09-17-2011 Topaz Mountain Search Yields Charred Wood and Decomp

[BeanE]

BenWinslow Ben Winslow
RT @RoxanaOre: CORRECTION: Tentative plans are to continue the search for Susan Powell through TUESDAY.
3 minutes ago

BenWinslow Ben Winslow
MT @RoxanaOre: Tentative plans are to continue the search for Susan Powell in Topaz Mt. through Thursday. #findsusan
13 minutes ago

RoxanaOre Roxana Orellana
Search is being divided into five areas among 100 people out here. They are pro search and rescue volunteers from Juab, Millard and WVC
10 minutes ago

RoxanaOre Roxana Orellana
CORRECTION: Tentative plans are to continue the search for Susan Powell through TUESDAY.
4 minutes ago

RoxanaOre Roxana Orellana
The command post was relocated to where it was Tuesday. Lt. Bill Merritt said it makes more sense since they'll be looking in other areas.
15 minutes ago

BenWinslow Ben Winslow
RT @RoxanaOre: About 100 people out here in Topaz Mountain this morning helping with the search of Susan Powel… (cont) deck.ly/~x9ZNl
15 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

RoxanaOre Roxana Orellana
About 100 people out here in Topaz Mountain this morning helping with the search of Susan Powell. Millard Co. Juab Co. WVCP and cadaver dogs
16 minutes ago

peoplemag People magazine
Susan Powell searchers find charred wood at search site: http://ow.ly/6xy3h
1 hour ago

ETA: Direct link to People mag article:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20529406,00.html

Twitter links:
http://twitter.com/#!/peoplemag
http://twitter.com/#!/RoxanaOre
http://twitter.com/#!/BenWinslow

 

[bessie]

I wonder if some sort of wooden chest or box was missing from the home Susan disappeared from?

I dunno. The more I think about all of this the more frustrated I become. There has to be a method to this madness!

MOO

I fell asleep thinking about that last night. A wooden chest, or some kind of container with a wooden frame, perhaps.

 

[Magdalyn]

I took some screen shots from the following video - that one that has BeanE flummoxed (and I think 'cremains' is the word of the day and very likely what they are finding):

http://connect2utah.com/story/?nxd_...d&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=New+Twitter
.
.

The first one: does not look like wood to me. Seems like wood would not have kept those defined shapes to smoothly - the edges would be more uneven/rough? Keep in mind how small these are, when you see how large the grains of sand appear in the photo.

.
.
The 2nd one: is that twine or rope? It wouldn't have survived a fire, yet it doesn't seem like something that is in the 'grave' itself. Are these fibers from a burlap sack or other means of transporting these pieces from one site to another? (ETA: I'm now thinking that *maybe* the fibers are from the tumbleweed or whatever is around the opening of the 'grave'. Still unsure, but that may be what it is.)

.
.
3rd one: The 'grave'. Just for reference.

Hmmm. I kinda want it to look like a three unit bridge (three crowns linked together) but after the link to the teeth pics I looked at, maybe not. :waitasec:

Kinda sorta looks like a couple of computer keys melted together and circuitry wires sticking out? Maybe? Keeping in mind that not all areas of a campfire are equal so not all things would burn/melt consistently...

 

[HatesSociopaths]

BenWinslow Ben Winslow
RT @RoxanaOre: CORRECTION: Tentative plans are to continue the search for Susan Powell through TUESDAY.
3 minutes ago

BenWinslow Ben Winslow
MT @RoxanaOre: Tentative plans are to continue the search for Susan Powell in Topaz Mt. through Thursday. #findsusan
13 minutes ago

RoxanaOre Roxana Orellana
Search is being divided into five areas among 100 people out here. They are pro search and rescue volunteers from Juab, Millard and WVC
10 minutes ago

RoxanaOre Roxana Orellana
CORRECTION: Tentative plans are to continue the search for Susan Powell through TUESDAY.
4 minutes ago

RoxanaOre Roxana Orellana
The command post was relocated to where it was Tuesday. Lt. Bill Merritt said it makes more sense since they'll be looking in other areas.
15 minutes ago

BenWinslow Ben Winslow
RT @RoxanaOre: About 100 people out here in Topaz Mountain this morning helping with the search of Susan Powel… (cont) deck.ly/~x9ZNl
15 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

RoxanaOre Roxana Orellana
About 100 people out here in Topaz Mountain this morning helping with the search of Susan Powell. Millard Co. Juab Co. WVCP and cadaver dogs
16 minutes ago

peoplemag People magazine
Susan Powell searchers find charred wood at search site: http://ow.ly/6xy3h
1 hour ago

ETA: Direct link to People mag article:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20529406,00.html

Twitter links:
http://twitter.com/#!/peoplemag
http://twitter.com/#!/RoxanaOre
http://twitter.com/#!/BenWinslow

JP did not drive 17 hours to dig up the body and move it to another spot in the same area (Topaz Mntn) that he knew investigators were going to search. They are wasting their time. MOO.

 

[dsntslp]

I don't think they are wasting their time.
They will know where she is NOT and be able to clear that area, cross it off on the maps.

To me, no search is ever a waste of time. But that's just me.

IMO

 

[HatesSociopaths]

I can agree with most of what you said. But it was my understanding that the witness didn't approach them until he saw them working there, and the witness then stopped by to tell them what he had seen.

Wed about 12:15 p.m.:

natecarlisle Nate Carlisle
Base camp for #SusanPowell search has moved about 2 miles. Now at N 39.72218 W 113.07269 Elevation 5,396 feet. #findSusan

http://twitter.com/#!/natecarlisle



Wed about 1:30 p.m.:

@BenWinslow
Ben Winslow

BREAKING NEWS: Human remains found near Delta.

@NinevehDinha is on scene. @fox13now #findsusan #Utah

http://twitter.com/#!/BenWinslow/sta...73012852097024



On Wednesday, Tony Abbott, of Delta, and his father drove to the scene of the search to tell investigators about some unusual activity he saw along a road.

After speaking with police, Abbott declined to give specifics of his information to a reporter. But he said he has long been aware of the Susan Powell case and it wasn’t until this week that he decided the tip might be important.

"I hadn’t seen [police searching] in the area before, particularly this part of the country," Abbott said.

ncarlisle@sltrib.com Twitter: @natecarlisle

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52582781-78/search-powell-police-valley.html.csp?page=2

 

[Steely Dan]

I have a question...I saw a comment online that coals used to cook a roast pig in a covered pit give off the same scent as human decomposition to dogs' noses. Is this true?

Also...in regards to the "camping" trip of a couple of weeks ago...it occurs to me that we only have Steve's word that Josh took the boys with him (and we all know how much "Steve's word" is worth). It's entirely possible that they stayed in the house in WA and were kept out of sight all weekend while Josh was gone, leaving Josh to do whatever he was doing un-encumbered with small children/extra witnesses.

Also: I saw this on Twitter a few days ago. It is probably not Susan, but I found it interesting that this was discovered in a place only about 20 minutes from Puyallup. Also, since it is supposedly "skeletal remains" but kind of in the midst of houses and town, it seems like this was probably not something left here for years but possibly recently moved there.

"FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- Police are investigating the discovery of skeletal remains in a wooded area early Friday morning."
Source: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/129971923.html

I'm astounded by the number of dead bodies that keep turning up and aren't her.

I re-watched the press conference that was given yesterday.

http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-s...-near-topaz-mountain-20110917,0,1778540.story

I've got a further elaboration on why the charred wood is a red herring. MOO.

Listen to the brief presser. There is a key thing missing from his statements: shallow grave. They have been calling it a shallow grave since Wednesday, and it is. But notice he is NOT calling it one now, and there is a reason for that.

I think the reason they are using wood chips as the focus of the last press conference is because they wanted to back off the "shallow grave" label they earlier discussed. Now they want to give an impression it could have been a buried campfire.

"Something happened here" "We found charred wood" "The dogs were indicating on those" "They have human decomposition on them" "We don't know why" "How they got there, that's the big question right now"

NO LONGER CALLS IT A SHALLOW GRAVE. He wants to cast a cover on what they really learned on Wednesday. Calling it a shallow grave (which it is) makes one then ask "Where is the body then?" and they don't want to discuss this.

We have learned about the witness seeing activity which is what led them to this area. We saw how the witness did not want to discuss specifics, most notably WHEN he saw this activity, which is probably in late August when JP went camping. This may have more to do with legal risks than anything else, as JP knows the score.

So, my advice is don't get too caught up in the charred wood. There was a body there, and it got moved. They didn't bring Mr. Cox up there over their dogs hitting on some charred wood. They are sending a loud and clear message to Powell that his days are numbered.

And they are. :seeya:

If you go back to my last post #90 you'll this is what is being said; Police aren't saying it is charred wood but it looks like charred wood.

Also, to add to that post. It's possible that when JP was driving around he wrote down the coordinates from the rental cars GPS, if it had one, and the police found it when they searched the van in August. They may have been trying to figure out what the numbers meant and finally thought that they might be GPS coordinates. JMO

 

[SuziQ]

Thanks for the updates BeanE. Wow! 100 searchers and they will contiue through Tuesday. LE is on a mission for sure.

 

[HatesSociopaths]

I don't think they are wasting their time.
They will know where she is NOT and be able to clear that area, cross it off on the maps.

To me, no search is ever a waste of time. But that's just me.

IMO

I appreciate the effort, but that effort is better spent searching an area he likely moved the body to.

To catch a criminal, you have to think like one.

 

[Steely Dan]

I don't think they are wasting their time.
They will know where she is NOT and be able to clear that area, cross it off on the maps.

To me, no search is ever a waste of time. But that's just me.

IMO

I agree, I also think the family is all for these searches. JMO

 

[SuziQ]

IMO, LE has solid proof Susan is out there. They just can't find her.

 

[SuziQ]

BTW, It's a beautiful fall day here. The sky is so blue. A beautiful day to bring Susan home. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Dr. Know?]

Well, I went to the JP site and no camping picture anymore. I swear it was THAT site that I saw the picture of the whole family at a campsite. Seems it is either gone, I'm overlooking it, or I'm thinking of another site.

I couldn't find it either on their website but here is a post that has the picture. With fire and without.

[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4871716&postcount=205"]Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - SL Tribune Article with Steven P. and Susan website created by Josh[/ame]

 

[Chili Fries]

keeping in mind how small the thing seems to be...the one picture almost looks like the remains of the sole of a shoe with the twine being the stitching that's left.

 

[waltzingmatilda]

BTW, It's a beautiful fall day here. The sky is so blue. A beautiful day to bring Susan home. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Thank you for saying that SuziQ! It gives me hope. I am lighting a candle for Susan today!

wm

 

[BeanE]

After completing their investigation of an area where cadaver dogs had indicated human remains, search crews regrouped Sunday at their original command post to begin searching other areas in the desert near Delta for missing woman Susan Powell.

The Sunday crew numbered about 100 — the largest group yet to assemble in the area — and included Juab and Millard County search and rescue teams.

The plan for the day was to divide the search into five areas, covering several square miles. Teams have moved their search to Topaz Mountain itself, rather than the surrounding areas where they have searched for the past week.

People on ATVs and horseback, along with several cadaver dogs, likely will continue looking through Tuesday, said West Valley City Police Lt. Bill Merritt.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/5...-susan-police.html.csp?utm_source=twitterfeed

 

[HatesSociopaths]

Police have said Josh Powell liked to gem hunt — and family and friends have confirmed that Josh and Susan Powell had visited the Topaz Mountain area on previous family excursions.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/5...-susan-police.html.csp?utm_source=twitterfeed

Where else did he like to hunt for gems and rocks? TIA.

 

[BeanE]

@RoxanaOre
Roxana Orellana

Susan Powell's dad Chuck Cox just arrived at the command post in Topaz Mountain. He said he wasn't here yesterday bc he had no ride here.

3 minutes ago

http://twitter.com/#!/RoxanaOre/status/115467925351170048

 

[Knox]

Wonder if media in WA is camping out trying to get a statement from Joshie? Where is Armywife, lol?

 

[Oriah]

BBM:
BeanE- exactly. And in all honesty, I can't see there being any other explanation for the HRD dog hits on the charred wood, unless they are false positives. In addition to that- if after the wood (or whatever it turns out to be) was removed from the dig site- and they were alerting only to what was recovered and not the dig site itself (as has been reported).. then what the heck is going on here?
If there is HR decomp present in enough quantity for an accurate alert on charred wood taken from soil- then it is likely that there is decomp in the surrounding substrate. So the dogs should have continued to alert on the dig site as well as the soil and wood particles removed from the site.
Maybe this is what they were doing when bringing dogs back to the site repeatedly to see if they alerted on the hole before continuing the dig- and why they ceased to continue to excavate after the HRD dogs stopped alerting... not sure.

I do hope that once it was evident there was a burn of some sort going on, they brought in a dog or two trained in accelerants.

Does anyone know if this is the case?