PUYALLUP, Wash. — It’s been over twelve years since Susan Cox Powell disappeared.
When the 28-year-old West Valley City woman went missing in December of 2009, her husband Josh said he and their two sons had gone to Utah’s west desert to camp and make “s’mores.”
Susan was never seen again, and many searches for her have taken place in the west desert.
The most recent one though, is the most promising yet.
READ: Father joins desert search for missing daughter Susan Cox Powell
"I like to say, 'cautiously optimistic,’” Chuck Cox, Susan’s father, told Drew Mikkelsen with KING 5 TV in Seattle.
The most recent search for Susan was put together by "Diesel" Dave Sparks, star of the Utah-based reality show, “Diesel Brothers.”
The search was centered on an old mine shaft that some have theorized might be where Susan’s body was discarded.
Chuck Cox drove from his Puyallup, Washington home to join in on the search and thank those who continue to look for his daughter.
The searchers say they found bones and a pair of pants that appear to be women’s at the bottom of the abandoned mine.
READ: Items found during search for Susan Cox Powell sent to forensics lab for testing
Chuck Cox went down the mine himself and says he's hoping DNA results could answer questions for the family.
“It would just kind of resolve in our minds where we are,” he said. “Kind of a relief, because although you're pretty sure she's not coming back, now we know, and you can put that aside and continue on with the work of her foundation, helping other people."
Susan Powell's family started the foundation in her name offering support for victims of abuse.
In February of 2012, Josh Powell took his two boys, 7-year-old Charles and 5-year-old Braden, to a home in South Hill, Washington and a short time later, the house exploded and burst into flames.
All three died in the fire and it was treated as a double murder-suicide.
The community of Puyallup helped establish a memorial site for Charlie and Braden at the Woodbine Cemetery where they are buried.
The site also contains a memorial for Susan but her parents desperately want to find her remains, so they can be laid to rest alongside her two sons.
