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TOOELE COUNTY -- As many as 100 trained searchers are headed to the West Desert Saturday to look for any signs of missing West Valley City mother Susan Powell.
The search was originally organized by volunteers from Cache County, but they decided to back away because of concerns over the risks and liability.
"You just don't know what you're going to run into," said Bridgerland Fire Company Chief Jon Watkins, who is coordinating the search effort.
• Dec. 7 - The day Susan Powell was reported missing
• Dec. 9 - Police call disappearance of Susan Powell suspicious
• Dec. 12 - Family of missing woman's husband speaks
• Dec. 16 - Josh Powell named person of interest
• Dec. 17 - 2nd search warrant served at Powell home
• Dec. 20 - Josh Powell attends Wash. vigil
• Jan. 3, 2010 - Friends of missing Utah mom launch Web media blitz
• Jan. 4 - Social media blitz kick off
• Jan. 9 - Josh Powell packs up West Valley City house
• Jan. 27 - Family, friends put up ribbon display at Powell WVC home
• Feb. 5 - Friends plan ‘Week of Service' in honor of Susan Powell
• Feb. 15 - Family accuses missing woman's husband of abuse
• March 1 - Susan Powell's family, former cop question new website
• March 6 - Vigils mark 3-month anniversary of Susan Powell's disappearance
• March 9 - Witnesses say they saw Josh Powell at a strip club just hours after Susan Powell was reported missing.
•March 16 - Volunteer search being organized for Susan Powell
•March 26 - Tooele County sheriff has concerns about search for Susan Powell
•April 2 - Search for Susan Powell closed to the public
Experts in search and rescue, fire and medicine are expected to be joined by trained dogs Saturday. Watkins wouldn't say exactly what clues the search teams were seeking around Simpson Springs.
He did elaborate in a phone interview with KSL Newsradio on the risks related to the search, which include everything from snakes and other wild animals to the weather and even unexploded ordnance.
"It's by Dugway where we're going to be looking," Watkins said. "You could come across something like that."
Watkins says searchers will not be looking inside the many mines in the area because of the dangers.
"There could be poisonous gases in there, there could be huge drop-offs," Watkins said. "A lot of them are just not safe."
While the Tooele County sheriff and West Valley police have no official involvement in Saturday's search, Watkins says he expects a couple of deputies to be on hand in case anything is found.
Watkins is warning people without training to stay away. "We don't need to have a bunch of medical evacs for the day," Watkins said.
Susan's husband Josh Powell told police he took his children to Simpson Springs to camp out the night of Dec. 7 of last year -- the day his wife went missing. He remains the only named person of interest in her disappearance.
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
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