Ep 1. American Gothic

In the first episode of season 8 of Disappeared titled "American Gothic," we follow the case of Susan Powell, a young mother who mysteriously vanished along with her two young sons. The episode opens with the timeline of events leading up to her disappearance. Susan Powell was married to Josh Powell, and they lived in Utah with their two boys, Charlie and Braden. In December 2009, Susan's parents flew in from Washington to visit and had concerns about their daughter's relationship with Josh. They asked Susan if they could take the boys for a sleepover at their hotel the night before they flew out. Susan agreed, and they left the boys with her parents. After they left, Susan went to work, and Josh supposedly took the boys on a spontaneous camping trip in sub-zero temperatures.

When Susan didn't show up for work on Monday, her coworkers became worried and called the police. The Powell's house was a mess, and Josh claimed that he had taken the boys on the camping trip without Susan. The authorities immediately became suspicious of Josh and began investigating him as a potential suspect. As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, the Powell family was plunged into turmoil, with Susan's parents fighting for custody of their grandkids and Josh becoming increasingly unstable and erratic.

The episode features interviews with Susan's friends and family, as well as the investigators who worked on the case. We hear from Susan's coworker, who was the last person to see her alive on December 6th. We also hear from her friends, who recount Susan's fears about her relationship with Josh and the lengths he would go to control her. The investigative team talks about the challenges of tracking down leads in a case where the main suspect lived in a different state and maintained a tight grip on information related to Susan's disappearance.

As the years go by, the case remains unsolved, and Josh Powell's behavior only becomes more erratic. He moves to Washington with the boys, where he becomes embroiled in a legal battle with Susan's parents over custody. In 2012, while his father, Steve Powell, was in jail on charges of voyeurism, Josh Powell attacked his sons with a hatchet and then blew up the house, killing himself and the boys in the explosion. The tragedy left many unanswered questions about what happened to Susan Powell and why.

The episode ends with a plea from Susan's parents for anyone with information about their daughter's disappearance to come forward. They hope that one day they will get answers about what happened to Susan, and that her story will be a cautionary tale for women trapped in abusive relationships.

Overall, "American Gothic" is a haunting reminder of the toll that domestic violence can take on families, and the difficulty of solving cases where the perpetrator is determined to evade justice. The episode is a gripping look at the investigation into Susan Powell's disappearance, and the impact it had on the people who loved her.