Cold

Josh Powell believed in his own greatness from at least age 5. So why wouldn't any girls date him? Why did his only other serious girlfriend before Susan Cox run away in fear? Perhaps because he inherited some of his father Steven Powell's bizarre beliefs about relationships and marriage. This episode tells the story of the one who got away from Josh Powell, a full decade before the disappearance of Susan Powell made him t...

Susan Cox married Josh Powell after only 6 months of courtship. She immediately found herself under the lens of her father-in-law Steven Powell's video camera. The camcorder even captured Steve's confession of love for his daughter-in-law Susan Powell in July of 2013. She rejected him, not realizing he had stalked her and stolen her journals, underwear and hygiene products.

For the past three years, investigative reporter D...

Susan Powell feared for her life. She braced for divorce as her marriage to Josh Powell reached its lowest point in 2008, but worried how he would react. She even wrote a secret last will and testament that said, "If I die, it may not be an accident, even if it looks like one." Josh had learned from his dad Steve Powell's divorce and made preparations of his own. He set up a trust that would give him control of Susan's $1,...

Josh and Susan Powell's daycare provider, Debbie Caldwell, sounded an alarm when the couple's boys, Charlie and Braden Powell, failed to arrive at her home on the morning of Monday, Dec. 7, 2009. West Valley City police detective Ellis Maxwell drew the assignment of locating the missing family that day and discovered two box fans in the missing family's home, pointed at the couch. When Josh Powell returned to Sarah Circle ...

The criminal investigation into Susan Powell's disappearance kicked into high gear on Dec. 8, 2009. Josh Powell frantically cleaned his house and minivan before meeting detective Ellis Maxwell for a tense second interview. In secret warrants, West Valley City police identified Josh as their sole suspect in Susan's presumed kidnapping and murder. However, they narrowly missed their best chance of finding her.

For the past th...

Josh Powell went off the grid for 18 hours after avoiding arrest on Dec. 8, 2009. He popped up the next afternoon in Tremonton, Utah. Police soon learned he'd put 807 miles on a rental car. The news media learned of Susan Powell's disappearance and began to hound Josh, even as his own neighbors turned against him. In the middle of all of this, Josh went to a physical therapist and was diagnosed with a rotator cuff injury -...

Josh Powell told a group of his wife's friends and coworkers a year before she disappeared that if he were ever to commit murder, he'd dispose of the body by dropping it down an abandoned mine. That and other clues led West Valley City police to launch an exhaustive search abandoned mines in Utah's West Desert, beginning just days after Susan Powell's disappearance. They kept that effort secret, even as frustrated voluntee...

Josh Powell abandoned his home on Sarah Circle less than two weeks after the disappearance of his wife, Susan. He retreated to Puyallup, Washington and the home of his father, Steve Powell. On both ends of the move, he called on members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help him load and unload his belongings. He never realized one of those volunteers was actually a federal agent. Soon afterward, Josh's...

Steve Powell sang to the FBI just months into the search for his missing daughter-in-law Susan Powell. Agents tried to warn him that his son, Josh Powell, was likely a murderer and could kill again. Steve's bizarre views came under even more intense scrutiny after West Valley City police discovered he'd written and performed songs about Susan using the alias Steve Chantrey. He had even convinced Susan to sing background vo...

Josh and Susan Powell's oldest son, Charlie, started to open up about his missing mommy in 2010 as he attended the Mel Korum YMCA and started kindergarten at Carson Elementary School. Charlie's comments about killing bears and Mormons raised alarm for summer camp counselors and his teacher, Tammy Forman. Meanwhile, West Valley City police took their investigation in a new direction, planning to introduce Josh to a possible...

West Valley City police were running out of options. Every traditional approach to the Susan Powell case had failed. So, during the summer of 2011, detectives began brainstorming plans for a major, multi-state operation code-named Tsunami. It all hinged on the use of a court-authorized wiretap to monitor Josh Powell's phone calls, in the hopes he would let slip some important clue about the fate of his missing wife. To sti...

With the wiretap winding down, West Valley police returned to Utah's West Desert with cadaver dogs. They found what at first appeared to be a grave site, but soon discovered it held no sign of Susan. Meantime, digging of a different sort on Josh Powell's computers and digital devices turned up new leads. The FBI and U.S. Secret Service encountered one encrypted hard drive that resisted every effort to view its contents.

For...

Josh Powell went to court in Washington in a bid to get his sons, Charlie and Braden, returned to him. West Valley City police warned the social workers they'd found incestuous cartoon pornography on Josh's computer. After reviewing those images, forensic psychologist James Manley suggested Josh undergo a psychosexual evaluation. Meantime, detectives puzzled over why Josh's brother, Michael Powell, sold his 1997 Ford Tauru...

Josh Powell carries out his final act, killing his sons Charlie and Braden by setting fire to his rented home in Graham, Wash. during a court-authorized visit. In the wake of the fire, Susan Powell's family and friends find comfort in their community. West Valley police and Pierce County sheriff's deputies seek clues in the charred remains of the house, hoping that Josh might at last point them to Susan's final resting pla...

After the deaths of Josh, Charlie and Braden, West Valley police refocused their investigation on Josh Powell's youngest brother. The mercurial Michael Powell made a play for Josh and Susan Powell's life insurance, ending up entangled in an interpleader lawsuit. During a civil deposition, he lied about his encrypted emails and Facebook snooping with Josh.

For the past three years, investigative reporter Dave Cawley has been...

A jailhouse informant calling himself "Cowboy" provided police with a promising tip early in the search for Susan Powell. He said Josh Powell had spent time with an elusive stripper named Summer. Find Summer, find Susan. Detectives launched an all-out hunt for Summer that stretched on for years, yet failed to turn up any new information. It was just one among hundreds of tips in the Powell investigation that wasted time an...

West Valley City police made one final push before declaring the Susan Powell case cold in 2013, interrogating Josh Powell's uncle Maurice Leach in Oregon. Meanwhile, Susan's family fought for change, both in the courts and at the Washington statehouse. Josh's mom, Terri Powell, went to court in Utah to argue for her share of the life insurance money. Twice-convicted sex offender Steve Powell died alone from heart failure.

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Nearly 10 years have elapsed since Susan Powell's disappearance. Her body has still not been found. The investigation remains a cold case. In recent years, Susan's friends and family have focused their effort on sharing the story as a cautionary tale. They hope showing the warning signs of domestic abuse can help others safely escape dangerous relationships. In this season finale for Cold, Dave shares his theory on what he...

Josh Powell's audio journals provide unique insight into his mindset during a formative time of his life: the period when he first met and married Susan Cox. Josh's secret audio diaries had never been heard before by anyone but police before they were uncovered in Cold. This bonus episode, first released in 2019 on the Wondery+ subscription service, is a deep dive into one of those audio journals with clinical psychologist...