By Emily Malia

Copyright dailyrecord

Two years after his wife mysteriously vanished, a father and his two sons died in a devastating house explosion. Susan Powell had disappeared without a trace in 2009. After she went missing, her husband Josh Powell – father to the couple’s two boys – was refused custody of the children. In a chilling turn of events, both he and the two youngsters died just two days following the court hearing in a blast at their Washington home in the US. Josh Powell had deliberately destroyed his own property with his two children trapped inside. Five-year0old Braden and seven-year-old Charles were on a supervised visit to see their father in Graham, Washington, accompanied by a social worker. Powell shut his two sons inside and prevented the social worker from getting in, according to Graham fire and rescue chief Gary Franz, who was involved in the case, reports the Mirror . As the social worker contacted her supervisors about the situation, she detected the smell of gas. Moments afterwards, the entire property exploded, killing Powell alongside Braden and Charles. Steve Downing, the solicitor representing Susan Powell’s parents Chuck and Judy Cox, revealed at the time that the children were starting to share recollections with their grandparents about the evening their mother disappeared. He said: “They were beginning to verbalise more. “The oldest boy talked about they went camping and that Mommy was in the trunk. “Mom and dad got out of the car, and Mom disappeared,” The Guardian reported. The young boys were living with Susan’s parents after Josh Powell’s father, Steven, was nicked on child abuse image and voyeurism charges. Following his 28-year-old wife’s disappearance, Josh Powell was under scrutiny after he claimed to have taken his children on a late-night trip in bitter cold on the day his spouse vanished. The Wednesday before the young boys’ heartbreaking death, the judge declared he wouldn’t even contemplate returning the children to their father without a psycho-sexual assessment. Days later Jeffrey Bassett, who represented Powell in the custody battle, received an email stating “I’m sorry, goodbye”. It arrived just 10 minutes before the deadly blast. It was this message that led police to conclude it was a completely deliberate and planned murder of his children and himself. Sherry Hill, a spokeswoman for the state of Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services, explained at the time how the incident unfolded, despite having a social worker present. According to reports, she said: “The visit supervisor for this particular agency had taken the children to the home. When she does that, she sits through the visit and might take notes on her observations. “She pulled up in the car, and the kids ran out ahead of her. He closed the door and locked it. She wasn’t able to get in, and that’s when she smelt gas.” The grandparents’ solicitor, Steve Downing, added: “It’s the most horrifying thing you can imagine happening… The Coxes are absolutely devastated. They were always very fearful of him doing something like this, and he did it.” Prior to murdering his two sons, Powell had begged the courts at his hearing by submitting a six-page written statement outlining his devotion to his children and his ability as a father. It read: “For over four months already, my interactions with my sons and many other aspects of my character have been investigated and documented by CPS. “I have proven myself as a fit and loving father who provides a stable home even in the face of great adversity. … It is time for my sons to come home.”