Charley Project Susan Powell
In 2009, Susan Powell disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Three years later, her husband, Josh Powell, took his own life, along with those of their sons, Braden and Charlie. To this day, Susan Powell’s body has never been found.
The details of what happened to Susan remain a mystery.
Police/missing person\’sJosh Powell (l) and Susan Powell (r)
Here’s what you need to know:
What Happened to Susan?
The mother of two was first reported missing in December 2009 when the family was living in Utah. Josh, according to ABC News, claimed he had gone on a camping trip in the middle of the night with their sons, a story that Susan’s friend, Kiirsi Hellewell, says she never believed.
Suspicions rose when authorities located Susan’s safe deposit box– in it, they found a handwritten will that explained how “bad her marriage had become and that Josh Powell had taken out a $1 million life insurance policy on her.” The note continued by stating, “If I die, it may not be an accident.”
Josh Powell was publicly named a “person of interest” approximately one week after his wife went missing, according to ABC News.
When police asked the couple’s son, Charlie, about the night before his mother went missing, he said they all went on a camping trip– his mother, included. This differed from Josh’s story– he claimed that Susan stayed behind because she was tired.
Rebecca Morris, who authored a book about the case, tells ABC News, “The children said, ‘Mommy was in the van but didn’t come back with us,’ a pretty significant thing for a 4-year-old to tell a detective.”
Josh Powell Takes His Own Life
In February 2012, according to ABC News, Josh Powell was ordered to undergo a psychosexual evaluation and take a polygraph test.
Before the test could happen, the father of two killed himself and his boys.
ABC writes, “He locked the official out, incapacitated the 5- and 7-year-old children with a hatchet, poured gasoline on them and around the house and then caused an explosion, according to authorities.”
To this day, police have no idea where Susan Powell’s body is.
According to the Standard-Examiner, Josh Powell’s living relatives urged that Josh be buried in the same cemetery as the two young sons he killed.
The outlet added that the Coxes hope to bury Susan Powell there, as well, if her remains are ever found.
In July 2015, Steven Powell, Josh’s father, whose house the boys were taken to after their mother’s passing, admitted to being “infatuated with Susan, guilty of possessing child pornography.” In 2012, he was convicted on 14 counts of voyeurism and later sentenced to five years in prison. He has since passed away.
When the boys were laid to rest, over 1,000 mourners attended. In May 2013, the Cox family was awarded control over their daughter’s estate, according to KUTVZ.
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