Family of Susan Cox Powell allege abuse, launch foundation

PUYALLUP, Wash. — In the time since Susan Cox Powell went missing more than two months ago, her family and friends have had time to "compare notes," and, in so doing, they found stories of Susan's struggles in an "adversarial relationship" with her husband, Joshua, said Cox family spokeswoman Shelby Gifford.

"Right now we just don't know. We don't have all the facts. We can say, however, without reservation that Susan was a victim of domestic abuse in her own home," she said.

The declaration was made in a press conference held in the missing woman's hometown of Puyallup, Wash., on Monday. Gifford and various members of Susan Cox Powell's family said they wanted to address some yet unanswered questions and launch the Susan Cox Powell Foundation, which aims to prevent domestic abuse and unite families with missing loved ones by creating a database of resources and providing "strategic media consulting."

"We know that sometimes the search for a loved one can go on for years," Gifford said. "While we prepare ourselves emotionally for that, we believe that we should honor Susan's legacy of service by helping others who will experience this unique trial in the time to come."
Cox Powell has been missing since Dec. 7. Her husband was the last to see her. Joshua Powell said she was heading to bed as he was leaving just after midnight to take the couple's two sons, age 2 and 4 at the time, camping in a remote part of Tooele County. West Valley Police have called him a person of interest in the case.

Gifford highlighted the details of Susan Cox Powell's life that spoke of what she characterized as "egregious acts of control" on the part of Joshua Powell. Susan Cox Powell was revered for her gardening skills, but Gifford said few knew that she developed those skills out of necessity.

"Many of us marveled at Susan's green thumb and her garden," Gifford said. "I know that you've heard us talk about that before. It was something she was great at but she didn't do it, we found out, because she loved to garden. She did it because she didn't have a budget for groceries and she was told she needed to grow the food that her children ate."

Gifford said Joshua Powell controlled Susan Cox Powell's use of the family car, sabotaged her parenting efforts by telling the boys that "Mommy was mean" for putting them to bed, dictated which groceries she could and could not buy, and denied her access to the family finances, "even though she brought in most of the money."