The two young sons of a missing Utah woman had chop-type injuries on their necks and a hatchet was found near their bodies after the home where they were visiting their father exploded. Authorities believe Josh Powell, a suspect in the disappearance of his wife Susan, tried to chop the boys' heads off before setting the house on fire.The double-murder suicide was a deliberate, planned-out event, investigators said.
According to Pierce County Sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer, leading up to his scheduled supervised visit with his two sons, 7-year-old Charles and 5-year-old Branden, Josh Powell carefully took steps to plan his final act.
Powell carried the children's books and toys to a charity. He filled cans of gasoline and carried them into the house. He had a hatchet nearby.
He sent several emails to people, some very brief but others providing details about how to locate his financial records and how to turn off the utilities to the house. The final email to his attorney simply said, "I'm sorry, goodbye."
None of the emails mentioned what happened to Susan Powell, who disappeared December 9, 2009.
When the social worker arrived at his home for a scheduled visit with the two boys, they ran into the house to see their father and he slammed the door and locked it. The social worker went to her car to call her supervisor and reported that the house exploded into flames within about two minutes.
According to autopsy results, within those two minutes Charlie suffered "chop injuries" to his neck and Branden had chop injuries to his head and neck.
Meanwhile, Susan Powell's parents, Chuck and Judy Cox told reporters that the boys had been busy playing Sunday and did not want to stop to go visit their father. But Judy Cox talked the boys into going for their scheduled visit, a decision she deeply regrets.
"Look what happened," Judy Cox said. "But I knew that they're supposed to be able to see their dad."
Authorities were trying to determine why the supervised visits were not scheduled at a public location, like a fast-food restaurant, which is a common practice.
Investigators are also wondering if they will ever find out what happened to Susan Powell. Family members reported that the boys were beginning to talk about the night their mother disappeared. The said they went on a camping trip with their mother "in the trunk."
At the camping location, the boys said their father and mother went to "look for crystals" and only their father returned, according to family members.
Extensive searches of the area Josh Powell said he went camping with the boys that night have turned up no trace of Susan Powell.
See Also:
Authorities: Dead Powell Boys Had "Chop" Marks
Officials: Powell Children Had Head and Neck Wounds
Comments
if josh was going to kill himself over guilt,revenge,orknowing he would not get his boys back,why didn’t he just kill himself and let his two innocent boys live? i feel so bad for the grandparents.they are probably so racked with guilt over the whole situation.they have now lost 4 family members.that is a lot to take in.but they should not blame themselves because they were just doing what they were told to do and what they thought was right for the boys.on another note,i hope josh burns and rots in hell for what he has done.
i dare imagine how the grandparents feel. but they arent to blame but rather commended for caring for those children while grieving for their own daughter. she wud have been glad to know they did all in their power to protect them. as for the so-called father, what he didnt pay for in this life he surely will in the next!