West Valley City family wants focus on missing mother

WEST VALLEY CITY — Josh Powell stood silent in the snowy park, his eyes welling at times with tears.

It's been a week now since his wife, Susan Powell, went missing, and while detectives have found no trace of the mother of two, speculation and theories have mounted among neighbors and strangers on online message boards.

Too much of that talk has been directed at Josh Powell, a family member says.

"There's a lot of speculation," Kirk Graves, Josh Powell's brother-in-law, told reporters during a brief press conference Saturday. "Unfortunately, that doesn't do Susan any good. It's destructive and damaging to what's going on."

Earlier last week, Josh Powell told the Deseret News he had not seen his wife since about midnight Sunday when he decided to take his two sons, ages 2 and 4, camping in the Simpson Springs area of Tooele County.

Investigators said Friday they could not determine whether he had or had not been at the campsite because snow had covered tire tracks and a fire pit in the area.

Powell said he returned home Monday night to find a front window broken out but nothing else suspicious inside his West Valley City home.

There were no new breaks in the case Saturday. "Everything is pretty much identical to the day before," said West Valley City Police Lt. Bill Merritt.

At West View Park, where about 100 people gathered for a candlelight vigil last week, Josh Powell did not answer reporters' questions.

Meanwhile, Susan Powell's father, Charles Cox, flew in from Puyallup, Wash., south of Seattle, on Friday to aid in the search. He spent Saturday morning granting dozens of interviews to media outlets around the country in an effort to keep his daughter's name and picture in the news.

While Cox and Josh Powell shared a brief hug before the prayer service began, Cox said the only conversation he's had with him since his daughter was reported missing was on Tuesday.

Cox didn't attend a news conference Saturday organized by Graves, who is married to Josh Powell's sister. Graves said Josh Powell's side of the family is still hopeful Susan will come home. Cox said he's concerned too much attention is being placed on Josh Powell.

"I'm kind of concerned that all the focus is on him at the present. I mean he's told his story — believable or not — and I don't see him as capable of harming her," Cox said. "And the more time spent on him, the less time there is looking at other possibilities."