Press Release from West Valley Police Department

For the first time since Susan disappeared, the West Valley Police Department (WVPD) has put out a press release on the status of Susan’s case.

Here it is, as posted on the Friends and Family of Susan Powell Facebook group:

Good Afternoon and please allow me a brief moment to introduce myself to everyone here. I am Robert Bobrowski, a detective sergeant with the West Valley City Police Department and the supervisor responsible for the dedicated team of detectives assigned to the disappearance of Susan Powell.

I will attempt to post a message from our department on a regular basis and if you need to contact me please email me at robert.bobrowski@wvc-ut.gov. If appropriate, I will do my best to provide you with a timely response.

On behalf of Police Chief Thayle “Buzz” Nielsen, the investigative team and the police department, I am posting the following release:

The disappearance of Susan Powell is still the top priority for the West Valley City Police Department. To date the department has dedicated over 5000 hours to investigating Susan’s disappearance and has involved numerous outside agencies including federal, local and out of state to assist us in our efforts. Investigators have received and investigated hundreds of tips from the public and continue to receive more information daily.

The West Valley City Police Department would like the public to know that we appreciate their response to our continued requests for information that might help us find Susan.

The department, with the help of trained professionals, has conducted numerous searches of the area where Joshua Powell stated that he went camping the night of Susan’s disappearance. These searches have included aerial searches, ground searches and searches of the mines in and around the Simpson Springs area.

As we have from the beginning of this investigation, we would encourage anyone with information that might be pertinent to the disappearance of Susan Powell to call the West Valley City Police Department at 801-840-4000.

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Support for Susan

Susan’s father, Chuck Cox, posted this note on the Friends and Family of Susan Powell Facebook group yesterday:

Thank you all for sticking around. I know your lives go on and many things compete for your time and attention. We have not given up and we wish we could provide some new encouragement, or information. However at this time, we have nothing to offer except our gratitude for your prayers and support. We continue to pray for those searching for Susan, and for those with information to come forward. We pray for her safe return and if that is not possible for the truth to be made known. We know our daughter is being watched over by a loving Heavenly Father and trust that she will be found and there is a good reason why she has not been found. We know that the Police and all of the other good people are doing every thing in their power to help. So we wait, we hope, we pray, and we try to help others as Susan always did. Thank you again, your words, prayers and support help keep us strong.

Responses to his message included words of hope and encouragement and faith from as far away as North Carolina, Canada, and today, Spain.

Support for Susan is still unflinchingly strong and so very appreciated by Susan’s friends and family.  The West Valley City Police Department are still receiving tips on Susan’s case.

Ribbon courtesy of Allyson Holmgren

Another kind of crucial support for Susan has been the media.  The continuing coverage of Susan—even when there’s not much that’s new to report—by reporters like Michelle Sigona, Isabelle Zehnder, and Brent Hunsaker has helped so much to keep Susan in the public eye.

You can see Brent’s latest blog entry here—it’s another brilliant one.  Thank you to the faithful reporters and all of the people who love Susan and are praying for her return!

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Seven Months

Those who know and love Susan Cox Powell—as well as those who never knew her but have come to love her—hoped this day would never come.  Seven months ago today Susan disappeared from her home, under very suspicious circumstances.  She is still missing.

The West Valley City Police Department continues to work hard.  In the warmer weather, more bodies are being found, like the one found Saturday night in St. George, Utah.  The police still receive tips on Susan’s case.

On the Facebook group Friends and Family of Susan Powell, supporters left wishes of love, prayers, and hope today for Susan’s family.  Some beautiful collage pictures of Susan and her thousands of friends—old and new—were made by Quail Feathers:

  

We know Susan is still out there…somewhere…and we are not giving up hope.  We will never stop looking.  We will find her.

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June’s Search for Susan

On June 26 about 30 volunteers gathered at the Simpson Springs command post in Utah’s west desert to search for Susan.

Chris Willden, director of Strategic Tactical Group, led and organized the search.  Several K9 teams lent their expertise and talented dogs and this time, professional mine exploration teams also joined the search.

The main group of searchers concentrated where they’d left off in the April 10 search around Simpson Springs, while a smaller group including the mine explorers went about 25 miles farther away.  You can see a video of the mine exploration here.

Though the teams didn’t find Susan, they did find a couple of significant things.  Here’s what Chris Willden had to say at the conclusion of the search:

“I just wanted to express my personal THANKS and GRATITUDE to everyone who attended the search on Saturday. A LOT of ground was covered and a couple items of interest were emailed to Tooele County Sheriff’s office.  Three flat tires total (thanks to donations we had plug kits and were able to repair them and inflate them… so they could either continue searching or get to a service station and get them repaired), LOTS of water drunk and taken home, NO INJURIES, Munchies all eaten, more friends made, LOTS of effort put out by everyone, K-9’s worked longer than anticipated (Family Search and Rescue), Medics were bored (that’s good), and we estimate about 25-30 miles covered in the West Desert. Thank you again!”

Chris is now asking for ideas/suggestions about where to search next.

This article has a really good summary of the search (and slideshow of search pictures), with quotes from those involved, including Josh Powell’s brother-in-law, Kirk Graves.

The search efforts haven’t stopped, and won’t stop until Susan is found.

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