State denies it knew Josh Powell was murder suspect

The grandparents of two children, murdered by their father, claim the state was dismissive of their concerns about the safety of Charlie and Braden Powell. But the state argues the law favors parents’ rights.

Speaking in Olympia, Chuck Cox said he can’t understand why the state kept trying to re-unite Josh Powell with his two young sons, ages 4 and 6.

“We had concerns about the safety of the children in the home and they were unable to do even a well-child visit in the home unless there was an actual physical abuse we could claim,” said Cox.

Lack of grandparents rights in child visitation and custody cases is a common complaint.

“We do everything we can to keep children connected with relatives, it’s just that the parents have the first and foremost right, as well as the children, to have them be connected, that’s just their right,” said Sherry Hill, spokeswoman for the state Children’s Administration.

State Senator Pam Roach, who joined the Cox family at an Olympia news conference Thursday, claims the state of Washington was aware that Powell was a suspect in the murder of his wife in Utah.

Hill denies that. “We were not aware of the status of that investigation changing from a missing person case and Josh was just a person of interest in that disappearance.”

Sen. Roach, R-31st district, has proposed five pieces of legislation designed to improve child protection in Washington, including a bill preventing a child custody award to someone considered a suspect in an active murder investigation.

Other new laws would create child welfare committees to examine difficult child custody cases and require that Child Protective Services workers be licensed social workers.

Hill says the state will consider possible changes in the child protection system after the state completes a mandatory fatality review of the deaths of Charlie and Braden Powell. Friday, the Department of Social and Health Services announced its selection of members to serve on the Child Fatality Review Team.

The review team includes a detective with the Tacoma Police Department, a public defender, a deputy prosecuting attorney, a licensed psychologist, a judge and two state lawmakers, among others.

The review panel will meet for two days in April to review the case. The members were chosen for their expertise in specific areas of concern about child welfare and none have any connection to the Powell case.