Although he has not been named as a suspect, the husband of a missing Utah mother of two has stopped talking to police and hired a prominent criminal defense lawyer as the mystery deepens over what happened to Susan Powell.
But in an interview with Natalie Morales on TODAY Tuesday, Powell’s father, Chuck Cox, refrained from casting suspicion on his son-in-law, Josh Powell. “I can understand him feeling the need to have legal counsel,” Cox said. “I’m looking to get eyes and ears out looking for my daughter.”
Powell, 28, was last seen by anyone other than her husband and children on the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 6. When she didn’t show up for work and didn’t bring her sons to day care on Monday, family members called police. Fearing something had happened to the entire family, police broke into the Powell home, on a cul-de-sac in a well-kept Salt Lake City suburb. They found two fans aimed at a wet spot on the living room carpet. They also found Susan’s purse and cell phone, along with her car.
Later on Monday, Josh returned to the family’s West Valley City home with sons Charlie, 4, and Raden, 2, and told police he had left at around 12:30 a.m. to go on a camping trip in the desert west of town. He said Susan was too sick to go along and that he didn’t know what had happened to her.
Lawyering up
Josh Powell was scheduled to talk to police again on Monday, but he reportedly did not show up for the appointment. He also hired local defense attorney Scott Williams. But, Cox told Morales, “I try not to make anything of it because it’s part of an ongoing investigation.”
Morales asked him if he wishes Powell would talk to police.