12/10/2025
On this date 16 years ago, Josh Powell returned from an unexpected outing in a rental car. No one can say where he went.
Josh didn’t take his cell phone (police had it). He didn’t use his credit card (aside from a $400 cash withdrawal at an ATM to avoid being traced). It’s possible Josh might’ve been revisiting or relocating the body of his missing wife, Susan Powell, during the 18 hours he was unaccounted for.
A year and a half later, police obtained a wiretap on Josh Powell’s phone. They captured conversations between Josh and his family (father Steven, brother Michael, sister Alina). Seen here are snippets from two of those calls, in which Josh talked about his time in the rental car. COLD is the only source for these rare, non-public documents.
Take note of how Josh did not trust his own family enough to tell them where he went during those 18 hours. He lied about the mileage placed on the rental car (he said 300, actual mileage was 807). But most notably, he described interacting with a convenience store clerk who found him “very memorable.”
To this day, that convenience store clerk has not been identified. It is a key missing piece to the mystery of where is Susan Powell.
