One Very Dysfunctional Family

Around the second week in December 2009, I first heard the name Susan Powell on the news.  They were talking about how she was last seen on December 6^th at her home by her husband, Josh Powell, before he went on a camping trip with his boys … a camping trip in the dead of winter in Utah.  The camping trip was the first red flag for me.  No one takes a 2 and 4 year old camping in the dead of winter with snow on the ground.  As the weeks tarry and they kept looking for Susan, I became more and more engrossed in this story.  I couldn’t figure out why the police weren’t asking the same questions that I would be asking; week after week same thing no Susan. 

Then we find out that Susan’s Father-in-law, Stephen Powell was in love with Susan.  When his home was searched, they found several articles of evidence to this fact and many pornographic pictures and for that reason he is serving time in prison in Washington for voyeurism.  So, not only does this poor woman have a psychotic husband, but apparently the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. 

On February 15, 2012, when a social worker brought Josh Powell his sons for a supervised visit, he locks the supervisor out of the home and he chopped the boys in the neck and head and then blew the house up with him and the boys still in it.  I to this day wonder what made the authorities think he didn’t have anything to do with his wife’s disappearance and why on earth they would allow him to see his kids at all.  NO ONE takes their young kids camping in the dead of winter while there is snow on the ground. 

I don’t know why this story bothered me so much … and if truth be told, it still bothers me today.  Although all the bad that could be done has been done and just when you think there isn’t another chapter to add to the book, something else happens.  On Monday, October 13, 2014, Josh Powell’s younger brother committed suicide by jumping from a parking structure to his death because he was denied the insurance benefits on the death of Susan, Josh, and their two sons.  Seriously?  I mean after all the other stuff that has happened in this family, he not only wants to collect on the benefits from it, but he commits suicide when his wishes are denied.  What is wrong with this family?  IF it were my family, do I do believe I wouldn’t want any ties to the family.  I would be doing everything in my power to prove that I am not as bad as all the others before me.  There is still another Powell out there believe it or not.  Her name is Jennifer Powell and she is Josh’s sister.  As a matter of fact, the morning before Josh blew him and his kids up in that house, he had sent Jennifer a email suicide note and she tried to alarm the police, but there wasn’t enough time to do so.  I just hope and pray that I don’t hear something about her in the future.  It is time for all this madness to end.  This story just gets worse and worse every time you hear it.