Susan
Susan is the 3rd daughter of Charles and Judy Cox and was 28 years old when she was reported missing on December 7, 2009. She was born in New Mexico and lived in Alaska before her family settled in Washington State when she was a child. She and her husband later moved to Utah. Susan is a devoted mother to her two small boys and her family and friends know that she would never voluntarily be separated from them.
Susan is an outgoing, optimistic person with a servant’s heart and boundless energy. She is characterized by her faith in her Heavenly Father, her determination to provide for her children and her belief that families are forever. Her faith is an example for others, including her two boys.
Susan Powell was last seen in her home in West Valley City, Utah on December 6, 2009. Police were called on the morning of December 7th when Susan’s childcare provider became concerned that Susan did not drop her children off as scheduled. It was soon discovered that both Susan and her husband Joshua failed to report for work at their respective jobs. When no one could reach Susan or Joshua, police searched the family home, fearing that the family may have succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning. No one was in the home.
Joshua Powell eventually returned to the residence later that evening with the two children, but Susan remains missing. Joshua claimed that he took the two children camping at about midnight the night before, leaving Susan asleep or preparing for bed. As a result of their investigation, police have characterized her disappearance as suspicious with criminal overtones.
The search for Susan continues.
Charles Cox
Charles “Chuck” Cox is Susan’s father and was thrust into the spotlight when his daughter went missing in December 2009. He was willing to participate in interview after interview in order to get Susan’s story in the news as frequently as possible.
Chuck was inspired by Ed Smart, whose daughter Elizabeth was abducted from her home in Utah. Ed was a tireless advocate in the search for Elizabeth and Chuck has followed his example by doing everything possible to spread the news of Susan’s disappearance. He and Ed have met on a few occasions and Chuck continues to draw strength from Ed’s experience.
Chuck is a pilot and works for the Federal Aviation Administration. His faith in God and his belief in eternal families strengthen his resolve and provide comfort during such a difficult time. He continues to experience the unique trial of being the father of a missing person. Through this experience, he seeks to provide the empathy and understanding to families of missing persons that can only be offered by someone who has been through that particular ordeal.
Judy Cox
As Susan’s mother, Judy continues to endure a unique heartache as a result of her daughter’s disappearance. Judy is a loving mother to 4 daughters and the grandmother of 9. She, too, has actively spread the message of Susan’s disappearance by distributing hundreds of purple ribbons as part of the Purple Ribbon Campaign to raise awareness of Susan’s plight. Her commitment to service to others is a talent she brings to the Susan Cox Powell Foundation.
Judy frequently says she misses hearing Susan giggling on the other end of the phone line and has health concerns which have been exacerbated by the stress of her daughter’s disappearance. She and Chuck have been married for 35 years.
Michael Gifford
Michael is a retired police officer who has an extensive background in community service and education. He served as a D.A.R.E. Officer for several years and has spent over 3,000 hours in the classroom with children of all ages.
He is a close family friend of Susan and the Cox family and has a thorough understanding of how police investigations are conducted. He has provided guidance to the Cox family so that their actions can be helpful to the investigators working Susan’s case.
Michael has many years of experience working in the non-profit arena and brings the “police perspective” to the table, which has proven to be a valuable resource in Susan’s case.
Shelby Gifford
Shelby (who is married to Michael) is a close family friend of Susan and the Cox family. She currently serves as the Cox Family Spokesperson and is responsible for coordinating media interviews for local and national outlets. Shelby has a background in law enforcement with a focus in community education, domestic violence victim advocacy and media relations.
Her experience allows her to understand the intricacies of a police investigation while coordinating the resources of local and national media to spread the word about Susan’s disappearance. Shelby will manage the day-to-day operations of the foundation while offering her media relations skills to families of missing persons to ensure that their loved one’s disappearance receives the attention it should.
Kirk Graves
Kirk is married to Jennifer Graves, Susan’s sister-in-law and Joshua’s sister. Kirk became involved in the search for Susan immediately and has been a tireless advocate on her behalf.
Kirk is self-employed with 13 years of experience as a computer programmer and ten years of experience as a technical trainer. He has been instrumental in creating websites dedicated to the cause of finding Susan and supporting the foundation which bears her name. His technical experience has been invaluable in the creation of the foundation and he will be responsible for managing the foundation’s presence on the Web. Additionally, he will serve as the Utah contact for the foundation
Jennifer Graves
Jennifer is the older sister of Susan’s husband, Joshua Powell, and has an especially close relationship with Susan. She has worked endlessly to spread the word about Susan’s disappearance and continues to be an advocate for her sister-in-law. She and Kirk are the parents of 5 children and Jennifer has the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mother.
Jennifer has experience in financial software and will be assisting with the financial planning and accounting for the foundation.
Kiirsi Hellewell
Susan and Kiirsi are best friends. She is the oldest of 7 children and the full-time mother/teacher of her own three children.
Kiirsi and Susan are two of a kind in their desire to serve others. Kiirsi has been a tireless advocate in the search for Susan, creating a Facebook page with thousands of members as well as coordinating the Week of Service on behalf of Susan in February 2010. She has distributed thousands of flyers and worked as part of the successful Social Networking Media Blitz that was launched in early January 2010.
Kiirsi has a degree and background in writing and will be functioning as the media assistant, working with alternative media for the foundation.