Yeah I Said That

MISSING: Susan Powell and the New-Found Power of Social Networking

The plight of missing adults is getting a bit of a helping hand now that we have things like twitter, facebook and other social networking sites and news sites. Now families and friends can take back at least a little control over the situation and directly reach the public and ask for help in finding their missing wives, fathers, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, best friends and other loved ones.

I was pleased to be a part of a media blitz that was held for missing mother Susan Powell. I tweeted, facebooked and all that in hopes of generating some new leads into her case. I am posting about her again today because unfortunately she is still missing.

There is one person of interest in the case, her husband Joshua Powell. Since she went missing on December 7, 2009, he has already begun the process of moving himself and his children from their home in Utah to Washington state. He says that he and took their two young children camping, leaving her behind at home. Why would you go camping in the cold winter weather? Good question, one the police have asked as well. He states that the last time he saw her was around midnight. Then she simply disappeared.

It’s a strange story made even more odd by the fact that he left town to go and visit family members in Washington for the holidays. His wife hadn’t even been missing two weeks yet. I can’t help but feel that’s telling behaviour because I know that if someone I loved went missing I would be out there searching the woods and anywhere else I thought there was even the slightest hope of finding her. I would certainly not sell my house either, I would be afraid to, it would be like giving up and I would never be able to bring myself to do that.

With all that said, it’s imperative that we all keep an open mind, at least to some extent. Focusing on one single person can be dangerous in a missing persons case. All angles need to be investigated, all people checked out. Things can sometimes look one way but really be very different.

Instead of focusing entirely on nailing Josh in Susan Powell’s disappearance, let’s focus on finding her and bringing her home to her family.

Anyone with information regarding the case can call West Valley City Police at (801) 840-4000. Please do not hesitate to call with even the smallest bit of info, you just never know how important that piece of the puzzle could be.