December 6, 2009, was a freezing night in West Valley City, Utah. Susan Powell disappeared. She didn't just walk away; she vanished from the life she had painstakingly built for her two young sons, Charlie and Braden. If you ask anyone who followed the case from day one, they’ll tell you the same thing: her husband did it. But the legal reality of who killed Susan Powell is a tangled web of circumstantial evidence, a botched investigation, and a family tree that was rotting from the inside out.
Josh Powell. That’s the name.
He claimed he took his boys, ages two and four, camping in the middle of a blizzard at 2:00 AM. It sounds ridiculous because it is. While Susan’s friends and family were frantic, Josh was reportedly "cleaning" and "vacuuming" his minivan. The police knew. The neighbors knew. Yet, Susan’s body has never been found, and no one was ever charged with her murder.
The Midnight Camping Trip That Fooled No One
When Susan failed to show up for work and her kids weren't at daycare, the alarm bells were deafening. Police eventually broke into the Powell home, expecting a carbon monoxide leak or a home invasion. Instead, they found two fans blowing on a wet spot on the carpet. Josh wasn't there.
He showed up hours later with a story that would make any detective’s head spin. He told West Valley City Police Detective Ellis Maxwell that he just felt like taking the kids to the Simpson Springs area of the Utah desert. In a snowstorm. On a school night.
Honestly, the sheer audacity of the lie is what sticks with people. Charlie, the older son, eventually told investigators, "Mommy went camping with us, but she didn't come home." That should have been the smoking gun. But in the eyes of the law at the time, the testimony of a toddler wasn't enough to secure a conviction without a body or a confession.
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Josh's behavior after the disappearance was a masterclass in sociopathy. He didn't help with the searches. He didn't cry on camera. Instead, he moved back to Washington state to live with his father, Steven Powell, a man whose own obsession with Susan would later come to light in the most disturbing way possible.
The Role of Steven Powell and the Digital Trail
You can't talk about who killed Susan Powell without talking about her father-in-law. Steven Powell was a creep. There’s no softer way to put it. When police raided his home in Puyallup, Washington, they didn't find Susan, but they found thousands of hours of voyeuristic footage he had taken of her. He was obsessed with her, writing songs about her and filming her without her knowledge.
This toxic environment is where Josh retreated.
The investigation revealed that the Powell family was operating on a level of dysfunction that is hard to wrap your brain around. Josh’s brother, Michael, also became a person of interest. He sold his car to a junk yard shortly after Susan vanished. When police finally tracked that car down, they found traces of human blood, though it was too degraded to provide a definitive DNA profile for Susan. Michael later died by suicide, taking whatever secrets he had to the grave.
Why Was No One Ever Arrested?
This is the question that haunts Susan’s parents, Chuck and Judy Cox. Why was Josh allowed to walk free for years?
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Evidence was everywhere, but it was all "soft."
- The wet carpet in the living room.
- Susan’s cell phone found in Josh’s van.
- A life insurance policy Josh took out on Susan shortly before she vanished.
- The testimony of the children.
- The desert "camping trip" in sub-zero temperatures.
The West Valley City Police Department has faced massive criticism for how they handled the early days of the case. They didn't want to move too fast and lose a conviction, but by waiting, they gave Josh the time to destroy evidence and, eventually, commit an act so heinous it overshadowed the original crime.
The Final Act of Cowardice
In 2012, the case took a turn that no one expected, yet everyone feared. After losing custody of Charlie and Braden due to the investigation into his father, Josh was granted supervised visits.
On February 5, 2012, the boys ran ahead of their social worker into Josh’s rental home. He slammed the door and locked it. Before the social worker could get inside, Josh used a hatchet on his own children and then blew up the house using five-gallon cans of gasoline. All three died.
It was the ultimate "F-you" to the justice system and to Susan’s family. By killing himself and the boys, Josh ensured that the secret of who killed Susan Powell—and more importantly, where she is—would remain buried.
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The Cold Case Reality
Today, the case is technically cold, but investigators haven't stopped looking. Over the years, there have been searches in the West Desert, in old mines, and in remote areas of Washington. Every time a new "Jane Doe" is found, the world holds its breath, hoping it's Susan.
What most people get wrong is thinking that Josh acted alone. There is a strong theory among cold case experts and private investigators that Michael Powell helped him dispose of the body. The timeline of Michael's car movements and his sudden disposal of the vehicle points to a conspiracy within the family.
Evidence that points to Josh Powell:
- The Secret Diary: Susan left a "safety box" at her work containing a note that said, "If I die, it may not be an accident, even if it looks like one."
- The Financials: Josh was deep in debt but had increased Susan’s life insurance to $1.5 million.
- The GPS: A secret GPS tracker police placed on Josh's car after the disappearance showed him driving to remote areas of the desert, seemingly checking on something.
What Really Happened to Susan?
While we don't have a confession, the consensus among the FBI and local law enforcement is that Josh murdered Susan in their home on the night of December 6th, likely by strangulation or a blunt force injury. He then used the "camping trip" as a cover to transport her body to a remote location in the Simpson Springs area.
The desert is vast. It’s full of abandoned mine shafts that go down hundreds of feet. If a body is dropped into one of those and then the shaft is collapsed or covered, finding it is like finding a needle in a thousand haystacks.
How to Support the Search and Stay Informed
Susan's story isn't just a true crime podcast episode; it's a cautionary tale about domestic violence and the failures of the family court system. If you want to dive deeper or help keep her memory alive, there are concrete steps you can take.
- Listen to "Cold": This podcast by Dave Cawley is arguably the most thorough investigative work ever done on the case. He had access to Josh's personal journals and recordings. It’s harrowing but necessary.
- Support the Susan Powell Foundation: Her parents, the Coxes, have worked tirelessly to change laws regarding supervised visits in custody cases.
- Report Leads: Even though it’s been over a decade, the West Valley City Police still accept tips. If you frequent the Utah West Desert and see something unusual—clothing, remains, or disturbed earth near old mines—don't touch it. Pin the GPS coordinates and call it in.
- Educate on Domestic Abuse: Susan’s journals showed a pattern of emotional and financial abuse long before she disappeared. Recognizing these signs in your own circles can save lives.
The truth of who killed Susan Powell died in a house fire in 2012, but the search for Susan continues. She deserves a proper burial, and her parents deserve the peace of bringing her home.