Susan Powell was 28 and mother of two when she was last seen on December 7, 2009, in West Valley City, Utah. She failed to show up for work and was reported missing after her husband, Josh Powell, said she had left the home earlier that night. Her purse and phone remained at the family house.

Investigators found Josh’s account suspicious. He told police he had taken the couple’s sons, ages 2 and 4, on an impromptu camping trip in a snowstorm to the remote Simpson Springs area. Police also uncovered entries in Susan’s journals and emails in which she expressed fear for her safety and described a strained marriage; friends and family later said she had been anxious and wanted to leave. Susan had recently taken out a life insurance policy, a fact that drew further scrutiny.

Extensive searches, including the Simpson Springs desert and the family’s neighborhood, turned up no body. Attention focused on Josh; in February 2012 he killed himself and the two children in a supervised visit when a house exploded. Authorities believe Josh played a role in Susan’s death, but without physical evidence the disappearance remains unsolved.