities investigated it as a double murder-suicide, believing it was intentional.
When authorities informed Steven, who was in jail, he "didn't show much sadness about the news, but was upset with the authorities who told him."
Two weeks later, Steven chose not to answer questions about Susan's disappearance, invoking his Fifth Amendment right.
On February 11, 2013, about a year after Joshua and his sons died, Joshua's brother Michael Powell took his own life in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by jumping from a parking garage roof.
In 2012, police questioned Michael multiple times after finding his abandoned Ford at an Oregon wrecking yard.
They said he was evasive about why he left the car there.
Authorities say they now believe Joshua and Michael were involved in Susan's disappearance and presumed murder.
The West Valley City police ended their active investigation into Susan's disappearance on May 21, 2013.
Susan is still missing, but given what happened to her sons, many believe her husband Joshua murdered her.
There have been efforts since March 2018 to legally declare her deceased due to homicide.
In early 2022, a team explored a mine shaft in the Utah desert to search for Susan's remains.
They found several rib bones, potential human vertebrae, clothing fragments, and other items that could indicate human remains in the shaft.
These remains were sent to a lab, where DNA tests determined they were not Susan's; they belonged to animals instead.
Susan Powell's disappearance remains one of Utah's most haunting unsolved mysteries.
Despite a relentless search by her family and law enforcement, her whereabouts are unknown.
The investigation suggested that Susan's husband, Joshua, might be involved, but he was never charged before he passed away.
Since Susan's body hasn't been found, it's extremely difficult for her family and friends to find closure.
We hope that someone who has information will come forward, so we can understand what happened to Susan.
This would bring closure to her loved ones.
[source]
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