My mom told me about KSL’s Cold podcast in late December, and like most daughters, I did not listen to her recommendation until a while later in late January. As much as I may want to believe my mother’s recommendations will not interest me, I am proved wrong every time. On the first episode, I was automatically hooked and listened to all 15 episodes within 20 days. Meal prep afternoons, commutes from my apartment to campus, and waits for the bus were filled with Dave Cawley’s narration and my reactions. I haven’t been okay since.
For those unfamiliar with the Powell case, Susan and Josh Powell were a married couple raising two children, Charlie and Braden, in West Valley from the early 2000s until 2009. On December 6th, 2009, Josh Powell supposedly took his children for a midnight camping trip in the Uinta mountains and left his wife at home. The next morning, when a neighbor visited the Powell’s home out of concern for Susan, police were called and found no one inside the house. They did however find a wet spot on the carpet with two large fans pointed at the spot. Frantic, police, family, and friends began calling Josh only to receive a voicemail box message. Only when a past babysitter of the Powell children called did Josh pick up. Following the urgent instructions to return home, Josh finally returned after a number of hours. Susan was not with him and the boys. Susan was declared missing a week following the camping trip, and her face was plastered across every TV screen in Utah. Search and rescue missions were ordered and police scrambled across the West to solve where Susan had gone. All signs pointed to the obvious: Josh had murdered his wife. Due to lack of evidence, police were never able to convict Josh before he killed himself and his children in a house fire in 2012.
My description of the case is shallow, but Cold is not. From the interplay between religion and abusive relationships to the creepy and weird things Josh did (and don’t even get me started on Josh’s father, Steve Powell), Cold will captivate your mind and your heart. Without trying to spoil any of the major points of the podcast, here’s some GIF reactions that will explain the emotional and physical rollercoaster that is Cold.
1. First off, are you dumb? Cold made me feel like I could have solved this case.
Guys, Utah is hella cold in the winter. Who takes their young children (both under 6 at the time) to go camping in December? Also, who takes their children camping in the winter in the middle of a blizzard? Also, who takes their children camping in the winter in the middle of a blizzard in the mountains? Better yet, who takes their children camping in the winter in the middle of a blizzard in the mountains at MIDNIGHT? I felt like this was damning enough evidence for police to believe that something fishy was lurking in the Powell case, but simple assumption doesn’t hold up in court. But I cannot help but feel frustrated with law enforcement.
Josh also had an odd and unopened assortment of camping equipment inside his minivan following his return from “camping”. I understand that our judicial system does not run off of circumstantial evidence (thank heavens) but I can’t say my reaction was not “really?”.
Josh also had an odd and unopened assortment of camping equipment inside his minivan following his return from “camping”. I understand that our judicial system does not run off of circumstantial evidence (thank heavens) but I can’t say my reaction was not “really?”.
2. Second of all, what the hell. Josh’s father makes me want to puke
Everytime Steve Powell is mentioned, the hair on my neck would stand on end and my stomach was fully prepared to release any anxiety if the situation arose. Between Steve delusion about his “relationship” with Susan, his collection of Susan’s personal things, and his secret videos of Susan, I hung onto every word and paused about every 5 minutes until I finally had to say no to the rest of the episode for that day.
I won’t even start with Steve Powell’s music interests.
3. I’m done. Josh was weird af
I would think most husbands would be terrified that their wife was supposedly missing. But not Josh. No, not Josh. Police interviews with Josh featured in Cold are cold themselves. Josh is so apathetic your spine tingles and there comes a point that you have to listen to another podcast to lighten the mood.
In Josh’s audio journals following Susan’s disappearance, he doesn’t even mention Susan, deciding to discuss his extended family instead.
If you’ve learned anything from this article, I hope it was that you need to listen to Cold. Right now. You can listen on iTunes or Spotify as well as online at https://thecoldpodcast.com/. You will not, I repeat, not be disappointed!
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