Josh Powell Had Hundreds of Cartoon Sex and Incest Images
Josh Powell had 400 images of cartoon sex and incest images on his computer, just days before he killed his two children and himself.
Utah authorities notified social workers that Josh Powell collected graphic images of cartoon sex and incest three weeks before his murder-suicide. Initially, investigators found only a half-dozen photos, which were seized in 2009, according to the Associated Press.
However, the social worker who monitored Powell's kids sent a note to a psychologist saying, "It is now clear there are many more images that initially indicated." The psychologist found the images were a great concern and suggested more evaluation of the father.
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Powell killed himself six days before the evaluation was supposed to take place and it is unclear why authorities kept the images a secret for so long.
The 400 images found on Powell's computer consisted of sexual depictions of popular children's cartoon characters. They included, SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats and Dennis the Menace. Some of the images showed 3-D depictions of sex involving parents and their children.
Officials first found out about some of the photos in 2009, shortly after the disappearance of Susan Powell. Two months later, social worker Forest Jacobson, wrote that images weren't received until mid-January and were far more extensive.
Powell had full custody of his children, until his father was charged with voyeurism. He was then only allowed supervised visits with his children.
Powell had previously told a psychologist, Dr. James Manley, that he only watched pornography that involved adults. However, Dr. Manley still challenged Powell's parenting.
"Given the gaps of information about Mr. Powell, there seems reason to conclude he may not presently be a stable and appropriate resource for his children," Dr. James wrote in a report.
According to documents released under Washington public records laws, social workers explained their concern that Josh Powell would speak disparagingly of his in-laws, Chuck and Judy Cox, in front of his children. The documents also state that Charlie Powell was beginning to remember about his mother, saying "he remembers she left because grandpa was mean to her."
