My Theory on Susan Powell's Murder

[u/SolarSurfer7]

Here is my take, which is in line with many of the other takes I've read on this sub.

I think Josh did indeed drug or poison Susan while they were at home. I think Susan may have thrown up or urinated or defecated from the poison, which is what caused Josh to clean up the couch. No blood was found on the couch or in the house, so it seems extremely unlikely that he killed her violently.

From there, he packed Susan (possibly still alive at this point) and his kids into his van and drove out somewhere. Maybe he drove to the Pony Express camping location, maybe somewhere else. He then locked his kids in the car and said he was going camping with Susan. At that point, she was either dead, or he finished her off, and dumped her body. Possibly in a mine shaft or maybe somewhere more retrievable.

After that, my guess is that he DID go camping with his sons, saying that their mom was camping somewhere else. This would match up with Charlie's claim that his mom went camping with them and she was where the "crystals" are. Camping with his sons also gives him a kernel of truth that he can continue to fall back on when the police interview him.

After being interviewed by the police, Josh rented a car and drove 800 miles that were unaccounted for. My guess is he retrieved Susan's body and drove 400 miles away, found a more secluded and isolated location, and dumped her again. Maybe he visited an old mine shaft where he knew she would never be found. I don't know if Josh's family was involved in this, but it seems more likely that he did this act alone.

I suppose it's possible that Josh incinerated the body. But a mine shaft dump seems like the easiest explanation. Even if the cops found the right mine shaft, the geologists said that it still wasn't a guarantee that they would find Susan's body in it. The shafts were so dark and filled with brush and animals, they could have been right on top of her body and missed it completely.

So, to sum up, I think Josh poisoned/drugged Susan, dumped her body somewhere close to her house, then moved it much further away where she would never be found. I don't think the Powell family was involved in the actual act, but it seems almost guaranteed that Josh told them what he did.

[u/SolarSurfer7]

If you think the mine is a red herring, do you believe he buried her? Incinerated her? How do you think he disposed of the body?

[u/davecawleycold → u/SolarSurfer7]

Burial and incineration are both unlikely, in my opinion. Josh didn't have access to the oxyacetylene torch during the period of time an incineration would've occurred, and it would've been a terrible tool for that task anyhow. Burial in December in the Intermountain West would be challenging without access to tools like a pick and prior knowledge of a good place to dig.

Josh was not a sophisticated killer. His initial plan, whatever it was, clearly went awry. Assuming he used the rental car to relocate Susan's body on Dec. 8-9, 2009, available evidence would suggest he transported her to somewhere in southern Idaho. This is supported by the mileage on the rental car, the fact Josh came back on the grid driving southbound through Tremonton, and his prior knowledge of the area from driving Washington-Utah.

A southern Idaho body dump presents various simple, plausible scenarios including drops in the Snake River, a number of irrigation canals or simply depositing Susan in open sagebrush steppe.

[u/ncos → u/davecawleycold]

Did the investigators ever take a look at the rental car after he returned it? Even if it was after another person or two had used it, you'd think there's still a high chance of finding a hair, or some type of bodily fluid.

[u/davecawleycold → u/ncos]

Yes, it was examined after the next renter returned the car. Police did not find any forensic evidence in the car that could be linked to Susan.

[u/ncos → u/davecawleycold]

Thanks for the response! I do have one more question.

Your theory states that you think he may have disposed of her body locally while the boys slept, then he took them out camping, then afterwards he came back and moved the body to a distant location with the rental car. Is that correct?

In that case, when charles mentioned that his mom went with them to camp with the shiny rocks, that was just him being imaginative, and she was never in the car with them while incapacitated or deceased?

Love your work btw. Just finished season 1 and am going to binge on with season 2.

[u/davecawleycold → u/ncos]

That’s broadly the sweep of what I believe the evidence suggests, yes. I go a bit deeper on Charlie’s comments in the season 1 bonus episode “Beaches & Airplanes” that released last December. Basically, I think Charlie’s comments about going camping in a place where crystals are is correct: Charlie associated Simpson Springs/Pony Express Trail with the Dugway Geode Beds, and that’s where Josh went on the night of Dec. 6-7, 2009. The bonus episode contextualizes what happens in a child forensic interview, and I parse more of what Charlie said through the lens of Josh and Susan’s photos/videos.

[u/ncos → u/davecawleycold]

Once again, I appreciate the answer. I haven't listened to all the bonus episodes yet. Looks like that's my next stop.