unresponsive on the living-room couch. Josh told Owings he was taking his sons out sledding that night, and she left for home.
Susan failed to show up for work the next day, and the boys werenât dropped off at daycare. Neither Susan nor Josh called the child center to say the boys wouldnât be coming, or checked in with their offices. Concerned daycare workers called both parents, but couldnât reach either one. They next reached out to relatives and talked to Joshâs sister Jennifer and his mom, who called police when they were unable to reach the couple. By midmorning Monday, police broke into the Powell home. There were no apparent signs of forced entry nor any indication that the home had been ransacked during a robbery or burglary. Later, they would notice two fans plugged in and running next to the sofa and a large wet spot on the living-room carpet. The rug would later be found to contain âstain patternsâ of Susanâs blood. âSomeone was injured and lost blood while on the sofa inside the residence,â stated apolice affidavit seeking a warrant to collect samples of the carpet and couch. Investigators later also found Susanâs purse containing all of her credit cards, cash, ID, and keys in the coupleâs bedroom âundisturbed.â
Owings was the first to eventually reach Josh on his cell phone that afternoon. He told her he was driving around the West Valley City area with the boys and wasnât unaware Susan hadnât shown up for workâwhich was strange because he drove her to and from work each day; they shared a single car. According to cell-phone tracking later by police, Josh then drove 20 miles south of the city and called Susanâs cell phone to leave a message saying that he had just returned with the boys from a camping trip, and asked her if she needed a ride home from work. Jennifer was the next person to reach her brother:
âWhere are you?â she demanded.
âIâm at work,â he responded.
âYouâre lying. What have you done?â
âHow much do you know?â he asked before the phone suddenly went dead.
Police eventually reached Josh, still tooling around town with his boys, by calling from Jenniferâs phone, and he agreed to meet investigators at his West Valley home. Josh explained when he arrived that he hadnât responded to earlier calls from his family and police because he had to preserve his cell-phone battery, which couldnât be recharged in his car. A detective pointed at a cell phone on Joshâs console, plugged in to the cigarette lighter, charging. The phone belonged to Susan. Josh âappeared nervous and could not account for the phone being in the vehicle,â according to the police report. He was questioned on the scene, then escorted later to the local police station. Josh told investigators that he had decided at the last minute to take the boys camping in Tooele County, a two-hour drive from home, sometime after midnight following dinner, and he had left Susan, safe, sleeping in their bed. Though temperatures were below freezing, and a snowstorm was forecast, he told police he bundled up his young sons for the trip because he wanted to try out his new generator. Pressed about why he would take such a trip just hours before he was due at work, he told investigators he mistakenly believed it was a day earlier instead of early Monday morning when he went campingâand then didnât bother contacting work when herealized his mistake because he assumed heâd been fired for blowing off the day. As for Susan, Josh âdidnât know where his wife was, and didnât appear to be concerned about her welfare,â noted West Valley police detective David Greco in his report of his encounter with Josh. Police spotted Joshâs new generator in his minivan, as well as blankets, a gas can, tarps, a circular saw, a utility knife, latex gloves, a rake, sleds, and a
Susan failed to show up for work the next day, and the boys werenât dropped off at daycare. Neither Susan nor Josh called the child center to say the boys wouldnât be coming, or checked in with their offices. Concerned daycare workers called both parents, but couldnât reach either one. They next reached out to relatives and talked to Joshâs sister Jennifer and his mom, who called police when they were unable to reach the couple. By midmorning Monday, police broke into the Powell home. There were no apparent signs of forced entry nor any indication that the home had been ransacked during a robbery or burglary. Later, they would notice two fans plugged in and running next to the sofa and a large wet spot on the living-room carpet. The rug would later be found to contain âstain patternsâ of Susanâs blood. âSomeone was injured and lost blood while on the sofa inside the residence,â stated apolice affidavit seeking a warrant to collect samples of the carpet and couch. Investigators later also found Susanâs purse containing all of her credit cards, cash, ID, and keys in the coupleâs bedroom âundisturbed.â
Owings was the first to eventually reach Josh on his cell phone that afternoon. He told her he was driving around the West Valley City area with the boys and wasnât unaware Susan hadnât shown up for workâwhich was strange because he drove her to and from work each day; they shared a single car. According to cell-phone tracking later by police, Josh then drove 20 miles south of the city and called Susanâs cell phone to leave a message saying that he had just returned with the boys from a camping trip, and asked her if she needed a ride home from work. Jennifer was the next person to reach her brother:
âWhere are you?â she demanded.
âIâm at work,â he responded.
âYouâre lying. What have you done?â
âHow much do you know?â he asked before the phone suddenly went dead.
Police eventually reached Josh, still tooling around town with his boys, by calling from Jenniferâs phone, and he agreed to meet investigators at his West Valley home. Josh explained when he arrived that he hadnât responded to earlier calls from his family and police because he had to preserve his cell-phone battery, which couldnât be recharged in his car. A detective pointed at a cell phone on Joshâs console, plugged in to the cigarette lighter, charging. The phone belonged to Susan. Josh âappeared nervous and could not account for the phone being in the vehicle,â according to the police report. He was questioned on the scene, then escorted later to the local police station. Josh told investigators that he had decided at the last minute to take the boys camping in Tooele County, a two-hour drive from home, sometime after midnight following dinner, and he had left Susan, safe, sleeping in their bed. Though temperatures were below freezing, and a snowstorm was forecast, he told police he bundled up his young sons for the trip because he wanted to try out his new generator. Pressed about why he would take such a trip just hours before he was due at work, he told investigators he mistakenly believed it was a day earlier instead of early Monday morning when he went campingâand then didnât bother contacting work when herealized his mistake because he assumed heâd been fired for blowing off the day. As for Susan, Josh âdidnât know where his wife was, and didnât appear to be concerned about her welfare,â noted West Valley police detective David Greco in his report of his encounter with Josh. Police spotted Joshâs new generator in his minivan, as well as blankets, a gas can, tarps, a circular saw, a utility knife, latex gloves, a rake, sleds, and a
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