WEST VALLEY CITY — Susan Powell's picture appears to be on the verge of going viral.
"We've had over 3,000 people sign up (in the first three hours). I've been flooded with phone calls," said Powell's friend Kiirsi Hellewell.
A social-media blitz, aimed at getting the missing West Valley City woman's face out among people who possibly have never heard of her case, launched Monday morning with great success.
Residents from states such as Texas, New York and Pennsylvania all posted on the "Friends and Family of Susan Powell" Facebook wall Monday.
"We are astounded by the responses, overwhelmed with gratitude and so appreciative of all the time everyone has put into it," said Shelby Gifford, a friend of Powell and her family who has been acting as their spokeswoman from Washington state.
Gifford said she and Powell's father, Chuck Cox, have been monitoring the Facebook activity from Powell's hometown of Puyallup, Wash.
"We're getting about 500 (new Facebook friends) an hour," she said.
"The more people that know about this, the more likely we're going to have somebody who has seen something or knows something come forward with a tip that's going to find her," Cox told KSL-TV.
The 72-hour campaign aims to spread Powell's story and image using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as e-mail. The goal for the "Friends and Family of Susan Powell" Facebook page is to double the number of friends there, as well as on the Susan Powell Twitter page. By 9 p.m. Monday there were 25,855 members in the Susan Powell Facebook group.
"I didn't even know if this was going to work," said Hellewell, one of the event organizers. "We are very, very happy."
In addition to the social-media blitz, people are being encouraged to wear a purple ribbon or tie a purple ribbon around their car antenna. Purple is Powell's favorite color, Gifford said.
Powell has been missing since Dec. 7. Her husband, Josh Powell, has been named a person of interest in the case but not a suspect. Josh Powell, who lost his job since his wife went missing, went back to Washington with the couple's two sons, ages 2 and 4, over the holidays. Both Hellewell and Gifford said they had heard rumors that Josh Powell was now planning on moving back there.
Cox said Monday that he had been able to see his grandchildren again since Christmas.
West Valley police Monday had no new information to release regarding the case. Capt. Tom McLachlan noted that the social-media blitz, however, had generated several new tips and potential leads. He said a detective had been assigned to monitor all Web traffic generated by the social-media blitz, evaluate the tips that came in and prioritize them.
The social-media blitz ends Wednesday evening.
Cox and Gifford said Monday that they remained optimistic Susan Powell will return safely.
"We believe as a family, fear and faith can't occupy the same space," Gifford said. "We choose faith. We will remain hopeful and work for her return."
e-mail: preavy@desnews.com