April 3, 2010 - (Slideshow) Volunteers from the public who planned to join together April 10 to comb the West Desert for clues into Susan Cox Powell's disappearance were informed Friday by search organizers that the search was closed to the public. Susan's friends and family have come up with an alternative plan, should they get enough interest.
There were mixed emotions as people learned they would no longer be allowed to join the ground search planned for April 10 in the Simpson Springs area in the West Desert. Some were disappointed because they looked forward to gathering with others and doing something for Susan.
As an alternative for those who hoped to search for Susan April 10 her friends and family are offering to organize a get-together in West Valley City if there is enough interest.
They have secured a location and would like to suggest going door-to-door passing out fliers in the West Valley City area, a pot-luck luncheon, and a time to gather together with others who share a common concern - finding answers into Susan's disappearance.
Shelby Gifford, spokesperson for Susan's family, said, "Susan's family and friends are hopeful volunteers who are unable to participate in the April 10 search will turn out to distribute missing persons flyers among neighborhoods in the West Valley City area. Although police have canvassed the area in the past, perhaps the efforts of the volunteers will help generate new leads in Susan's disappearance."
If this is of interest to you please email findsusanpowell@gmail.com by Wednesday, April 7.
Your comments are welcome below.
Comments
This is an awesome idea. Perhaps the WA residents might want to organize a series of poster-posting activities along the WVC and the Puyallup highway & main roads stopping points. With the upcoming travel&tourist season, people should be aware that she is missing and perhaps someone may recall hearing or observing unusual activity these last four months.
As always, prayerful thoughts on her behalf and her loved ones are always welcome. Positive energy and random acts of kindness can achieve wonderful results.
handing out pictures of Josh might be a good idea, too. Maybe someone saw him during the time of her disappearance and could help with the case.
ok what is the toole county sheriff hiding????? why does he not want the search to be done? why has the west valley city p.d.drug their feet in this case? there has to be a reason why after all this time that josh has not been arrested,and why results have not been released about the forensics,why have they not held press conferences to let the public know how the case is going?
when i lived in los angeles we always were kept in the know.
i wonder if the toole county sheriff knows something we don,t
why do they not want susan cox powell found? witness protection program maybe???????
The Tooele County Sheriff's Dept is not to blame for any of this. They are a relatively small department with a huge amount of land to cover with limited deputies and resources available. They have offered to have medivac air flights available to air lift anyone who becomes injured on the search, place trained team leaders with search groups, and have deputies present at Simpson Springs. They have met with organizers to make sure everything will run as smoothly as possible. What more do you want? Is West Valley Police offering any assistance on their case? Not that I have heard of. Whenever you have a large group of people together it will create hazards, i.e. parking on dry brush, starting a fire and blocking roadways from fire dept. access. When you take deputies way out into the desert, you don't have the coverage needed to respond quickly to life-threatening emergencies in town. I think we need to be grateful for all the Tooele County Sheriff's have done, and will do.
I agree with KC about handing out fliers with photos of Josh and a vehicle description. The time to do that was 12/7, however...thing tend move a little slow around here.
I think it is nice of Susan's family and friend to come up with an alternative for the volunteers who will not be able to be a part of the search on 4/10, however in my opinion there are things we could do that would be of greater help than passing out fliers with only Susan's photo. I don't know if police have searched the areas around where Josh and Susan were employed, but there is a LOT of land surrounding them that are on my list of places to search. It would be really nice to have some help. Would the family approve of this?
This case should be taught in LE classes all over the country.
How Not To Find A Body.
Dr. Fessel, Or...What NOT to do. It is truly unbelievable!
Here is a real alternative plan of the police department in Greeley Co who want to find missing Kayleah Wilson.
# Check and look along road sides, back roads, fields, dump areas that you may know about in the county or in the towns or areas you drive to or live near. These may be areas that you routinely drive, walk, run, jog, etc. Check any ditches or areas that are typically hard to see when driving by at high speeds. Other potential areas to check are under bridges, in abandoned barns or structures that are not normally occupied, abandoned vehicles, etc.
# If you notice a suspicious odor in an area, or see activities in or around abandoned homes or property; if you happen to see circling birds or gathering predators, like coyotes in or around an area, check it out to see if it is safe, or contact the local law enforcement agency near you to have it checked out.
# If you own property that is not currently occupied, check it out to make sure it is still secure and that everything inside is in order and as you expect it to be. If you know your neighbor is not home and you have permission to go on their property, check for any broken windows, doors, or suspicious activity or things that may appear out of place to you.
# If you live in a rural area and know your neighbors are gone for extended periods of time, drive by those areas and make note of any unusual cars, vehicles or things that appear out of place and are not consistent with what you are familiar with.
# If you live near an empty home or building, watch for any suspicious activity or unusual people or vehicles in or around the structure that are not normally there.
# Do NOT go in any buildings or homes that you do not own or trespass on private property, to search any areas.
# If you see or suspect anything suspicious, do not attempt to pick it up, touch it or contaminate the immediate surrounding areas. If you leave the area before authorities arrive try to leave the same way you came in so other potential items are not disturbed or contaminated.
# If a suspicious incident is in progress and you are concerned for public safety always call 911.
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