Group to search abandoned mine for remains of Susan Powell

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A search group plans to re-examine an abandoned mine shaft in Utah's West Desert over the next month or so with the hope of finding the remains of a mother who disappeared nine years ago.

The Utah Cold Case Coalition is organizing the search for the remains of Susan Powell, as it appears the shaft wasn't completely searched previously, group co-founder Karra Porter said.

"We have a sense that there are a couple of possibilities that weren't searched in depth," Porter said Wednesday night.

That move comes in light of information released on Cold, KSL’s podcast about the Powell case, KSL Newsradio reported.

“This investigation in many ways, now that all of this information is getting out, is getting crowdsourced. More minds, more thoughts, more ideas, more power," KSL's Jay McFarland said on Thursday’s episode of The JayMac News Show.

Dave Cawley, the host of the podcast, said he appreciated the effort from the public, who were able to contribute information that authorities may not have known they were missing.

“That fine grain detail is so important,” Cawley said. “Members of the public look at this and say, ‘OK, where can we look? Where has been searched? What needs to maybe be looked at again with fresh eyes?’ So we really want to bring that fine detail to this effort.”

The search will be done by a company the coalition is not publicly naming at this time. The experts will focus on one mine where they believe it's possible there could be bone fragments, clothing or jewelry linked to Powell.

The remote site is near where Powell's husband, Josh Powell — the only person of interest police ever named in the disappearance — said he took his sons camping the night his wife vanished from their West Valley City home.

Susan Powell was last seen on Dec. 6, 2009. No trace of her has ever been found.

The Utah Cold Case Coalition hopes the private searchers will examine the mine within the next month to six weeks, depending on the weather.

"If that proves unsuccessful," Porter said, the group will also lead a surface area search in the West Desert in April that the public will be invited to attend.

Contributing: Linda Williams, KSL.com