WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - What Josh Powell says and does continues to raise the eyebrows of just about everyone connected with the case of his wife's disappearance.
Susan Powell disappeared from the family home in West Valley two weeks ago. At first Josh Powell told police and reporters that he last saw her around midnight, Sunday, December 6th as he was taking his two young boys out on a camping trip in the middle of major snow storm.
He didn't know anything was wrong until a neighbor called him the next day to tell him that his wife, 28 year old Susan Powell, was missing. And why did he skip work that Monday without calling in? He explained that he was confused and thought it was still Sunday.
Now, following the advice of a criminal defense attorney, Powell is not saying anything. And now, he's not even in Utah. Over the weekend Powell took his boys and went to his father's house in Puyallup, Washington.
John Hellewell who is a neighbor of the Powell's found out about the trip Sunday when Josh called him. His first concern was to find someone to "pet sit" his birds. "He just called me and said, 'I'm here staying at my Dad's house.' He said he was trying to get away from all the media attention," Hellewell said. When asked if he thought it was strange for Powell to leave when the fate of his wife was still unknown, he said, "I don't understand a lot of the things he does. So, it's hard to know what his reasoning was."
West Valley Police say because Powell is not a suspect, he is free to come and go as he pleases. But, Captain Tom McLachlan said his leaving does not help them find his wife. He said, "Distance probably doesn't really matter that much right now. But his public appearance and actions don't put him in a good light."
Sunday evening Josh Powell showed up unannounced at a candlelight vigil for his wife. During that appearance, he was shielded from the cameras and just about everyone else by a circle of friends. Not even his father-in-law, Chuck Cox, could get through to talk to him.
Cox said, "We've had no contact with Josh. We don't know what his plans are. I didn't even know he was coming up here." Cox once defended Powell, but now is obviously upset that he has stopped cooperating with police. "Until we get some solid information about what really happened that night ... that morning ... that day ... there are still a lot of unanswered questions."
