Friends, family help husband of missing Utah woman pack for move to Washington state
By APSaturday, January 9, 2010
Missing Utah woman’s husband moving to Washington
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — The husband of a missing Utah woman was moving out of the couple’s home in a Salt Lake City suburb to Washington state Saturday, and police said they couldn’t prevent the move.
West Valley City Police have named Josh Powell the only person of interest in the Dec. 7 disappearance of Susan Powell, but he has not been named a suspect.
“We cannot and are not limiting his ability to move freely,” police Capt. Tom McLachlan told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Susan Powell has been missing since Dec. 7. She was last seen by her husband, who said he left on a winter camping trip with the couple’s children at about 12:30 a.m. that day.
“He has not been cooperating with us very much up to this point,” McLachlan said. He said they’re watching the move, “and we’re interested in it, but we can’t prevent it.”
McLachlan declined to comment on whether his department has been in contact with Washington state authorities.
Asked by reporters if he wanted to say anything before he briefly left his home around noon Saturday, Josh Powell replied “no.” Powell has not said specifically where he is moving. His father and Susan Powell’s parents live in Puyallup, a city south of Seattle where the couple met.
Powell’s sister, Jennifer Graves, told KUTV on Friday that she was disappointed about her brother’s decision to move.
“We are supposed to be focused on trying to find Susan and I think his place is here with us in Salt Lake, looking for Susan,” she said.
Friends said Powell has been fired as a computer programmer for a trucking and warehousing company and may be financially unable to keep the home.
“Without a normal income and Susan’s income, there’s no way he can hang onto the house,” neighbor Ron Stagg, who helped with the move, told the Deseret News.
Following Susan Powell’s disappearance, friends and family said the couple were having marital difficulties and undergoing counseling. Court records show the couple had declared bankruptcy.
