Summary of Gregg Olsen & Rebecca Morris'sIf I Can't Have You

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 On Monday, December 7, 2009, Debbie Caldwell went to visit her friend and neighbor Susan Powell, who was usually prompt and conscientious with the children she took care of. However, when no one answered the door, Debbie phoned the names of the children’s emergency contacts.

#2 On March 6, Terri Powell, Josh's mother, heard the message from his day care provider, Debbie Caldwell. She and Jennifer went to the house to find it locked up tightly. They tried both Josh and Susan's cell phones, which went to voice mail. They then phoned the West Valley City police to report the family missing.

#3 The police issued a statewide attempt-to-locate for the Powell family’s 2005 light blue Chrysler Town Country minivan. They had not heard from Susan or Josh, and it was strange that neither had called their places of employment or day-care provider to say they would be away.

#4 The Powell family was missing, and word spread among friends and church members that they were missing. In the afternoon, Kiirsi sent a text message to JoVonna Owings, who knew Susan from the church choir.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669394228

IRB Media

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Insights from Chapter 1

#1

On Monday, December 7, 2009, Debbie Caldwell went to visit her friend and neighbor Susan Powell, who was usually prompt and conscientious with the children she took care of. However, when no one answered the door, Debbie phoned the names of the children’s emergency contacts.

#2

On March 6, Terri Powell, Josh's mother, heard the message from his day care provider, Debbie Caldwell. She and Jennifer went to the house to find it locked up tightly. They tried both Josh and Susan's cell phones, which went to voice mail. They then phoned the West Valley City police to report the family missing.

#3

The police issued a statewide attempt-to-locate for the Powell family’s 2005 light blue Chrysler Town Country minivan. They had not heard from Susan or Josh, and it was strange that neither had called their places of employment or day-care provider to say they would be away.

#4

The Powell family was missing, and word spread among friends and church members that they were missing. In the afternoon, Kiirsi sent a text message to JoVonna Owings, who knew Susan from the church choir.

#5

After church on Sunday, JoVonna had helped Susan with some crocheting and had supper with the family. At about 3:00 P. M. on Monday, JoVonna phoned Josh. He said he was driving around with the boys. Two hours later, he left a message on Susan’s phone to say he was in the Wells Fargo building parking lot.

#6

When Jennifer told West Valley City Police Detective Ellis Maxwell about her conversation with Josh, he called him and asked him to come home. When he arrived, he was questioned by police. He said that he had been confused and thought it was Sunday. He had no idea where his wife was.

#7

After being trapped by the police in his driveway, Josh went to the police station to tell his story. He couldn’t remember what Susan was wearing, and explained how she had been tired and had laid down. He’d gotten a late start and left after midnight.

#8

On December 7, the police let Josh and the boys leave the police department and take the minivan back to the house on W. Sarah Circle. When he arrived home, he backed the van up to the garage door. Neighbors reported that he spent all night and early the next morning cleaning the vehicle.

#9

Down the street from the Powells, Kiirsi Hellewell was sitting at her computer when she received a phone call. It made her heart beat faster and her stomach turn somersaults. Josh is back, a neighbor said. Susan is not with him.

#10

Susan’s father, Chuck, was working the phones and the Internet to try and find his daughter. Her parents, in addition to keeping in touch with Jennifer Graves, were also working the phones and the Internet. They knew that Josh had returned home with the boys, but had no idea where