Susan Powell Mystery: War of Words Escalates
Daughter of Powell's father-in-law hits back at father's claims.
Aug. 26, 2011— -- The war of words among the family of missing Utah mother Susan Powell is escalating as the investigation into her disappearance moves into Washington state with police executing a search warrant on the house now occupied by her husband and father-in-law.
Powell's sister-in-law Jennifer Graves called claims of a flirtatious and sexually charged relationship made by her father Steven Powell between him and Susan "slander," and called for a return of focus on the search for the missing mom.
"My dad is saying all kinds of things about Susan that aren't true -- Susan wasn't like this. Steven Powell is," Graves said. "At this point we need to focus on the investigation. All the slander is not helping to find Susan -- we need to go back to an investigation mode instead of a mudslinging mode.
"[Susan's husband] Josh and my dad have done nothing to help, they've done a lot of talking but it's nothing to help find Susan. They're not talking to police. It doesn't portray a man who wants to find his wife," she added.
Meanwhile, 20 detectives are searching the home in Puyallup, Wash. where Powell's 35-year-old husband, Josh Powell, is now living with his father, Steven Powell, along with the couple's two young sons, Charlie and Braden. Josh Powell moved with his boys in to his father's home here after his wife vanished in December 2009.
Half of the investigators executing the search are with the Pierce County, Wash., sheriff and the others are with the West Valley City Police Department in Utah.
At least three computers and four boxes of material were removed from the home by detectives, according to ABC News Seattle affiliate KOMO.
"We came here to look for a few things, and we found a lot of the things we were looking for," said Lt. Bill Merritt.
Josh Powell was at home when investigators arrived and is not being detained. Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer. Crime scene tape surrounded the house while it was searched; Charlie and Braden Powell ate pizza as they played in the house's back yard.
