Josh Powell told a group of his wife's friends and coworkers a year before she disappeared that if he were ever to commit murder, he'd dispose of the body by dropping it down an abandoned mine. That and other clues led West Valley City police to launch an exhaustive search abandoned mines in Utah's West Desert, beginning just days after Susan Powell's disappearance. They kept that effort secret, even as frustrated volunteers launched their own searches for Susan's body across the Great Basin. Now, the full story of the secret mine search comes to light for the first time.

For the past three years, investigative reporter Dave Cawley has been studying thousands of police documents, journals, videos and diary entries. He has tracked down new sources, followed new leads and traced Josh Powell's trail from West Valley City, Utah, through Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and on to Washington State, where Powell killed himself and his two sons. Cold is the most complete retelling of the Susan Powell story ever. Join Dave Cawley in his search for truth.

See photos, files and more for this episode: https://thecoldpodcast.com/season-1/ep-7-scouring-the-desert/

Episode transcript: https://thecoldpodcast.com/season-1-transcript/scouring-the-desert-abandoned-mine-full-transcript

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If you enjoy Cold, please try these other great shows from KSL Podcasts: The Letter, Ransom, Unsolved Histories