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Property of missing Juab Co. teen’s mother searched

Posted at 3:51 PM, Feb 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-07 11:51:38-05

TOOELE COUNTY, Utah - A search warrant released Monday shows that the home of  a missing Eureka teen's mother was searched, and three individuals were questioned about the disappearance.

Riley Powell and his girlfriend Brelynne "Breezy" Otteson were reported missing on Dec. 30, 2017.  The pair's Jeep was found near Cherry Creek Reservoir.  Police later stated that foul play was "strongly suggested" in the two teen's disappearance.

The search warrant, which was released Monday in Tooele County's 3rd District Court, called for search and potential seizure of items that could be related to the teenager's disappearance, including, "any and all camouflage tie down straps."

Police stated in the warrant that when they found the pair's jeep near Cherry Creek Reservoir, it had a camouflage strap stuck in the driver's side rear left spring.  When police searched the mother's residence, they reported that a similar strap with a camouflage pattern was found in the bed of a truck.  Police also said that the same truck had been seen by a witness, pulling a Jeep that matched the description of Riley's found vehicle.

The warrant said that when the Jeep was found, it had two flat tires, made by punctures in the side wall by a smaller, flat shaped object. "There was no tear in the side wall that would indicate that the tires where moving when punctured," the warrant said.

"Based on the above facts it is suspected that the blue Chevy truck described above was used to transport, conceal, hide, and plant the victims vehicle in cherry creek at the location it was discovered, to give the illusion that the victims were indeed stranded," the warrant stated.

Four individuals from the residence were asked by police to come to the station for questioning. Powell's mother and two others willingly went, while her boyfriend chose to stay behind.

Police said that the three people who were interviewed had different accounts of where Powell's mother and her boyfriend were on New Year's Eve.

The use of K-9 units and cadaver dogs was also included in the search warrant.

The couple had last been seen on Dec. 30, 2017,  in the Eureka area, heading west out of town.

In a press release sent Monday, Sheriff Douglas Anderson with the Juab County Sheriff's Office wrote:

"Since the warrant service on January 16, 2018, the investigation has significantly advanced beyond the discoveries during the warrant service. In order to maintain the integrity of the investigation, current discoveries outside this warrant service cannot be released at this time."

Read the full text of the search warrant here.