Search for Susan Powell: bones found in Utah desert not human

Family and friends of missing woman Susan Cox Powell did not get the closure they were hoping for after a new search in Utah’s West Desert turned up bones.

Powell grew up in Puyallup and vanished in December 2009 in Utah, where she was living with her husband and two boys.

Bones and pants recently recovered from the Ironsides Mine do not belong to the missing woman, Powell’s father Chuck Cox said in a statement on the Susan Cox Powell Foundation website.

Cox said the bones were not human. Male DNA was found on the pants, and a team is working to identify that person.

A sock and a piece of blouse material were also found that will be tested by a forensic lab.

With the help of cadaver dogs, crews will continue the search to look for smaller bone fragments and other evidence.

Many believe Susan Cox Powell was killed by her husband, Josh Powell, but he was never charged with the crime before his death.

Ten years ago, Josh Powell murdered the couple’s sons, Charlie and Braden, before taking his own life by blowing up a house he was renting in Graham.

The fire and explosion happened during what was supposed to be a supervised visit with his sons.

“It is my belief, based on Josh’s murder of his boys, that he would be very capable of dismembering Susan and dispersing parts in several locations,” Chuck Cox said in a statement.

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