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WEST VALLEY CITY -- After spending weeks in Washington with his family, the husband of Susan Powell returned to Utah to pack up and move out of the state for good.
West Valley City police say Powell has the right to move out of the state because he is not a suspect in his wife's disappearance.
"Legally he has that freedom of movement," said Capt. Tom McLachlan with the West Valley City Police Department.
Friends and neighbors who have been searching for Susan Powell say her husband's decision to leave the home where she was last seen is frustrating. Neighbors say Josh's decision to move to Washington is a little unexpected.
Police say the move doesn't really affect their investigation because he's been uncooperative the whole time.
"Whether he's up there and not talking to us, or down here not talking to us, it really doesn't make that much difference," McLachlan says.
It's been exactly one month since the disappearance of 28-year-old Susan Powell, and police say they still have yet to formally talk to the one person who saw her last.
"We would love to talk to Joshua, and we would love to verify what he has initially told us, but he has removed himself from our ability to do that," says McLachlan.
Josh Powell has been called the only person of interest in his wife's disappearance, but police say that doesn't mean he is required to stay in Utah. Close to three weeks ago he took his two boys to Washington state to stay with his dad for the holidays, but has now decided to make that permanent.
"I was really surprised because that's his wife," says neighbor Betty Trujillo.
Trujillo doesn't agree with Josh's decision to move. As one who has been searching for Susan, she feels he should be doing the same.
"You would think he would be out there searching for her and waiting for her to come home," Trujillo says. "If anything you're going to be there for her and with him leaving that's surprising to me."
Trujillo watched as Josh returned to his West Valley City home Wednesday. She says he and his brother pulled into his garage and shut the door. She says his brother finally emerged from the house later that afternoon, when Tim Peterson showed up to remove a swing set from the backyard.
"He's not looking for his wife. That much I know," Peterson told KSL Wednesday. "I just want to make sure I get my playground, OK, so I can give it to someone else in the ward."
Peterson did not get the swing set back. Powell's brother called police and reported he was trespassing.
Josh's presence back in the neighborhood is another reminder to neighbors that Susan is still out there. Trujillo says even though it's been a month, her disappearance is still fresh in her mind.
"To me it does, I think it's going to be until we find her," she says.
Police say the recent media blitz to help find Susan has resulted in dozens of calls. They wouldn't say whether or not any of them were credible leads into her disappearance, but they did say they still have several tips to follow up on.
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
