SANDY LAKE, Pa. (ETY) – A woman from the Sandy Lake area of Mercer County is suspected of taking part in the assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Officials have been unable to locate 40-year-old Rachel Powell, who has become better known as “pink hat lady” or “bullhorn lady” from the photos taken during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
She was first identified as the woman in the photos posted by the FBI in a New Yorker magazine article titled “A Pennsylvania Mother’s Path to Insurrection” by Pulitzer Prize winner Ronan Farrow published on February 2.
However, FBI officials have still not officially confirmed her identity.
Powell, who until recently worked part-time at a bookstore in Franklin, is also known to have helped organize and participated in multiple demonstrations, including one against COVID-19 shutdowns in Pennsylvania and the wearing of masks.
A divorced mother of eight children, Powell also previously worked as an independent contractor selling dairy products for a company in Reynoldsville, Jefferson County, until she was laid off last year, allegedly due to refusal to wear a facial mask.
In her interview with The New Yorker, Powell acknowledged her role in the assault at the Capitol, detailing some of the incidents that occurred, while declining to comment on some of her conduct that could carry criminal charges.
She explained that her decision to go to the Capitol that day was motivated first by her concerns about mask requirements, which she referred to as a “liberty issue,” but also her belief in the Trump election-fraud conspiracy theory.
Powell also told the interviewer that she was “beaten” as well as “sprayed and gassed” during the events at the Capitol.
Powell is of particular concern to investigators due to appearing to have advanced knowledge of the Capitol Building, which could indicate pre-planning of the assault; however, she directly denied any planning for the incident in the New Yorker article.
As of Wednesday evening, Powell remained at large, and the FBI would not comment further on the issue.
