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Susan Powell’s parents seek custody of missing woman’s children

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A judge in Tacoma, Wash., will decide Wednesday what happens to the children of Susan Powell, the Utah stockbroker and mother of two who disappeared in 2009, with her husband named as the only person of interest in the case.

The two boys, ages 4 and 6, are currently staying withSusan Powell’s parents, who argue that they should remain there while Powell’s father-in-law, with whom their father has been living, faces trial on charges of voyeurism and possession of child pornography.

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Steven Powell, the father-in-law, pleaded not guilty to those 14 charges and remains jailed on $200,000 bail.

Josh Powell, his son, has insisted he is able to continue caring for his sons, who he said are wondering when they will be able to go home.

‘My sons are safe with me. They’re safe in my home,’ Powell told the judge, according to the Tacoma News-Tribune.

He reiterated that he had no knowledge about what happened to his wife, who went missing after he left the couple’s home in West Valley City, Utah, and purportedly took the boys on a midnight camping trip in the snow into the Utah desert.

‘I did not harm her. I did not have anything to do with her disappearance. I love her,’ he said.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Kathryn Nelson granted temporary custody Tuesday to Susan Powell’s parents, Charles and Judith Cox, and signaled she would make a final ruling on Wednesday.

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The Coxes’ lawyer, Steve Downing, told the court that Josh Powell has exhibited indifference during the search for his wife.

‘He’s never done one thing to look for Susan,’ Downing said, according to the News-Tribune. ‘My clients have never stopped looking for Susan.’

Meanwhile, a friend of Steven Powell from Ellensburg, Wash., Sandy Crain Anderson, said in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune that Steven Powell was obsessed with pornography, and his daughter-in-law, for years.

Josh and Susan were living in Steven’s home in Puyallup, Wash., before their move to Utah, and Steven Powell frequently talked about ‘how great she was, how beautiful she was,’ Anderson said.

When she asked Powell why he wasn’t dating anyone, he said Susan was ‘all I can think about,’ Anderson related.

‘He was hung up on her sexually, it seemed,’ she said. ‘He’d talk about trying to see under her clothing, see her breasts. Even back then, he had this idea she was flirting with him.’

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Susan Powell search resumes in Utah desert

Family of Susan Powell accuses husband of abuse

-- Kim Murphy in Seattle

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