NOTE: This page includes details about phone calls of Josh Powell wiretapped by police. The wiretap notes include instances of strong language, which have been blurred by Cold.
By DAVE CAWLEY
West Valley City, Utah police needed a break. They were running out of leads after searching for Susan Powell for more than a year and a half. Her husband, Josh Powell, remained the sole suspect in his wife’s disappearance but had avoided being arrested or charged with any crime related to the disappearance.
So, in the summer of 2011, police crafted a plan. They secured court authorization for a wiretap on three phone lines: Josh Powell’s cell phone, his father Steve Powell’s home line (where Josh was then living with this two sons, Charlie and Braden) and Steve Powell’s mobile.
Cold previously detailed how several significant events during August and September of that year were coordinated by police as “catalysts” for the wiretap. The entire effort was known by the secret codename “Operation Tsunami.” However, details of the actual captured phone calls have never been publicly disclosed.
What follows are selected excerpts from the secret Powell wiretap records, obtained and accessed exclusively by Cold.