Josh Powell Leaves Final Voicemail Before Murder Suicide

The horrific ending to the disappearance of Susan Powell and the suicide of Josh Powell following the murder of the couple’s two boys, Braden and Charles, seems in hindsight to be one of those things you could see coming a mile away.

To say suspicion that Josh Powell- who claimed he’d gone camping alone in the wilderness during a blizzard with his two toddler boys when wife Susan disappeared- in the murder of his spouse has intensified since Powell and the boys succumbed to a blaze in his home on Sunday is an understatement. Indeed, while it’s not too upsetting that a probable-killer died in the blaze, the heartbreaking fact that his two boys- who had suffered intensely from the loss of their mother- died just as painfully has he did is perhaps the most upsetting part of the whole long, sad story.

Family members report that prior to the murder-suicide, which occurred during a supervised visit with social services, Powell had begun offloading the boys’ possessions to Goodwill. And twenty minutes before the explosion, Powell left a suicide note of sorts on a family member’s voicemail, saying:

“I am not able to live without my sons, and I’m not able to go on anymore. I’m sorry to everyone I’ve hurt. Goodbye.”

It seems that despite the evidence condemning Powell, particularly in the deaths of his boys, his family blames others for his horrifying actions. Alina Powell, Josh’s sister, released a statement following the deaths Sunday. Powell said:

“Josh and his boys spent more than two years being crushed alive by hate, harassment, and abuse. None of us could have anticipated the devastating tragedy that took place Sunday, but what this unimaginable loss shows is that hate will never end well. Hate kills.”

Powell’s father Steven Powell has now been named a person of interest in the disappearance of Susan Powell, and the elder Powell is on suicide watch.