SCOTTS MILLS, Oregon -- Police here abruptly ended a search for any sign of Susan Cox Powell, dashing hopes that the missing West Valley City mother may finally be found and ending a three-and-a-half year-old mystery.
"No tips, no leads, no new information that has been developed as a result of this search," deputy West Valley City police chief Mike Powell told FOX 13 on Thursday morning.
Police and FBI agents had been searching a secluded property near this tiny Oregon town for any indications that Susan Cox Powell had been here. They used cadaver dogs to search a heavily forested area.
Susan's father, Chuck Cox, was on the property observing the search efforts. He told FOX 13 he received a tip earlier this year that he passed along to West Valley City police. Investigators confirmed that relatives of their prime "person of interest" in the disappearance -- Josh Powell -- once lived on the property. Cox told FOX 13 he believed Josh Powell might be familiar with the land.
Police questioned that relative on Wednesday.
"We are convinced at this point that there was no involvement on their part," Mike Powell (no relation to Susan or her family) said.
While clearly frustrated that this latest search had not yet yielded any information that could solve the mystery of Susan's 2009 disappearance, Powell acknowledged that police were exhausting what remaining leads they have left.
"We are drawing to the point where there may not be any more at this point that we can follow up on," he told FOX 13.
But Powell added that detectives would continue to pursue any new tips that may come in about Susan Cox Powell's whereabouts.
"We're not done in the sense that we don't know where Susan's at, and we still want to find Susan," he said.
