“Cold,” the KSL podcast narrated by investigative journalist Dave Cawley, reshines light on the story that shocked the nation: the disappearance of Susan Powell. Cawley revisits the case files on Susan who disappeared in her home of Dec. 2009, by walking the listener through the case and exposing details that were kept hidden from the media at the time.
After trying to find a good podcast to listen to, I came across this one: Cold. It was December and I thought, “why not give it a listen?” And boy, that was the best decision I made. Tuning in each Wednesday always leaves me surprised and in shock at the amount of evidence and mystery surrounding Susan’s case. The story of a Mormon wife and mother of two young boys is a shivering tale of domestic violence and will give you goosebumps and you’ll cringe at the surprising details and evidence nailed upon Susan’s estranged husband, Josh Powell. The wicked acts of Susan’s father-in-law, Steve Powell, will terrify your soul and leave you puzzled.
The podcast focuses around three central themes. First, Susan’s journal writings show she was trapped in an abusive marriage. Though she tirelessly reached out to family and friends, she could not escape it. Second, the amount of circumstantial evidence suggests Josh was responsible for her disappearance; and the missed opportunities to arrest Josh could have prevented the final outcome. And finally, the podcast reveals how Josh came to be such a psychotic, and bipolar-like individual, who dealt with so many issues as a child, which further controlled and influenced the way he treated his wife and his family. And the source to that influence came from Josh’s father, Steve, who had a way to manipulate people and lived a despicable life.
What’s so impressive and riveting about this podcast is the level of honesty of truth it unfolds. And it’s a story we don’t hear too often. Sometimes we all wonder why women would stay in an abusive relationship, and sometimes we blame them as partially guilty because they could’ve walked away. This podcast, however, shows you that sometimes walking away is not the easiest thing to do.
People can manipulate you into believing you deserve the brutal treatment or frighten you with death threats that you think there is no place to run or to hide. And that’s exactly what happened to Susan. She was a fighter, yet her husband controlled her every move, literally. Josh was like a dictating supervisor who needed to know everything that Susan did during the day time, where she went and how much money she spent. Josh was a fanatic and even required Susan to scan receipts into files stored on one of several of Josh’s computers, which were confiscated by authorities later on.
But it wasn’t always like that. As Cawley begins the story, Josh used to be different, and was more affectionate and loving, and a previous Mormon follower. But then after he married Susan, things changed, and there was no room for redemption. Only treachery.
Through each episode, Cawley tells the untold story of what happened to a devoted wife and mother, explaining the exhausted efforts of authorities who tried endlessly to gather enough evidence to arrest Josh. But on Feb. 5 2012, they were too late. In a murder-suicide, Josh killed his two sons, Charles and Braden, and left many questions unanswered to this day. Though the ending doesn’t have a sun shining over a rainbow, this podcast is 100 percent worth listening to. If you know someone or if you, yourself, are in an abusive relationship, this podcast may help you. I believe Susan’s story has the power to change people and give others the strength to escape from abuse.
