Viswa Vanapalli
The Cox family was left devastated when one of their own, Susan Marie Cox Powell, vanished into thin air in late 2009. ABC’s ‘20/20: If Something Happens To Me’ focuses on this beloved mother’s case and how her family has dealt with the ordeal ever since. Susan’s father, Chuck Cox, has since been their spokesperson, while her sister Denise has held out hope new information would reveal what happened to her.
Chuck and Denise Cox Have Only Ever Wanted Answers and Justice
Chuck is a retired pilot who also worked with the Federal Aviation Administration. He has been married to Judy Cox for more than three decades and has been actively involved in finding out what happened to their daughter, Susan. In 2001, the latter married Joshua Powell, and the couple soon welcomed two sons into their lives, Charlie and Braden. While their relationship was initially great, things began to turn sour as the years passed by. Her loved ones have actually claimed he was controlling and would often get angry.
Therefore, Denise Cox-Ernest even went as far as to ask her sister to end things with him, only to then hear something ominous. According to her, “When I told her to leave with the kids, she told me that he had told her, ‘Over my dead body will you have those boys. They’re mine.'” She added, “The boys were a possession to him.” Things took a turn for the worse when Susan was reported missing in December 2009, with all suspicion seemingly veering toward Joshua.
In a safe deposit box at Susan’s workplace, the authorities found a handwritten will that mentioned how her marriage had been going downhill and that Joshua had taken a hefty life insurance policy in her name. Susan added, “If I die, it may not be an accident.” Furthermore, other disturbing details about the couple’s life began to emerge. Joshua’s father, Steven, had allegedly previously made inappropriate advances toward her, something she told Joshua about.
Denise remembered, “(Susan) was extremely upset about that and disturbed, but even more disturbed when Josh just said that, you know, that’s his dad.” After her sudden disappearance, he took the kids to his father’s place in Puyallup, Washington. In that house, the authorities eventually found secret recordings his father had made of Susan, focusing on her body, him smelling her underwear, or professing his feelings toward her. There were also images of other young girls and women as well.
Steven was soon arrested for voyeurism and child pornography before later being convicted. But after the arrest, his son lost custody of the children, with Chuck and Judy being granted temporary custody. However, in a tragic case of murder-suicide, Joshua killed himself and the two kids during a supervised visit in February 2012. Chuck said, “I don’t know anything else I could have done… My daughter is still missing, and now the children are dead. I had them safe… They were in my care.”
Chuck and Denise Cox Are Keeping Susan’s Memories Alive
After Charlie and Braden’s deaths, Chuck and Judy filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, alleging negligence. This case went through considerable delays owing to the COVID-19 pandemic before a jury ruled in their favor. The presiding judge subsequently awarded them $98.5 million, which was later slashed to $32 million. Chuck said, “I intend to … use the award to try and help other people, [so] that we can save more children.”
In 2018, Steven died after being released from prison. Many, including Denise, believe he knew what had happened to Susan. So, the news of his death came as a shock. Denise said, “I was just like it was mixed emotion; you don’t know if you’re happy or sad about it. But [it’s] bad because the last legacy of hope of finding what happened to Susan is gone.”
Since then, the family has not given up trying to find Susan. In February 2022, Chuck joined search efforts at a mine shaft in Utah that ended with some bone fragments and torn pants being unearthed. He was reasonably certain they were Susan’s, but forensic analysis confirmed these remains were not likely human at all. He thus continues to fight for justice with Judy, all the while continuing to reside in Puyallup and running the Susan Cox Powell Foundation to assist families of missing persons. As for Denise, apart from keeping the memories of her sister alive in her heart, this Graham, Washington, resident seems to be focusing on her union with Albert Ernest, whom she married in 2017.
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