Nancy Grace

Will hubby be charged w/wife's murder?

Mercedes Mom Murder Mystery: Cops reportedly discover blood in hubby’s garage! Will hubby be charged with his wife’s brutal strangulation death any moment?

Mercedes Mom Murder Mystery: Cops reportedly discover blood in hubby’s garage! Will hubby be charged with his wife’s brutal strangulation death any moment?

Secrets to getting your 4-yr-old twins to the dentist
February 9th, 2012
05:30 PM ET

Secrets to getting your 4-yr-old twins to the dentist

This week I took my 4-yr-old twins, John David & Lucy to the dentist for the very first time! I KNOW it is a hot topic because everyone has asked me since I went how I was able to 1) even get them to the dentist and 2) take photos of them smiling.

Here’s what I did: first, I read them the “Dora” book about going to the dentist. Then I showed them pictures of pirates without teeth- and I told them that’s what happens when you don’t go to the dentist!

Finally, I went online and found a pediatric dentist. This is key! This office was like CandyLand - fish tanks everywhere, “The Incredibles” movie was playing, there was a leggo table… AND they had yummy flavored toothpaste!

Good luck getting yours to the dentist!

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Authorities to investigate 911 response in Powell case
February 9th, 2012
03:50 PM ET

Authorities to investigate 911 response in Powell case

  • Police took 22 minutes to get to Josh Powell's home
  • Powell's sister says he was trying to protect sons from pain
  • Police get new tips in Susan Cox-Powell disappearance

A dispatcher took eight minutes to send a police car to Josh Powell’s home after a social worker dialed 911 Sunday to report that he had locked himself and his sons inside his home and she smelled gasoline, and it was 22 minutes before police actually arrived, according to CNN.

Now authorities are planning an investigation of the response to the call. CNN reported that Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Ed Troyer criticized the dispatcher’s “etiquette” in handling the social worker’s call about what she said warned him a life-threatening situation.

The social worker’s husband told CNN affiliate KCPQ that she was “very upset and traumatized” after witnessing the house explode with Powell and the two boys inside. Speaking to HLN’s Nancy Grace Wednesday, the boys’ grandparents—the parents of missing mother Susan Cox-Powell—said they do not blame her for what happened.

Josh Powell’s sister said in an interview airing Thursday that Josh had been the victim of harassment, abuse and lies since his wife disappeared in December 2009 and she still believes he is innocent in that case.

Alina Powell told ABC News that she was initially suspicious of her brother’s possible involvement in what happened to Susan, but she felt she never heard anything “remotely suspicious” about him in the months afterward. She said he was damaged by the “lack of due process” and public criticism he faced.

“He must have just felt that there was only one way left for him to protect his sons from the pain,” Powell said, claiming that police have interfered with his custody case involving the children. Powell lost custody of the boys last fall. Authorities say he killed them during what was supposed to be a court-ordered supervised visitation.

West Valley City Police have received new tips about Susan Cox-Powell’s disappearance since Sunday’s events, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. Chief Buzz Nielsen told the paper that officers are reviewing the tips to determine if any are credible.

Nielsen said police eventually want to talk to Josh’s father, Steven Powell, but they do not want to interfere with his prosecution in Washington for charges unrelated to the case.

For the latest crime and justice news, watch "Nancy Grace" weeknights at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST on HLN.

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Teen’s apparent abduction caught on tape?
February 9th, 2012
03:06 PM ET

Teen’s apparent abduction caught on tape?

  • 18-year-old Samantha Koenig last seen at coffee shack on February 1
  • Police say video appears to show man forcing teen to leave with her
  • Father says missing teen had been having problems with a man
Authorities in Alaska are searching for a missing teenager believed to have been abducted outside the coffee hut where she worked last week.

Samantha Koenig, 18, was last seen on February 1 working at a Common Grounds coffee shack in Anchorage. Police told the Anchorage Daily News that surveillance video showed a man in a hooded sweatshirt forcing Koenig out of the coffee stand and out of the frame. They believe the abductor was carrying a weapon.

Lt. Dave Parker of the Anchorage Police Department told HLN that investigators will not release the video because it is impossible to make out the face of the suspect in it, so they believe it would not assist in finding Koenig. Parker also declined to say what items, if any, Samantha left behind at the coffee hut.

Samantha’s father, James Koenig, told HLN her boyfriend was supposed to pick her up from work that night, but there was another man who she recently had been having problems with. He would not discuss the nature of her relationship to that man, but court records show the teen filed a petition for a protective order against a 24-year-old man last November accusing him of sexual assault. The petition was dismissed when she did not appear for a hearing.

Police told the Anchorage Daily News that the man is not considered a potential suspect in Koenig’s disappearance. The paper reported Wednesday that the FBI has now joined the investigation.

For the latest crime and justice news, watch Nancy Grace weeknights at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST on HLN.

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February 8th, 2012
04:35 PM ET

Powell boys’ grandfather: “I just couldn’t fathom it”

The parents of missing mom Susan Cox-Powell spoke out Wednesday for the first time since chilling 911 calls were released from the fire that killed their grandsons.

In a primetime exclusive interview with HLN’s Nancy Grace, Susan’s father said his first reaction when he heard from a friend that his daughter’s two young boys were killed in a fire apparently set by their own father was disbelief.

“It’s just so outlandish and hard to believe that somebody would actually set their house on fire or set off an explosion and kill two innocent children,” Chuck Cox recalled.

Even after seeing what was left of Josh Powell’s home surrounded by police tape in the wake of the explosion, Cox did not want to accept it.

“They can’t be gone. Because nobody would do that. It couldn’t happen. So I just couldn’t fathom it,” he said.

Cox and his wife Judy told Grace that 7-year-old Charlie and 5-year-old Braden seemed to grow more willing to talk about their missing mother since they were taken from Powell’s custody last fall. At first, though, they tried to evade questions about her, as Cox believed they were instructed to do by their father.

“All they would say was the last time they saw mommy was on a camping trip…Then they would go back to, ‘I don’t know, I don’t remember’…a trained and coached response,” he said.

Josh Powell was a suspect in Susan Cox-Powell’s December 2009 disappearance, but he was never charged. He told police that he took their two sons camping in the middle of the night and she was gone when they returned.

Chuck Cox stated that he now has no doubt that Josh Powell killed his daughter.

“I know he’s responsible,” Cox said.

Police believe Josh Powell attacked his two sons with a hatchet in his Washington home Sunday after locking out a social worker who was supposed to supervise their court-ordered visitation. They say he then set the house on fire, causing an explosion that killed him and the boys.

“This could be life-threatening…I’m afraid for their lives,” the social worker told a dispatcher in a 911 call moments before the house exploded.

For the full interview with Chuck and Judy Cox, watch “Nancy Grace” Wednesday at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST on HLN.

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Susan Powell's parents break silence
February 7th, 2012
06:13 PM ET

Susan Powell's parents break silence

Tomorrow I will have the pleasure of speaking with Susan Cox Powell’s parents, Judy & Chuck Cox. They lost their daughter. 28-years-old. She is GONE. And now, they have lost their 2 precious grandchildren at the hands of their own son-in-law in what we now know was a painful, violent death. I want justice. For Susan Powell and for her family. We’ll be taking your calls. For more on the case go to: HLNtv.com


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Lawyer: Cops told Powell family arrest was near
February 7th, 2012
05:26 PM ET

Lawyer: Cops told Powell family arrest was near

Police repeatedly told Susan Cox-Powell’s parents in recent months that the arrest of her husband, Josh Powell, in connection with her disappearance was imminent, a family attorney said Tuesday.

“My clients were assured repeatedly by the West Valley Police Department that an arrest was pending, be patient,” attorney Steve Downing said on HLN’s “Nancy Grace.” “…They were told repeatedly that something was going to happen and it never did.”

Downing said Chuck and Judy Cox were told last year that Powell would be arrested by November 15, and when that didn’t happen, they were told the arrest was coming sometime this summer. He said police were “absolutely” aware that Powell’s children had made statements about their mother being in a mine or in the trunk of a car - and one had even drawn a picture of the family van with Susan in the trunk - but they still did not act.

“Assurances after assurances, the arrest never happened,” family attorney Anne Bremner told Grace.

When asked about Downing's allegations, West Valley Police Sgt. Mike Powell told HLN that “Anything specific to our actual investigation itself we are not able to release or discuss at this point. We still have an active missing person investigation and the integrity of that investigation is of the utmost importance to us.”

Susan Cox-Powell was reported missing on December 7, 2009. Josh Powell told police at the time that he took their two sons camping in the middle of the night and Susan was gone when they returned. Police have called him a suspect in her disappearance and he lost custody of the children last fall.

In a voicemail message obtained by ABC News, Powell reportedly told family members Sunday he could not live without his sons. About 20 minutes later, authorities believe he attacked the boys with a hatchet during a court-ordered visit and set his house on fire, killing all three of them.

For the latest on the Powell family tragedy, watch “Nancy Grace” tonight at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST on HLN.

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Powell voicemail: 'Not able to live' without sons
February 7th, 2012
12:47 PM ET

Powell voicemail: 'Not able to live' without sons

  • A voicemail Powell recorded before killing two boys and himself: 'I am not able to live without my sons'
  • Authorities say boys suffered hatchet wounds before death
  • Attorney says son drew picture of missing mom in trunk

New details emerged Tuesday in the explosion that killed the husband of missing Utah mom Susan Cox-Powell and their two sons on Sunday.

Autopsies showed that Josh Powell and his sons, five-year-old Braden and seven-year-old Charlie, died from carbon monoxide poisoning in the fire that authorities believe Powell started, but the boys suffered hatchet wounds first. Investigators also found two five-gallon cans of gasoline in what was left of Powell’s Washington state home after the explosion.

ABC News obtained a voicemail message reportedly left by Powell for relatives 20 minutes before the fire. “I am not able to live without my sons,” the message said, according to ABC News. Powell also sent an email to his attorney saying, “I’m sorry. Goodbye.”

Timeline: The Powell family saga

Other reports indicate that Powell, who has been called a person of interest in Susan’s December 2009 disappearance, may have been planning his actions for days. According to the News Tribune, Powell gave away some of his sons’ toys and books days earlier. Powell had been ordered last week to submit to a psychosexual evaluation before he could regain custody of the children.

Susan’s parents, who have had custody since last fall, told the Seattle Times that the boys were unusually resistant to leave for their court-ordered visitation on Sunday. "They liked seeing their dad. But the last time they didn't want to go,” Chuck Cox said, according to the Times.

Denise Cox, Susan’s sister, said on HLN’s “Nancy Grace” Monday that she “absolutely” feared Josh would hurt the children. She added that the children had recently started talking more about what happened to their mother on the night she was last seen, when Powell said he took the boys on a late-night camping trip and Susan was gone when they returned.

A Cox family attorney said the older son once drew a picture that showed the family in their van and Susan in the trunk. “The dad was driving the van, he and his brother were in the backseat and mom was in the trunk,” attorney Steve Downing said.

West Valley City Police Chief Buzz Nielsen told HLN Monday that the investigation into Susan Cox-Powell’s disappearance is still active despite Sunday’s events and that he has promised her parents he will not give up the search for answers.

For the latest on this case, watch "Nancy Grace" tonight at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. EST on HLN.

And for more information on this case & others go to: HLNtv.com

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Susan Powell's sister talks w/Nancy Grace
February 6th, 2012
05:18 PM ET

Susan Powell's sister talks w/Nancy Grace

An attorney for the parents of missing Utah mother, Susan Cox Powell, said the woman’s children whose bodies were discovered Sunday in a fatal home explosion recently started talking about the night their mother vanished.

The attorney, Steve Downing, said the oldest boy recalled his mother being in the trunk.

“Charlie had been asked along with other members of [his] class to draw a picture of something they did in summer,” Downing said. “At some point he drew a picture of the family van. The dad was driving the van, he and his brother were in the backseat and mom was in the trunk.”

Susan Powell's sister Denise Cox told HLN’s Nancy Grace that the boys were increasingly able to verbalize what they remembered.

"Actually, the boys at first when my parents received custody of them they didn't talk that much," Denise Cox said, "but over the last few months they started opening up and talking to my parents about what happened that night and my parents would relay it back to me."

Cox said Josh Powell did not permit the boys to talk about their mother or to mention her name.

The bodies of the two children, Charles, 7, and Braden, 5, were found in their father Josh Powell's Pallyup, Wa. Home, after he allegedly ignited the explosive blast during a court-ordered visitation.

Police say Josh Powell, who had been named a person of interest in the disappearance and suspected murder of his wife Susan Cox Powell, was also killed in the blast along with the boys.

Firefighters who responded to the scene found the Powell home engulfed in flames and nearly charred to its frame. The bodies were discovered in the living room. The blast shook nearby homes, rattled windows and spewed debris onto lawns located blocks away.

A social worker who brought the Powell boys to Josh Powell's home Sunday reportedly told police that Powell let the boys inside, then blocked her from entering and locked the door. The social worker reportedly pounded on the door and immediately contacted supervisors to report the incident. She reportedly told supervisors she noticed the smell of gas outside the home.

The home exploded moments later. The social worker was not injured.

According to police, Josh Powell sent e-mails to multiple people confirming that he planned the deadly blast. Jeffrey Bassett, the attorney who had been handling Powell's child custody case says he too received an e-mail from his client minutes before the explosion saying "I'm sorry, goodbye."

Police say the blast was fueled using accelerants spread throughout the home.

Josh Powell allegedly told police he took his two boys, then ages 2 and 4, on a Sunday night camping trip. Powell told police he returned home that Monday evening in December 2009 to find his wife missing.

Powell was never charged in connection with his wife's disappearance, but lost custody of their children after his father Steve Powell was arrested on charges of child pornography and voyeurism. The boys had been living with their maternal grandparents.

Denise Cox speculates that Josh Powell drugged his sister before her death.

"I believe he drugged her so it didn't seem unnatural for the boys when he took her," she said.

"I believe he told them that they were going to go look for mines and I believe he buried her somewhere out wherever he went."

Cox said from what she gathers from her parents, the Powell boys had been talking about how their mother went into a mine to look for crystals and never came out.

Autopsies on the three bodies are scheduled Monday.

Police continue to investigate the disappearance of Susan Cox Powell.

For more on this story tune into Nancy Grace tonight on HLN, 8pm EST and go to HLNtv.com FULL POST

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