New details have been emerging in the Susan Powell case.
Since the death of Josh Powell, new details have emerged, suggesting authorities in Utah had plenty of reason to believe he was responsible for the disappearance of his wife, Susan Cox Powell. Authorities are also being more vocal in their suspicion that he may have had an accomplice.
It was two months ago today that police say Josh Powell attacked his two boys, Charlie, 7, and Braden, 5, with a hatchet and then ignited his home, killing the three of them in a gas-fueled explosion.
Since that time, a mountain of evidence has emerged, which supports law enforcements decision to name Josh Powell the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance.
Susan Powell was reported missing by her family on Dec. 7, 2009, when she failed to show up for her job as a stockbroker at Wells Fargo Financial. Josh Powell told police he had been camping with their two children, ages 2 and 4, and had last seen his wife around midnight. Suspicious of his story, investigators named Powell a "person of interest" in his wife's disappearance. Not long after, Powell and his two children moved back to his hometown of Puyallup, Wash.
Now, according to The Salt Lake Tribune, the former employer of Josh Powell's father, Steven Powell, has confirmed he called in sick to work on Dec. 8 and 9, 2009 -- the days immediately following Susan Powell's disappearance. Those days would coincide with Josh Powell's rental of a Ford Focus from the Salt Lake International Airport, which he put more than 800 miles on before he returned it on Dec. 10, 2009.
West Valley City police have declined to elaborate on the most recent development, but Chief Thayle Nielsen did tell the tribune that he suspects Steve Powell and "a few others" could have been involved in Susan Powell's disappearance.
SUSAN POWELL CASE PHOTOS: (Article Continues Below)
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Father Kills Sons And Self
Pierce County sheriff's deputies and Graham firefighters work through the wreckage of a home in Graham, Wash. where the bodies of Josh Powell and his two sons were found on Feb. 5, 2012 in a double-homicide suicide.
The boys had just been brought by a Child Protective Services worker to Powell's home for a supervised visit when police say the dad deliberately blew up the house. A judge had denied the previous week a request by Powell to regain custody of his sons, who had been living with the parents of his missing wife, Susan.
Pierce County sheriff's officials said it appears Josh Powell used an accelerant to increase the power of a gas fire that he intentionally set to kill himself and his two sons inside his Graham, Wash., home on Feb. 5, 2012. The saga of the Powell family began in 2009 when Josh Powell reported that his wife, Susan, had gone missing. That night he claimed he took his sons on an overnight camping trip in freezing temperatures.
Aerial View Of Josh Powell's Home
The explosion at Josh Powell's home left smoldering remains in Graham, Wash. Police say Powell deliberately detonated the home moments after a Child Protective Services worker brought his sons Braden, 5, and Charles, 7, for a supervised visit.
Braden And Charlie Powell
This undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox shows their grandsons Braden, left, and Charlie Powell. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox)
Chuck Cox, Braden Powell, Charlie Powell
This undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox shows them with their grandsons, Charlie, left, and Braden, right. Charlie and Braden were killed along with their father, Josh Powell, on Sunday in what police said was an intentional fire set by Powell. The Coxes are the parents of Powell's wife, Susan, who has been missing since 2009. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox)
Braden And Charlie Powell
This undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox shows Braden, left, and Charlie Powell. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox)
Police and other officials from Washington state and Utah view charred rubble, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, at of the home where Josh Powell and his two sons were killed in the fire Powell set Sunday. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
In this pool photo provided by the Pierce County Sheriff's Dept., a melted gas can is marked with an evidence flag, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, in the rubble of the home in Graham, Wash., where Josh Powell and his two sons were killed. (AP Photo/Pierce County Sheriff's Dept., Ed Troyer, Pool)
Susan Cox Powell
This image from<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-and-Family-of-Susan-Cox-Powell/158207040909324" target="_hplink"> Friends and Family of Susan Cox Powell</a> Facebook page shows missing Utah mother Susan Cox Powell. Powell has been missing since December 6, 2009. Her husband Josh Powell was a person of interest in her disappearance before he killed himself and their two sons on Feb. 5, 2012.
Chuck And Judy Cox
Chuck and Judy Cox, the parents of missing Utah mother Susan Cox, talk to reporters at their home in Puyallup, Wash., Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. They had custody of their grandchildren, Charlie and Braden Powell, who were killed by their father Josh Powell during a supervised visit to his house on Sunday.
Their daughter Susan Cox Powell went missing in December 2009 from the West Valley City, Utah home where she lived with her husband and sons. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Candlelight Vigil
Supporters held an impromptu candlelight vigil for Braden and Charlie Powell, who were killed by their father Josh when he deliberately torched his Graham, Wash. home on Feb. 5, 2012. The brothers had been living with their maternal grandparents in a simmering custody dispute stemming from their mother's disappearance in Utah in 2009.
Flowers and two stuffed animals are left near crime-scene tape, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, near the home where Josh Powell and his two sons were killed Sunday, in Graham, Wash., in what police said appeared to be a deliberately set fire. Powell's wife Susan went mysteriously missing from their West Valley City, Utah, home in December 2009. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Mourners posted signs and lit candles at Carson Elementary School in Puyallup, Wash. where Braden and Charles Powell attended school. The brothers were killed in an explosion caused by their father Josh Powell at his home on Feb. 5, 2012 -- days after a judge denied his request to regain custody of them.
A Pierce County fire investigator works his way through charred rubble, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012, at the home where Josh Powell and his two sons were killed Sunday, in Graham, Wash., in what police said appeared to be a deliberately set fire. Powell's wife Susan went mysteriously missing from their West Valley City, Utah, home in December 2009. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Josh And Braden Powell
In this Aug. 19, 2011 photo, Josh Powell plays with his son Braden in a park near his home, in Puyallup, Wash. Powell had long been a person of interest in his wife. (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Friday, August 19, 2011)
This photo from Facebook shows Susan Cox Powell in December of 2008.
A flier seeking information on the whereabouts of Susan Powell, who was reported missing Dec. 7, 2009, in Utah, is shown, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009, at a press conference in Puyallup, Wash. Powell's family said Thursday they are saddened but not surprised that her husband Josh Powell has been named a person of interest in the investigation.
Josh Powell
Josh Powell, the husband of Susan Powell, stands with supporters after a candle light vigil for his wife at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Puyallup, Wash., Sunday Dec. 20, 2009.
Judy Cox, the mother of Susan Powell, who was reported missing Dec. 7, 2009, in Utah, becomes emotional during a press conference, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009, in Puyallup, Wash. Powell's family said Thursday they are saddened but not surprised that her husband Josh Powell has been named a person of interest in the investigation.
Charlie Powell
This undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox shows Charlie Powell, who was killed along with his brother Braden by their father Josh Powell in a double-murder suicide. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox)
Braden Powell With HIs Grandmother Judy Cox
In this undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox, Judy Cox, right, sits at a table with her grandson Braden. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox)
Braden Powell
This undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox shows Braden Powell. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox)
Chuck Cox With Grandsons Charlie And Braden Powell
In this undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox, Chuck Cox sits with his grandsons, Charlie, left, and Braden, right, at the Coxes home in Pullayup, Wash. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox)
Chuck Cox With Braden And Charlie Powell
In this undated photo provided by Chuck and Judy Cox, Chuck Cox plays with his grandsons, Charlie, right, and Braden, left. (AP Photo/Courtesy Chuck and Judy Cox)
These latest developments come as court documents were unsealed that reveal Susan Powell left a letter in a safety deposit box saying if she were to die, "it may not be an accident, even if it looks like one," the Associated Press reported.
Documents also indicate authorities found Susan Powell's blood on a floor near a sofa in the couple's West Valley City home.
As far as a possible motive, Susan Powell had several life insurance policies, totaling $1.5 million.
The court documents do not just focus on Josh Powell. They also also detail an apparent obsession Steven Powell had with his daughter-in-law, a woman who referred to him in personal journals as a pedophile.
On Sept. 22, Steve Powell was arrested on 14 counts of voyeurism and one count of possessing an image of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Powell has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The pieces of the puzzle in the disappearance of the Susan Powell appear to be gaining more momentum with the death of her husband. If her husband is ultimately found responsible, it is too little too late for him to be brought to justice, but any accomplices he may have could still see their day in court.
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Posted: 04/ 5/2012 10:49 am Updated: 04/ 5/2012 3:57 pm