We had Dave Cawley, the host of the Cold Podcast, join us for episode 147 and during that episode we decided to do our monthly feature on an infamous Utah criminal. Although Josh was never formally charged, with all the new things that Dave brought to light in his research about the Powell’s for the 18, in depth, episodes of the Cold Podcast we felt pretty confident adding Josh to our list.
December 2009, America became familiar with the name Josh Powell. Josh claimed that he had taken his boys camping on a snowy, winter evening in the west Utah desert and when they got back his wife, Susan, was missing from their West Valley, Utah home. It was the day care that alerted the authorities when their boys didn’t show up Monday morning for care. Over the next 3 years Josh, his father Steven, and his brother Michael would be questioned and under surveillance in hopes that there would be some information about Susan and her whereabouts. What husband move’s their kids out of state one month after their wife goes missing? Josh Powell, that’s who. As a viewing audience we only got a tiny glimpse into the insanity that was the Powell family through the news stories, and after Josh decided to take his life with his two boys in 2012, the story went quiet. It wasn’t until the last few months that Dave Cawley, the host of the Cold Podcast, gave murderino’s, family members, friends, and a community that felt the loss of Susan, a better glimpse into those three years after Susan Powell’s disappearance.
Through Dave’s passionate investigating we’ve learned that Josh was very smart. We learned that he was most likely planning to make Susan disappear but perhaps something happened and he had to make a rash decision which lead to the fateful December 2009 day. Josh treated Susan as a possession. He couldn’t hold a job, he took her money and bought completely unnecessary things. Josh covered things up well, including encrypting his own computer. He lied and created fake Facebook accounts to spy on people with his brother. He was a pawn to his own father Steve, and he kept his children like possessions, just like Susan grooming them, and so on.
From the information that Dave uncovered, Susan knew that her husband would be her demise. From a last will and testament and conversations with friends. There have been endless searches into mine’s, old routes that Josh drove from Utah to Washington and sadly Susan, 10 years later, is still missing. Josh Powell, his brother, and his father all took to the grave what may have happened to Susan. Even though Josh may not have been charged with Susan’s disappearance, he is still a murderer by taking the lives of his own children. We can only follow Dave Cawley’s lead in pledging that we will keep an ear open for those who may be in a domestic abuse situation.
Even though the Cold Podcast episodes on the Powell case is done, Dave and his team’s work isn’t. He continues to release information about the Powell case. Here is a great link to stories that accompany each episode of The Cold Podcast. You can follow them on their Facebook page for more information about the Powell case.
Music By: Folk Hogan; Bootleggers Dance
