Ten years later, search for Susan Cox Powell focuses on Utah mines
This undated picture made available by Hardman Photography shows Susan Powell. The 28-year-old mother from the Salt Lake City area was reported missing on Monday, Dec. 7, 2009.
(Chris Detrick | Tribune file photo) Paul Timpson places missing-person fliers of Susan Powell on cars in a Smith's parking lot Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009.
(Chris Detrick | Tribune file photo) A woman places missing-person fliers of Susan Powell on cars in a Smith's parking lot Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009.
(Chris Detrick | Tribune file photo) Susan Powell's parents, Judy and Chuck Cox, hold a portrait of their daughter Susan at their home in Puyallup, Wash., on Friday, Dec. 18, 2009.
(Chris Detrick | Tribune file photo) Susan Powell's parents, Judy and Chuck Cox, pray during a candle light vigil at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building in Puyallup, Wash., Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009. Susan Powell had been missing since Dec. 7.
(Chris Detrick | Tribune file photo) Friends help Josh Powell move his belongings out of his home in West Valley City into a Uhaul truck Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010. About ten people including friends, family members, and neighbors of Joshua Powell arrived at his West Valley City home Saturday morning to help him pack a moving truck headed for Washington. Several people who began putting boxes into the truck shortly after 9 a.m. said they wanted to help Joshua Powell despite questions surrounding the disappearance of his wife, Susan, just over one month ago. Joshua Powell is the only person of interest investigators have identified in his wife's case so far, and police have criticized him for not being more cooperative with their investigation.
(Scott Sommerdorf | Tribune file photo) Searchers coordinate at the command post with Ray Kelsey of the BLM, center, as they plan to scour the areas in and around Simpson Springs Saturday, April 10, 2010. The day-long effort turned up no trace of Susan Powell.
(Al Hartmann | Tribune file photo) Friends and family of Susan Powell put purple ribbons and signs around her home in West Valley City, Jan. 26, 2010.
(Scott Sommerdorf | Tribune file photo) Ultralight pilots prepare to land near the command post Saturday, April 10, 2010, as searchers scoured Utah's West Desert for signs of Susan Powell.
(Rick Egan | Tribune file photo) Judy and Chuck Cox, mother and father of Susan Powell, hold a photo of Susan Powell that has been signed by supporters during an interview in their home in Puyallup, Wash., Wednesday, November 3, 2010.
(Paul Fraughton | Tribune file photo) To honor and remember their friend Susan Cox Powell, her friends and family participated in a story reading activity at Whittier Elementary School in West Valley City on Monday, Dec. 6, 2010. The organizers of the event wanted to bring families together at a casual and happy event instead of a candle light vigil. Volunteer Glenda Riser read children's book aloud in the school gym while children and parents munched on cookies and punch.
(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Investigators from the West Valley City police department search abandoned mine shafts west of Ely, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, as part of the investigation into the 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell.
(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Investigators from the West Valley City police department search abandoned mine shafts west of Ely, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, as part of the investigation into the 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell.
(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Investigators from the West Valley City police department search abandoned mine shafts west of Ely, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, as part of the investigation into the 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell.
(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Investigators from the West Valley City police department search abandoned mine shafts west of Ely, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, as part of the investigation into the 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell.
(Rick Egan | Tribune file photo) Judy Cox and granddaughter Montana Gordon wave at cars as they pass by at a shopping center in Puyallup, Wash., Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011.
(Dean J. Koepfler | AP file photo) Approximately two dozen law enforcement office officers from the West Valley City Utah Police Department and Pierce County Sheriff's Department investigate the home of Josh Powell, husband of missing Utah mom Susan Powell, and his father Steve Powell in Puyallup, Wash., on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011. Two years after Susan Powell vanished, her case has spiraled into a salacious saga of finger-pointing and accusations of sex and lies between two sparring families. She was last seen by her husband on Dec. 6, 2009 in her West Valley City home.
(Dean J. Koepfler | AP file photo) Josh Powell, foreground right, husband of missing West Valley City mom Susan Cox Powell, talks with an officer Thursday at the home of JoshÕs father, Steve Powell, in Puyallup, Wash., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011 A day after officials served a search warrant, officials are taking stock of evidence seized and determining how to proceed next.
(Steve Griffin | Tribune file photo) West Valley City police Lt. Bill Merritt and other police officials pack up following a day of searching for the body of Susan Powell at the base of Topaz Mountain, background, near Delta, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011.
(Steve Griffin | Tribune file photo) Cadaver dogs from several law enforcement agencies in the state are unloaded as they get ready to search for the body of Susan Powell in an area around Topaz Mountain in Juab County about 40 miles north west of Delta, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011.
(Steve Griffin | Tribune file photo) Janarie Cammans gives her cadaver dog Callie, a drink of water as authorities continue to search for Susan Powell in the area around Topaz Mountain in Juab County about 40 miles north west of Delta, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011.
(Steve Griffin | Tribune file photo) Authorities continue to search, with dogs and by ATV, for Susan Powell in the area around Topaz Mountain in Juab County about 40 miles north west of Delta, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011.
(Steve Griffin | Tribune file photo) Law enforcement vehicles are parked off the road as authorities continue to search for Susan Powell in the area around Topaz Mountain in Juab County about 40 miles north west of Delta, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011.
(Steve Griffin | Tribune file photo) Authorities on ATV's continue to search the area around Topaz Mountain in Juab County for Susan Powell about 40 miles north west of Delta, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011.
(Jim Urquhart | AP file photo) Chuck Cox, left, waits to address the media with West Valley City police Sgt. Mike Powell about his daughter, Susan Powell, near the base of Topaz Mountain as law enforcement is looking for missing Utah mother Susan Powell, on Friday, Sept. 16, 2011, 50 miles northwest of Delta, Utah. Powell disappeared from her West Valley City home in December 2009 and hasn't been seen since.
(Leah Hogsten | Tribune file photo) Cadaver search dogs play near horseman from Juab County Search and Rescue that combed a wider path for artifacts along the ridgeline where human remains were found in the Topaz Mountain area. West Valley City Police and forensics investigators were joined by Juab County Search and Rescue Saturday, Sept. 17 2011 in their resumed search in the Topaz Mountain are for the remains believed to be that of missing West Valley City woman Susan Cox Powell.
(Jim Urquhart | AP file photo) Investigators screen soil from a hole excavated by law enforcement where search dogs indicated the smell of human tissue decomposition near the base of Topaz Mountain as law enforcement looks for missing Utah mother Susan Powell, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011, 50 miles northwest of Delta. Powell disappeared from her West Valley City home in December 2009 and hasn't been seen since.
(Jim Urquhart | AP file photo) Investigators screen soil from a hole excavated by law enforcement where search dogs indicated the smell of human tissue decomposition near the base of Topaz Mountain as law enforcement looks for missing Utah mother Susan Powell, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011, 50 miles northwest of Delta. Powell disappeared from her West Valley City home in December 2009 and hasn't been seen since.
(Jim Urquhart | AP file photo) Horses are used by members of the Juab County Search and Rescue team near the base of Topaz Mountain as law enforcement is looking for missing Utah mother Susan Powell, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011, 50 miles northwest of Delta. Powell disappeared from her West Valley City home in December 2009 and hasn't been seen since.
(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Members of Juab County Search and Rescue return from a day of searching near the Geodge Beds on the Pony Express Trail. Law enforcement personnel and search and rescue teams continued to search a remote area approximately 60 miles northwest of Delta, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011 as part of the investigation into the 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell.
(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) A private plane whose pilot volunteered his time landed on the Pony Express Trail during a break in the search. Law enforcement personnel and search and rescue teams continued to search a remote area approximately 60 miles northwest of Delta, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011 as part of the investigation into the 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell.
(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Law enforcement personnel and search and rescue teams continued to search a remote area approximately 60 miles away from Delta, Utah, Tuesday, September 20, 2011 as part of the investigation into the 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell.
(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Law enforcement personnel and search and rescue teams continued to search a remote area approximately 50 miles northwest of Delta, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011 as part of the investigation into the 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell.
(Ted S. Warren | AP file photo) Josh Powell, the husband of missing Utah woman Susan Powell, is surrounded by reporters as he leaves a Pierce County courtroom, Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, in Tacoma, Wash. Powell was attending a hearing regarding a motion for custody of his two children that was filed by his father-in-law, Chuck Cox.
(Rick Egan | Tribune file photo) Jennifer Graves sets up a table for people to leave donations, Monday, Dec. 5, 2011. Friends and family of missing West Valley City woman Susan Cox Powell gathered donations for the Christmas Box House at the Hunter Library in West Valley City.
(Ted S. Warren | AP file photo) The smoldering remains of a house, left, where an explosion killed Josh Powell and his two sons, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012, is shown from the air in Graham, Wash. The explosion occurred moments after a Child Protective Services worker brought the two boys to the home for a supervised visit. Powell's wife Susan went reportedly missing from their West Valley City home in December 2009.
Susan Powell
In the first few days after Susan Cox Powell disappeared, West Valley City detectives traveled to some abandoned mines in Utah’s West Desert.
They lowered cameras into shafts. The images didn’t lead to Powell’s body, but that hasn’t discouraged everyone.
The 10th anniversary of Powell’s disappearance is Friday, and mines remain the most popular place to look for her. Earlier this year, the Utah Cold Case Coalition searched a mine it saw as a candidate for holding Powell’s remains.
Nothing was found, but Jason Jensen, a private investigator who works with the Utah Cold Case Coalition, said more mine searches are a possibility.
“It really just depends on whether the public interest is still high,” he said.
This undated picture made available by Hardman Photography shows Susan Powell. The 28-year-old mother from the Salt Lake City area was reported missing on Monday, Dec. 7, 2009.
Searching mines has never been easy.
First, said Steve Fluke, manager of the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program at the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, no one is sure how many mines there are or where they are. Some mining districts can have 100 or more mines, some with multiple openings.
Once you decide to search a mine, hazards abound. Shafts can be 2,000 feet deep. Rocks and timbers can be loose, Fluke warned, the air may be poisonous, snakes or other wildlife may be inside, and unstable explosives may still be there.
"It's pretty dangerous even if you're prepared and skilled,” Fluke said.
West Valley City police said Thursday that the Powell case remains assigned to a detective.
“Although all leads in the case have been exhausted and the case has gone cold,” a news release said, “we stand ready to act on any new information that might provide resolution in this challenging case.”
(Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Investigators from the West Valley City police department search abandoned mine shafts west of Ely, Nev., on Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, as part of the investigation into the 2009 disappearance of Susan Powell.
As for mines, police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku wrote in an email, “We are happy to cross-reference any mines that are proposed for a search with the list of mines we have already searched.”
Powell was 28 years old when she disappeared Dec. 6, 2009, from her home in West Valley City. Her husband, Josh Powell, told investigators he took his wife and their two sons, then-4-year-old Charlie and 2-year-old Braden, on a late-night camping trip to Simpson Springs in the West Desert.
Besides being a stop along the Pony Express Trail, Simpson Springs is known as an area where mining took place in the 19th and 20th centuries. That’s a reason why abandoned mines remain a popular theory as to how Josh Powell, who came under police suspicion from the first time detectives interviewed him, might have hid his wife’s body.
“He had to have ditched her within that first 24 hours,” Jensen said, “and he was clearly out there. He was spotted out there.”
(Rick Egan | Tribune file photo)
Josh Powell in 2011.
There have been a few competing theories about where Susan Powell’s remains might be. In 2013, for example, her father, Chuck Cox, traveled along Interstate 84 between Utah and Oregon distributing flyers asking the public for leads.
But the idea of searching Utah mines captured public imagination in the early months of Susan Powell’s disappearance. One YouTube video dated July 2010 depicts searchers repelling into the Ironsides Mine Shaft, in the Dugway Range in Tooele County, trying to find her. One man in a harness lowered a few feet before a meter altered him to high levels of carbon monoxide.
In summer 2011, West Valley City police led public searches of a wide swath of desert — from Topaz Mountain in western Utah to Ely, Nev., 136 miles away. One goal was to spur Josh Powell and his late father, Steve Powell, who also was suspected of having information about what happened to his daughter-in-law, into doing something incriminating, but police still focused on an area where Susan Powell might have been taken.
Josh Powell was driving the family minivan on the night his wife was last seen, and a snowstorm fell on Utah that night. That would appear to limit where he could have gone that first day.
“A lot of [mines] are in pretty rugged terrain that you would need a truck or an ATV to access,” said Fluke, whose agency assisted West Valley City police in searching those mines in the early days of the case.
An alternate theory suggests that Josh Powell disposed of his wife somewhere in the West Desert and later moved her remains. That could expand the list of accessible mines — if Susan Powell is still in the West Desert at all.
(Scott Sommerdorf | Tribune file photo) Ultralight pilots prepare to land near the command post Saturday, April 10, 2010, as searchers scoured Utah's West Desert for signs of Susan Powell.
Jensen said volunteers with the Cold Case Coalition took another trip to the Ironsides Mine Shaft this summer. This time, they were able to lower a camera 150 feet.
As one team operated the camera, about 100 people conducted a ground search in case Josh Powell buried his wife in a shallow grave. Jensen said neither the camera nor the ground search yielded any clues.
“That’s not to say he didn’t ditch her in some other mine shaft,” Jensen said.
Approximate location of the Ironsides Mine Shafts
Jensen said he would like to lower a camera into another mine on the Dugway Range, but the Ironsides search showed how expensive and arduous the process can be. Besides purchasing equipment and paying for transportation, he said, the Cold Case Coalition had to organize volunteers and apply for a permit with the Bureau of Land Management.