Update:
Detectives plan to flip cement
March 21, 2010 - Thursday Examiner.com reported that a cement strip the size and shape of a human body was found in the West Desert in Utah by a person searching for clues into the disappearance of Susan Cox Powell.
There is a possibility the cement strip is nothing more than a dump truck driver cleaning out his load, yet there's a possibility it could be someone's loved one underneath the cement.
Regardless what it is, people believe it's worthy of an investigation. The Tooele County Sheriff's Office agreed to investigate.
After going out to find the cement strip on Friday, Deputy N. Collins went again on Saturday to meet Linda Osborne, who initially located the cement strip, to confirm they were talking about the same thing.
Once the deputy confirmed the cement strip and heard Osborne's concerns, he requested she stay away from the strip. Osborne said, "The deputy requested I not get any closer in order to protect possible evidence. We were about 25' away from the cement strip."
Tooele Sheriff's Department Sgt. Gowans told Examiner.com Sunday morning that he is urging citizens to stay away from the area where the cement strip has been located until investigators have a chance to go and flip the cement, which he hopes will happen Monday. He has asked Examiner.com to contact the sheriff Monday afternoon for an update.
Osborne mentioned to Deputy Collins Saturday that the cement strip looked like it could possibly be a body because of the shape.
Deputy Collins said to her, "It very well could be."
Osborne asked the deputy if West Valley City Police had asked them to come to check this out and he said, "No, we're doing this on our own." During a phone conversation with Examiner.com Sunday morning, Sgt. W. Gowans confirmed the Tooele Sheriff's Department is doing this investigation on their own.
Saturday Dep. Collins told Osborne he would be referring this to their detective unit. "They will be going out to flip the cement to determine if anything is underneath," Dep. Collins said. Sgt. Gowans confirmed both of these facts to Examiner.com Sunday morning.
People are pleased that Tooele County Sheriff's office has acted so quickly and are taking this seriously.
During a phone conversation with Sheriff Frank Park Friday, he told Examiner.com, "We've got a deputy on his way out there right now to see if he can locate it."
Examiner.com spoke with Sheriff Frank Park Saturday who was quite certain this is cement someone dumped at the end of their load. He said, "There's a chance it's a cement run, which is when a truck dumps the end of their load, but we'll send a deputy out there again to confirm it."
A concerned citizen who wishes to remain anonymous said on Sunday morning he and his family drove out to the area where the abandoned gas station is, close to where the cement strip is located, and that he was shocked to see no police in the area and no police tape blocking people from entering an area where he believes the concrete strip should be.
"Cars and trucks keep streaming in out here. It's a nice day and some people are out here shooting and fishing, but others are just looking around," he said.
"There were about five other people in the immediate area of where the cement strip is located," he said.