Jeep found, teens still missing

JUAB COUNTY – It was not the break they were looking for.  Family members of two teens who disappeared out of Juab County 13 days ago say the discovery of the couple’s Jeep has them even more puzzled about what happened.

The family of “Breezy” Otteson and Riley Powell say they were excited to hear that the couple’s vehicle was spotted, but, they don’t know why it was south of Eureka, why the tires were flat and why the windows were down.  “We thought the Jeep was going to be the key to the answers to what we needed.  It was just more unanswered questions,” according to Otteson’s aunt, Amanda Hunt.

Also, Hunt has no explanation for why the vehicle was south of Eureka, which was their destination, in an area they don’t normally visit.  She says, “There are so man ‘what ifs.’ You hope.  You have lots of hope.  You want to think the best that maybe they broke down and got flat tires and tucked the Jeep away.”

Hunt says she’s tried everything she can to try and find the couple.  For instance, she tried to reactivate Powell’s pre-paid cell phone, to no avail.  “I actually paid and put minutes on the phone in the hope that if you put minutes on it, it would be picked up,” she says.

The family still maintains the couple had absolutely no reason to run away.  Hunt says, “There was no push-back for them to be together. They were living together and they were happy together.”

(Photo Credit: Amanda Hunt)