A stranded motorist stumbles upon a decomposed body in a remote area near Idaho Falls, last Friday afternoon. Friends and family of a missing mother of two, Susan Powell, begin to wonder if this is Susan. It has been confirmed now that these remains are not Susan Powell.
Dead end trail. West Valley Police Captain Tom McLachlan is still calling it just a missing person’s case. I conclude that with all the evidence they gathered, no firm clues that could point some blame was ever found. That means that whoever did this covered their tracks. The perpetrator concealed what they had done so that the cops couldn’t detect their diabolical deed.
I believe that the West Valley City police actually came very close to solving this mystery, but were just short of something solid enough to make an arrest or declare it a homicide. As I went back over this last night, I felt as if reporters from that Utah area were honing in on what exactly happened.
Read the reports of Brent Hunsaker of ABC 4 News for many details that came out about Josh Powell. Josh rents a car just two days after his wife disappears and puts several hundred miles on it. The cops couldn’t get any GPS data however. In my mind, they missed the most important opportunity (in the whole case) to trail Josh when he rents this car. This could be the clincher, for I believe that Josh RE-HID the body on the 9th of December, then gives that mock-interview about playing S’mores with his kids in the freezing cold.
A neighbor of the Powell’s, Tim Petersen, believes that Josh returned to the camping area (the Pony Express Trail) with the rented car on the 9th. Josh had to return the rented car and get the van back that the police had confiscated, so he got a ride from Petersen. Petersen observed that Powell’s hands were badly wind burned and he even believed that his hands were frost bitten. Josh had a bottle of lotion and rubbed his ruddy hands frequently on the car ride with Tim.
Why was Josh out in the element? What did he do and where did he go with this rented car, two days after his wife Susan went missing? I have my own opinion what he was doing. He was putting the finishing touches on covering up his horrible deed, killing his wife who was rebelling against him, asserting her own independence and formulating a basis for divorce from her controlling husband.
And what was ever made of the wet carpet with two fans blowing on it? A carpet cleaner was near by also. Why? Did they analyze fibers from the carpet? What about fibers in the family minivan? I guess they never found anything. I’ve heard also that Josh was seen at the Duces Wild Strip joint in Salt Lake City on the 7th? And that he made a fool of himself here. Can the WVC police confirm or deny this rumor by questioning witnesses who saw Josh at this strip bar? They claim that Josh said he was having a hard day. Yea, when you kill your wife that can turn out to be a hard day for you!
Exactly what transpired on the eve of December 6th, 2009 is still unclear. I believe that Josh kills Susan in a fit of rage, then hides the body in a temporary location. He cleans up the house thoroughly, and I mean spotlessly, then takes the kids out to a remote location. He’s gathering his wits and constructing his fibs, and doesn’t return until 5 PM the next day. He knows that reporters will be all over him.
Two days later he completes the job when he rents the car. He realizes the cops are not too suspicious of him yet. He hides the body again, (it’s highly likely Josh buried it some place) and completes the cycle of disguising his crime so that he will never be exposed. Now the opportunity is lost! Josh is free, he gets away with murder, but his conscience will be a giant on his shoulders for the rest of life.
