This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The parents of missing woman Susan Powell arrived in Utah on Monday to examine her West Valley City home and talk about a memorial to her and her sons.
Powell's father, Chuck Cox, said Utah's famous showbiz family, the Osmonds, want to help raise money for a memorial. Cox said he didn't know what which members of the Osmond clan would participate or what they would do to raise the money.
"The Osmonds are a little bit different," Cox said Monday in a telephone interview. "They have their own recording studios. They have their own P.R. people."
Powell was last seen Dec. 6, 2009, at her West Valley City home. Her husband, Josh Powell, claimed he left about 12 o'clock that night and went camping in the west desert with his sons, then ages 4 and 2. Josh Powell remained a person of interest in the disappearance until Feb. 5 of this year.
That's when Josh Powell murdered the sons, Charlie and Braden, at his rental home in Graham, Wash., and set the house on fire, also killing himself. Friends and family of Susan Powell consider her and the children victims of domestic violence and would like a memorial for them, possibly in the form of statues on public property somewhere in Salt Lake County.
But Cox said the primary reason for his Utah trip was to decide what to do with the West Valley City house. Cox and his family inherited it after Josh Powell's death.
There are two mortgages on the house at 6254 W. Sarah Circle (3945 South) and the home is worth less than is owed, Cox said. At present, Cox said, his daughter's estate has no other assets, though the Coxes have joined a lawsuit seeking funds from Josh and Susan Powell's life insurance policy. Cox said he hasn't decided yet what to do with the house.
Cox admitted he also wanted to look through the house "just in case there was something police missed."
There are no plans to meet with West Valley City police while the Coxes are in Utah. Cox said he spoke with a detective during the weekend but there were no updates on his daughter's case.
"We're not on their most-favorite person list right now," Cox said.
The Cox family has filed a request under Utah law for police reports and other documentation from the missing persons case. West Valley City has denied the request. Cox said the family plans to file an administrative appeal and go to court, if necessary.
"I've had a lot of questions about why didn't they arrest Josh and stuff," Cox said.
West Valley City police have said that prosecutors told them they did not have enough evidence for an arrest and were continuing to investigate the case and monitor Josh Powell at the time of his death.
Josh Powell's father, Steve Powell, was convicted in May in Pierce County, Wash., on 12 counts of voyeurism for photographing neighbor girls bathing and using the bathroom. Cox and his wife suspect Steve Powell knows what happened to their daughter.
"There's at least a 50-50 chance that Susan's up there [in Washington] somewhere, that Steve Powell dumped the body," Cox said. "It's not that far up there. We don't know his whereabouts" on Dec. 8, 9 and 10, 2009.
Steve Powell had called in sick on those three days and reported for work on Dec. 7, 2009.
Cox on Monday raised the idea of the Pierce County, Wash., Sheriff's Department taking over the investigation to determine if Steve Powell had involvement in his Susan Powell's disappearance or disposing of her body, though he said he's willing to let West Valley City police continue investigating.
"I just want to find my daughter and for this all to be over with," Cox said.
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