Wed, Nov 7, 2018
Susan Powell vanished from her home in West Valley City, Utah on a cold December day in 2009. Her husband, Josh Powell had taken the couple's two sons out camping in a blizzard. He claimed to have no idea where his wife had gone. Susan has never been found. Josh was never arrested or charged with a crime, though police suspected he murdered Susan in cold blood. Reporter Dave Cawley has spent years pouring over this cold case mystery. In Prelude, he sets the stage for an unbelievable true story.
Tue, Nov 13, 2018
Josh Powell believed in his own greatness from at least age 5. So why wouldn't any girls date him? Why did his only other serious girlfriend before Susan Cox run away in fear? Perhaps because he inherited some of his father Steven Powell's bizarre beliefs about relationships and marriage. This episode tells the story of the one who got away from Josh Powell, a full decade before the disappearance of Susan Powell made him the focus of a multi-state murder investigation.
Tue, Nov 20, 2018
Susan Cox married Josh Powell after only 6 months of courtship. She immediately found herself under the lens of her father-in-law Steven Powell's video camera. The camcorder even captured Steve's confession of love for his daughter-in-law Susan Powell in July of 2013. She rejected him, not realizing he had stalked her and stolen her journals, underwear and hygiene products.
Wed, Nov 28, 2018
Susan Powell feared for her life. She braced for divorce as her marriage to Josh Powell reached its lowest point in 2008, but worried how he would react. She even wrote a secret last will and testament that said, "If I die, it may not be an accident, even if it looks like one." Josh had learned from his dad Steve Powell's divorce and made preparations of his own. He set up a trust that would give him control of Susan's $1,000,000 life insurance policy in the case of her untimely death.
Wed, Dec 5, 2018
Josh and Susan Powell's daycare provider, Debbie Caldwell, sounded an alarm when the couple's boys, Charlie and Braden Powell, failed to arrive at her home on the morning of Monday, Dec. 7, 2009. West Valley City police detective Ellis Maxwell drew the assignment of locating the missing family that day and discovered two box fans in the missing family's home, pointed at the couch. When Josh Powell returned to Sarah Circle with the boys that afternoon, Maxwell was waiting with a long list of questions.
Tue, Dec 11, 2018
The criminal investigation into Susan Powell's disappearance kicked into high gear on Dec. 8, 2009. Josh Powell frantically cleaned his house and minivan before meeting detective Ellis Maxwell for a tense second interview. In secret warrants, West Valley City police identified Josh as their sole suspect in Susan's presumed kidnapping and murder. However, they narrowly missed their best chance of finding her.
Tue, Dec 18, 2018
Josh Powell went off the grid for 18 hours after avoiding arrest on Dec. 8, 2009. He popped up the next afternoon in Tremonton, Utah. Police soon learned he'd put 807 miles on a rental car. The news media learned of Susan Powell's disappearance and began to hound Josh, even as his own neighbors turned against him. In the middle of all of this, Josh went to a physical therapist and was diagnosed with a rotator cuff injury -- something unknown even to police until now.
Wed, Dec 26, 2018
Josh Powell told a group of his wife's friends and coworkers a year before she disappeared that if he were ever to commit murder, he'd dispose of the body by dropping it down an abandoned mine. That and other clues led West Valley City police to launch an exhaustive search abandoned mines in Utah's West Desert, beginning just days after Susan Powell's disappearance. They kept that effort secret, even as frustrated volunteers launched their own searches for Susan's body across the Great Basin. Now, the full story of the secret mine search comes to light for the first time.
Tue, Jan 8, 2019
Steve Powell sang to the FBI just months into the search for his missing daughter-in-law Susan Powell. Agents tried to warn him that his son, Josh Powell, was likely a murderer and could kill again. Steve's bizarre views came under even more intense scrutiny after West Valley City police discovered he'd written and performed songs about Susan using the alias Steve Chantrey. He had even convinced Susan to sing background vocals for his planned album, "Light of Seattle."
Tue, Jan 15, 2019
Josh and Susan Powell's oldest son, Charlie, started to open up about his missing mommy in 2010 as he attended the Mel Korum YMCA and started kindergarten at Carson Elementary School. Charlie's comments about killing bears and Mormons raised alarm for summer camp counselors and his teacher, Tammy Forman. Meanwhile, West Valley City police took their investigation in a new direction, planning to introduce Josh to a possible romantic interest on a Seattle commuter train.
Tue, Jan 29, 2019
With the wiretap winding down, West Valley police returned to Utah's West Desert with cadaver dogs. They found what at first appeared to be a grave site, but soon discovered it held no sign of Susan. Meantime, digging of a different sort on Josh Powell's computers and digital devices turned up new leads. The FBI and U.S. Secret Service encountered one encrypted hard drive that resisted every effort to view its contents.
Tue, Feb 5, 2019
Josh Powell went to court in Washington in a bid to get his sons, Charlie and Braden, returned to him. West Valley City police warned the social workers they'd found incestuous cartoon pornography on Josh's computer. After reviewing those images, forensic psychologist James Manley suggested Josh undergo a psychosexual evaluation. Meantime, detectives puzzled over why Josh's brother, Michael Powell, sold his 1997 Ford Taurus to Lindell Auto in Pendleton, Ore. just weeks after Susan Powell's disappearance.
Tue, Feb 26, 2019
A jailhouse informant calling himself "Cowboy" provided police with a promising tip early in the search for Susan Powell. He said Josh Powell had spent time with an elusive stripper named Summer. Find Summer, find Susan. Detectives launched an all-out hunt for Summer that stretched on for years, yet failed to turn up any new information. It was just one among hundreds of tips in the Powell investigation that wasted time and resources, never bringing police any closer to finding Susan.
Mon, Mar 4, 2019
West Valley City police made one final push before declaring the Susan Powell case cold in 2013, interrogating Josh Powell's uncle Maurice Leach in Oregon. Meanwhile, Susan's family fought for change, both in the courts and at the Washington statehouse. Josh's mom, Terri Powell, went to court in Utah to argue for her share of the life insurance money. Twice-convicted sex offender Steve Powell died alone from heart failure.
Wed, Mar 13, 2019
Nearly 10 years have elapsed since Susan Powell's disappearance. Her body has still not been found. The investigation remains a cold case. In recent years, Susan's friends and family have focused their effort on sharing the story as a cautionary tale. They hope showing the warning signs of domestic abuse can help others safely escape dangerous relationships. Dave shares his theory on what he believes happened to Susan.