Susan Powell: Odd discovery in West Utah Desert

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http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-...t-is-worthy-of-police-investigation-Slideshow

March 18, 2010 - (Updated) Linda Osborne, who has been out in the desert for months trying to find clues into the disappearance of Susan Cox Powell, came across a cement strip last month the size of a body that she reported to police.

On February 16 Osborne was out searching in Utah's West Desert. She stumbled upon a concrete strip about 7' long and about 2.5' to 3' wide. One area of the strip was wider than the other, appearing it could be covering a body, the wider area possibly the size of a person's shoulders.

The area where Osborne located the cement strip is off of Hwy 80 near the Skull Valley Road off ramp, There is an old abandoned gas station at Rowley Junction. The cement strip is down a dirt road off of Skull Valley Road at Rowley Junction about 500 to 750 feet from the abandoned gas station.

"This piece of cement is not something that was left behind from the abandoned station. It was clearly poured in its current location," Osborne said.

Osborne has found many things while searching in the desert. She's found items such as one child's shoe with no matching shoe in the area, which she's found suspicious. She once found a plastic bag with what appeared to be trash, clothing, and two large jars of Vaseline. One jar was ½ empty, the other almost empty. These types of findings are disturbing.

It is rare that Osborne reports such things to the police as the West Desert is, unfortunately, used as a dumping ground by many.

But, she believes this cement strip is suspicious and worthy of an investigation.

Osborne understands police don't have time to investigate everything, but believes the cement strip is something that should be looked into. In all the time she's been searching she's never seen anything like it.

On February 17 Osborne contacted the West Valley City Police via email to their investigative department through their website, providing information about her finding.

She did not hear back from the department for about a week. Then, she received an email from Kim Waeley of West Valley Police, requesting photos.

Osborne emailed two photos of the cement strip to Waely and has never heard back from West Valley City Police.

Examiner.com contacted West Valley City Police Department Capt. McLachlan late Thursday afternoon for comment. McLachlan said, "I passed the information along to investigators but I'm not sure who's handling it. We can't look here and there, it would be a dog and pony show. We can't check everything and report back to everyone, it would be counterproductive."

Osborne also contacted the Tooele County Sheriff's Department via email, providing them with a map, information about her findings, and photos. She never heard back from them either.

On March 16 Osborne returned to the site to see if investigators had removed the cement strip, or had thoroughly investigated it.

Osborne was surprised to find it had not been moved and that the only change she could see was one area where small pieces of cement were missing from one corner from the narrow end of the strip. The largest chip was about 5" by 4" in size, the others were quite small. It did not appear an extensive search was done on the cement.

Osborne told Examiner.com there are free-range cattle in the area and that on both February 16 and March 16 she saw horse hoof prints close to the cement strip.

She believes the missing pieces could be a result of horses or free-range cattle stepping on the cement strip, causing it to chip.

Osborne also mentioned there is a well about 5 feet from where the cement strip was seen that could have been used as a water source for mixing cement. The well is such that someone could jump into it to retrieve water, or that someone could use a bucket to retrieve water.

"We understand the understaffing of law enforcement agencies today, but volunteer services can do much to assist police," Osborne said. "Volunteers can handle much of the legwork. Search groups are willing to help at no cost to the City. This includes certified cadaver search dogs and scent-tracking search dogs. "

Search dogs in this case, Osborne said, would be of great value in determining if further investigation is warranted. However, they cannot be utilized without the direction of police.

"I have learned from volunteer search and rescue groups that they will not respond to citizens' or volunteer searchers' requests without being asked by the law enforcement agency handling the case," Osborne said.

"In the case of the cement strip, it seems logical to initially utilize a cadaver dog to see if it picks up a scent. If so, it would call for further investigation. However," Osborne continued, "because the search and rescue groups will not respond without police direction, searchers are dependent upon police for the use of cadaver dogs and other search tools."

Without the tools available to police, searchers are extremely limited. This is why it police involvement would be helpful to citizens wishing to assist in the search for Susan.

"I also researched mine exploration groups and relayed to police that they are available at no cost," Osborne said.

It is well known that Utah has hundreds of mines in desolate areas of the desert, some with shafts dropping 100-200 feet.

It has been said that if someone were to use these mine shafts to dispose of a body, the body would never be found. "This comment is what initiated my investigating the availability of cadaver dogs for searches."

Osborne said, "I would hope to receive confirmation from police that they plan to check it out or that they have checked out the cement strip."

It could be Susan, it could be someone else, or it could be nothing.

The question is, what is worthy of reporting to police? What will they take seriously? What will they investigate?

"I'm not the only one seeking answers - Susan's friends, family, and all those who have grown to know and love her want to know what happened to Susan?"

Please leave your comments below or email them isabelle.zehnder@comcast.net.

For more information about Susan's case, visit www.seattleheadlinesexaminer.com and click on "missing persons" link. For articles prior to Dec. 31, visit www.seattlefamilyexaminer.com and click on "Susan Powell" link.

Susan Cox Powell, 28, was reported missing Dec. 7, 2009. The last person to see her was her husband, Joshua "Josh" Powell. Josh is the only person of interest in the case of his wife's disappearance. Shelby Gifford, spokeswoman for Susan's family, said police call this a missing person's case with suspicious criminal overtones.

Friends, family, the public at large, and police are frustrated at Josh's lack of cooperation with police. Josh is now living in Puyallup, Wash., about 900 miles from the home where he and his wife raised their two young sons.
 
Personally, I'd be out there with a chisel and a hammer and I'd have someone video taping if LE didn't address it by searching.

It "could" be someone's remains and goodness knows they deserve finding!!!

or it could be nothing...but it is definately suspicious.
My goodness the photo from the link LOOKS LIKE it is a BODY...don't understand why LE have not looked into this further!!!!

PS. Why aren't those old wells covered up???
 
I just read that article on Examiner a few minutes ago too, and came right over here to see what people were saying about it.

OMG, that picture is REALLY creeping me out!!!
I cannot believe it was still there when she went back on 3/16. Shouldn't they have busted it right open to see if anything is inside? Or maybe they used some kind of ultrasound or radar to check it already?
 
If Le wont come check it out I would be tearing that up so fast to see if it is indeed a body under it... its not like they havent been told about it.
 
That's really odd. Some random concrete truck didn't back up and pick that random spot to dump it's leftovers.

Even if it's somebody's pet buried under there it's well worth LE's time to send somebody out there with a shovel and tentatively dig.
 
I looked on map quest and there is some large buildings close to that spot and it does look like a dump of left overs, maybe from that building being construted?

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Rowley+Junction&state=UT

If anyone has a way of contacting this lady please tell her to get a small metal rod and have a cross handle welded on it or something. She can use that to stick into potential grave sites and then smell the end of it.
 
I liked this comment to the article.


"How much time would it take for someone from the law to go out and look at this? Maybe it's not Susan maybe it's another missing person,maybe it's nothing. But atleast go and rule it out.This case sounds fishy. Or are the police afraid the common Joe will find something that they over looked.Maybe if you put a box of donuts on top of the cement strip the police will go look at it. "
 
Someone needs to go dig it up before one of the Powells goes out there and screws up the evidence. Stephen himself could dig it up and claim he only knew it was there after this woman found it.

I agree, video the whole thing, take close-up pics every step of the way, get just enough dug up to see what's under there and stop as soon as you get to a body. Call police, tell them you are standing there looking at a dead body and will wait for them to get there and finish recovering it!
 
Picture looks like it could be just a cement truck dumping the last of its load before heading home.
 
I looked on map quest and there is some large buildings close to that spot and it does look like a dump of left overs, maybe from that building being construted?

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Rowley+Junction&state=UT

If anyone has a way of contacting this lady please tell her to get a small metal rod and have a cross handle welded on it or something. She can use that to stick into potential grave sites and then smell the end of it.

Ewwwewwweeee! I can't imagine poking a dead body with anything and then putting it up to my face to smell it! Yuck-ey-Poo!
 
I try really hard to give LE all the benefit of the doubt I can, but this is one of those things where reassuring this citizen would go a long way. I mean, did they not expect her to eventually tell someone else if she didn't get an answer?

They might have sent someone out to take a sample for dating and to find any chemical markers in it. They could also "look" under it with heat sensing equipment without disturbing a thing. Again, in my mind it's just a matter of not managing the PR very well.

I've hauled the odd bag of cement, and found that evidence of having hauled the stuff is very hard to get rid of. In a rental car? On clothes and tracked on shoes? They'd be on it like white on rice if it fit the facts. I think they just don't understand how disturbing this find was for Linda and now for the public, and have done a poor job of managing it.
 
resized_Cement___Abandoned_Gas_Station_from_Linda_Osborne2.jpg


Creepy. May not be connected, but should be checked.

http://www.seattleheadlinesexaminer.com/
 
Ewwwewwweeee! I can't imagine poking a dead body with anything and then putting it up to my face to smell it! Yuck-ey-Poo!

I agree with you but evn though it is disgusting, I can't stop :floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh:

The image of someone (anyone) taking a piece of rebar with a handle welded to the top & poking into "potential graves" and sniffing the end just makes me crack up. I mean, I've got tears rolling down my face.

OK I'm a :loser::blushing:

Cindy
 
Thanks to Linda (and all the others who work without recognition) for searching and asking questions!
 
It may be nothing but I so wish they'd check it out. That's what's going to crack this case is observant people.
 
resized_Cement___Abandoned_Gas_Station_from_Linda_Osborne2.jpg


Creepy. May not be connected, but should be checked.

http://www.seattleheadlinesexaminer.com/

Hiya RubyRed (my favorite colour) or any one else who hass skilled photo abilities,

Is there any way for you to enlarge this picture in order that we can see the consistancy of the cement? I'm wondering if there is some smaller rock and or sand in the cement mixture as proffessionals would use the smaller rock & sand (My Dad's a Carpenter)

Someone trying to "hide" a body quickly may just purchase cement and add water.

Can't believe LE has known about this for over a month and they still have not looked into this...SHAME on them!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Can't believe LE has known about this for over a month and they still have not looked into this...SHAME on them!!!!!!!!!!!
:waitasec:
How do you know they haven't? From all I can tell, we can only be sure they haven't reported back to the public on it.
 
:waitasec:
How do you know they haven't? From all I can tell, we can only be sure they haven't reported back to the public on it.


http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-3...tion-Slideshow

On February 17 Osborne contacted the West Valley City Police via email to their investigative department through their website, providing information about her finding.

She did not hear back from the department for about a week. Then, she received an email from Kim Waeley of West Valley Police, requesting photos.

Osborne emailed two photos of the cement strip to Waely and has never heard back from West Valley City Police.

Examiner.com contacted West Valley City Police Department Capt. McLachlan late Thursday afternoon for comment. McLachlan said, "I passed the information along to investigators but I'm not sure who's handling it. We can't look here and there, it would be a dog and pony show. We can't check everything and report back to everyone, it would be counterproductive."

Osborne also contacted the Tooele County Sheriff's Department via email, providing them with a map, information about her findings, and photos. She never heard back from them either.

On March 16 Osborne returned to the site to see if investigators had removed the cement strip, or had thoroughly investigated it.

Osborne was surprised to find it had not been moved and that the only change she could see was one area where small pieces of cement were missing from one corner from the narrow end of the strip. The largest chip was about 5" by 4" in size, the others were quite small. It did not appear an extensive search was done on the cement.
 
This doesn't mean they didn't look and rule it out. A small chunk of cement could be sampled. Modern mixes are chemically tagged, right? From the photo, it looks like the deterioration of the mixture alone could indicate it has been there for years. Shame on them for not reporting back to her on their findings!
 
Cement___Abandoned_Gas_Station_from_Linda_Osborne.jpg
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-3...tion-Slideshow

On February 17 Osborne contacted the West Valley City Police via email to their investigative department through their website, providing information about her finding.

She did not hear back from the department for about a week. Then, she received an email from Kim Waeley of West Valley Police, requesting photos.

Osborne emailed two photos of the cement strip to Waely and has never heard back from West Valley City Police.

Examiner.com contacted West Valley City Police Department Capt. McLachlan late Thursday afternoon for comment. McLachlan said, "I passed the information along to investigators but I'm not sure who's handling it. We can't look here and there, it would be a dog and pony show. We can't check everything and report back to everyone, it would be counterproductive."

Osborne also contacted the Tooele County Sheriff's Department via email, providing them with a map, information about her findings, and photos. She never heard back from them either.

On March 16 Osborne returned to the site to see if investigators had removed the cement strip, or had thoroughly investigated it.

Osborne was surprised to find it had not been moved and that the only change she could see was one area where small pieces of cement were missing from one corner from the narrow end of the strip. The largest chip was about 5" by 4" in size, the others were quite small. It did not appear an extensive search was done on the cement.

When I learned Tim Peterson reported Josh Powell having "the worst case of windburned hands he'd ever seen and that he kept putting lotion on them", it didn't dawn on me, until a few weeks later, that the irritation/burn could be from mixing cement with his hands.

Many years ago, I wanted to cement just a few rocks together and poured some concrete into a coffee can and added water then quickly mixed it with my bare hands then poured out the mixture.

Just that brief contact with the cement burned my hands so badly I was in total pain for about 1 1/2 weeks.

My hands were bright red and the burn was so painful I can't begin to describe it. I was constantly applying lotion to my hands.

I am not saying this is where Josh Powell buried Susan. But, it would surely explain the red hands and the trip with the rental car if Josh Powell returned to this site then proceeded to mix up concrete to cover the burial site.

He could have mixed the concrete with a stick, granted, but may have used his bare hands at some point to pat down the concrete. He may have simply poured out the bags of concrete over the area then poured water on it then tried to mix it with something and finally resorted to using his hands. If he wasn't wearing the proper gloves and they became thoroughly wet, the Portland Cement could have seeped through the gloves and made contact with his skin.
 

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