try to put them out before the fire got them but he didn't do a very good job of it. >> reporter: josh powell was no stranger to police scrutiny. he was the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife, susan powell, missing over two years now. just before 12:30 sunday afternoon, the two boys were escorted to josh powell's home by a caseworker for a court-ordered visitation with their father. police say they locked the caseworker out and ignited two five gallon cans of gasoline, sparking an explosive fireball that leveled the house, killing both boys and powell. and they say there were signs he had been carefully planning his final act. he donated their toys to a local charity over the weekend. and sent good-bye e-mails to several people. >> we've discovered multiple e-mail also he sent to his pastor, he sent to his cousins and he sent to other people that are a bit longer in length. they dictate what to do with the utilities. what to do with his money. what to do with certain aspects of his life. >> reporter: he said nothing about his missing wife. powell's story to police was that the las

it is no secrete that josh powell was locked in a bitter custody battle with his wife's parents. four days ago a judge ruled against him deciding his two children would remain with their grandfather ordering powell to undergo a psycho sexual investigation. thank you for joining us. my condolences to the family because i know you know them. this must be tremendously difficult for you and them at this time. what were you given from the family about josh powell's behavior? >> i represented the family in connection with the parents. they believe he was clearly a person of interest in the disappearance and death and they were very much opposed to them having contact with the children. i was not the lawyer. today it is devastating, unspeakable day. it's one where the family, my clients had always had very real and very serious fears about josh powell. >> do you believet that josh powell is capable of such a crime? >> absolutely. i believe he was capable of killing his wife. we had always said that publicly for two years now. i believe he was capable of this although no one could imagin

is it from josh powell? >> there was an e-mail that is circulated to family and friends of his stating that he couldn't live with what's going on and just a couple lines. we have not confirmed that it came from him, but we believe it is from him and it confirms what we saw here today that he intended to kill his two children and himself. >> besides the e-mail, he had a hearing last week and it is believed he may have been upset by the hearing? >> he had a hearing last week where he was ordered to do tests and he was trying to get custody of the kids and was not able to get custody and the judge determined that they would continue to live with susan's parents. that was the last court thing and this was a scheduled visit which happened before. the same lady what brought the kids here without a problem brought them here today and that's when he brought the boys to the house and locked her out and called 911 to get in. within minutes the house was on fire. this was done deliberately and intentionally and the pla

>> powell. >> i was aware of josh powell's story, but i didn't associate his name. not resonating with me. 2 "l"s at the end of powell? >> yes. >> realizing what we know now, i wish i had recognized the urgency of the situation. >> you're in a position nobody could have imagined. >> right. because i don't automatically default to the notion that the person you're dealing with is a psychopath. it's difficult when one goes south on you like this one did. >> the coxes don't blame dave loverack. not at all. and they worked hard to stay calm, even after the loss of their grandsons. along with josh and whatever he may have known about susan. >> i think he was very selfish, and that's why he took the kids. if he couldn't have them, no one could have them. >> we'd appreciate it if he had left a note telling us where susan was or something, you know. >> maybe the point was not to tell anyone. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> oh, i'm sure. he wants for us to never find her. >> he's still mad at us, you know. mad at us because we won't give up on our daughter, finding our daughter. >> repo

had been escorted into the home by a caseworker for a court-ordered visitation with their father josh powell say powell forced the caseworker out, locked the door. she saw flames and called 911 just as a series of blasts tore the house apart. across town, josh powell's attorney said he received an e-mail from josh stamped 12:05. it was three words. i'm sorry. good-bye." >> this wasn't tragic. this was deeply wrong, this is evil. you do not kill two kids. >> reporter: police found two children and an adult. they say there was no doubt that josh powell wanted to end his life and take his little boys with them and say an accelerant was used to make the house burn quickly. >> he grabbed the kids, locked her out of the house and immediately the house went up in flames. >> reporter: sources tell abc news powell's mood changed drastically in recent days. he was more calm but seemed excited about the future. he was last seen at this custody hearing on wednesday during which a judge ordered him to undergo a psychological examination and lie detector test while the kids remained with his missing wife'

police and fire response times to josh powell's home was quick... sure any of us could have stopped josh from he evil that he intended but what we can do is get better, whether that was something that should have been done in this call or some future call that's going to be our goal. the parents of powell's missing wife... susan cox- powell... had legal custody of the kids. police ay powell was a suspect in her disappearance. straight ahead... phat's green... minty.... with golden arches?the mcdonald's beverage that's making it's way to thousaads of restturants.what it's cclled... and when it will be a. available.and good news in the housing market.why there were fewer foreclosures... last year.next. ((break 3)) 3 ♪ [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft d

another, which may be an adult were in fact located at that residence, that residence is that of josh powelle one time husband of susan powell. we were looking at images of a woman that a lost folks may have been seeing on our air. susan powell went missing in 2009. it is believed that this residence is that of josh powell and the two children that he had been fighting for custody of were visiting him today. and this explosion took place shortly after the children's arrival. did residents -- had any resident said anything about the smell of gas or anything suspicious surrounding that home prior to this explosion? >> no, fredricka, here is what i understand from reports given to me here at the scene. a cps worker had apparently brought the two josh powell children to this house for a supervised visit. and as she brought them to the door, the door opened, she saw mr. powell, she allowed the children to come in and as soon as the children came in, apparently he closed the door in a way that prevented her from entering this building. she tried to get back in, there was no answer, no reply. she a

thn josh powell opened the door and everything changed. >> i saw josh. i saw josh for just one second. his eyes caught mine. and he had a look in his eyes. it was just kind of sheepish. he shrugged his shoulders at me. he slammed the door. i thought it was an accident, that he didn't mean to lock me out. i knocked, knocked, rang the doorbell. i started yelling, josh, let me in. >> reporter: then she smelled gas and rushed to call 911. >> we'll have somebody look for you ththere. >> how long will that be? >> i don't know. we have to respond to life-threatening situations first. >> this could be life-threatening. i'm not getting an emergency response. >> reporter: over the past several months of weekly visits with the boys, elizabeth had grown to love them. i was like a grandma to the boys. like a piece of furniture. they crawled all over me. those boys -- those boys were my heart. >> reporter: and now she's truly heart broken. and struggling to understand. what did you tell yourself about how this could happen? >> what i tell myself is how it happened is

nelson.details in the josh powell case. they discovered computer-generated incest on powell's computer. that prompted that josh undergo a psych co-sexual evaluation before he killed himself. >> we're hearing from the social worker for the first time. >> reporter: when elizabeth griffin hall brought them to see their father on sunday, the boys were excited to go. until that afternoon, she had only witnessed a father that loved his sons. thn josh powell opened the door and everything changed. >> i saw josh. i saw josh for just one second. his eyes caught mine. and he had a look in his eyes. it was just kind of sheepish. he shrugged his shoulders at me. he slammed the door. i thought it was an accident, that he didn't mean to lock me out. i knocked, knocked, rang the doorbell. i started yelling, josh, let me in. >> reporter: then she smelled gas and rushed to call 911. >> we'll have somebody look for you there. >> how long will that be? >> i don't know. we have to respond to life-threatening situations first. >> this could be l

josh powell using a hatch chet on his sons before igniting the infer know that killed them all. did the boys know what happened to their missing mom? >>> in politics, voters in three states head to the polls. it's a super bowl ad featuring clint eastwood that has both sides fired up. >>> this morning, the supermodel slam. gisele bundchen blasting tom brady's teammates, perhaps making the ultimate foul. >>> good tuesday morning, everybody. i'm paula faris. >> and i'm rob nelson. >>> we're learning new and wrenching details about how josh powell carried out the murder of his two little boys. >>> the two children died of smoke inhalation, but also suffered severe head and neck injuries. >> reporter: it's a horrific crime that has left so many wondering how it could have happened. >> i was afraid if he had the chance, the only way he could win this game he was playing was to kill them. >> reporter: more disturbing details have emerged. josh powell tried to kill his 7-year-old son, charles, and 5-year-old braden, with a hatch chet before the fire took their lives. >> i don't know if

this was a murder/suicide committed by josh powell police say. he was the only person named a person of interest in his wife's disappearance in 2009. susan powell vanished in december of 2009 from salt lake city. police have not been able to close that case or find any potential suspects. but josh powell has always been that person of interest. police from salt lake city will be heading back to this area to continue their investigation here. this is still a very active case. but we do know three people dead, police say josh powell responsible for a double murder/suicide here sunday. thomas? >> thanks so much. and now we bring you to the conversation, an investigative crime reporter. as we hear this story, it rips at all of our hearts to hear about the loss of these two young boys, josh powell obviously a very troubled person. do investigators view this, this what happened as an admission of guilt effectively on josh powell's behalf that he may have killed his wife? >> well, as we know, josh powell has not been forthcoming since the beginning of th

roaring flames, thick smoke and sh.the aftermath of an explosion -- one that authorities say josh powell ignited, to kill himself and his two oung sons.sheriff's deputies say it appears powell sent an e-mail shortly before the fire, saying, quote "i'm sorry, good-bye.""this is ll on him. he set this up. he did it. he is the one who started the firr." investigators say a fosserrcare case worker brought powell's two boys to this pierce couuty, washington home on suuday, for a supervised visit.as the children got lose to the door, powell dragged them inside, and locced the case fiery blast leveeed the hoose. "when we first came out, there was, um, white stuff flying around everywhere."it happenee just days after powell was denied custodyyof his boys by a washington judge, who ruled they should remain with their grandparents.police say powell was a pprson of interest in the case of his missing wife. susan cox-powell hasn't been seen since december 2009, in &putah.a month after she vanished, josh owell moved with their sons to washington state.utah police now say they were bbilding a case to

coming up next the crime time and prime time special report as we investigate josh powell sickening murderhis own two boys. powell's missing and probably attention - americans living with limited mobility. what do you do when you can no longer get around like you used to? when you fear losing your independence? who do you call? call hoveround now, to see if you qualify for america's premier power chair. hi, i'm tom kruse, inventor and founder of hoveround. now you can do more, see more, enjoy life more. here's why hoveround makes it easier than any other power chair. hoveround is more maneuverable to get you through the tightest doors and hallways. more reliable. hoveround employees build your chair, deliver your chair, and will service your chair for as long as you own your chair. and most importantly, 9 out of 10 people got their hoveround for little or no cost. call now for your free dvd and information kit. and now every hoveround comes with this tote bag and cup holder for handy access to your favorite items. you don't really have to give up living because you don't have your legs. ca

josh powell was living at his father's home at the time. powell's parents custody of the boys. susan powell disappeared from her utah home in december 2009. josh powell claimed he'd taken the boys on a midnight ex-kucurn in freezing weather when his 28-year-old wife vanished. in spite of an intensive search no sign of her has ever been found and josh powell is the only person of interest named in the investigation. investigators had apparently found sexually oriented images in josh powell's home before thursday's ruling. the judge ordered powell to undergo a psychosexual evaluation. before the explosion powell e-mailed his attorney saying, "i'm sorry. good-bye." todd ant, abc news. >> so devastating for the grandparents of those boys, who said through their lawyer that they feared all along something like this might happen. >> and their worst nightmare obviously came true. that family is not going to make a statement for a few days. you can imagine what they're going through. not only the two years of their missing daughter but then to lose

police yesterday searched a storage locker rent wide josh powell that turned up nothing. got bank records and discovered powell withdrew $7,000 cash the day before the fire. they think he may have given it to a family member. they are going through surveillance video at the bank to see if anyone was with him. the county is also investigating how that initial 911 call was handled. we now have a time line. the first officer was dispatched 8 minutes after the call came in. and he arrived 13 minutes later. to a total of 21 minutes after the coworker called pleading for help the cops were on the scene. a sheriff spokesman says the 911 operator could have used better etiquette but there was no delay in response. shep? >> shepard: josh powell's family seems to be blaming just about everybody but josh powell for this. >> yeah. a stunning statement issued today by powell's aunt and uncle patty and maurice leach saying while there was no investigation they say quote this family tragedy was set in motion from the beginning due in part to the various questionable government agencies

who lived in the house. >> only josh powell, lived in the house. and his father, steve powell is actually in jail right now awaiting trial on child pornography charges, but josh powell lost his kids when the utah police were investigating susan's disappearance, they found images, sexual images on his computer and that's why he lost his children those two boys back in september. and that's why this visit had to be supervised with that case worker. >> wow. so, the dad who owned that house is in prison as well tonight. and thank you very much, dan springer, we'll bring you back as the snus parents and there is he' still the case of the missing mom in this whole snare he yo, what happened to susan powell? we'll get an update hopefully and get more information on this as we roll along. also tonight on the fox repo report. >> after a nevada win, republican presidential nominee mitt romney focusing on president obama. >> america needs a president who can fix the economy because he understands the economy and i do, and i will. >> meanwhile, the battle for t

police in washington state have released the first 911 calls about josh powell. lf and his two little boys. >> the calls were made by the case worker who had taken the boys to powell's house only to be left outside. >> the parent, the biological parent, whose name is josh powell, will not let me in the door. what should i do? >> reporter: the social worker in charge of the visit is trying to remain calm with a dispatcher. >> i think i need help right way. he's -- he's on a very short leach with dshs and cps has been involved. and this is the craziest thing. he looked at me and closed the door. i could hear one of the kids crying. >> reporter: he hads been a person of interest in the kis appearance of his wife. >> i would like to pull out of the driveway because i smell gasoline and he won't let me in. >> reporter: the operator seems to downplay the threat. >> i don't know man. they have to respond to life-threatening emergencies first. >> this could be life threatening. he went to court on wednesday and he didn't get his kids back and -- i'm afraid for their lives

coming up next the crime time and prime time special report as we investigate josh powell sickening murderown two boys. boys. powell's missing and probably uh oh. should we be letting him p-l-a-y with our t-a-b-l-e-t? [ mom ] i think it's fine. it's the new element from at&t so it's w-a-t-e-r proof. cool. what else does it d-o? it's fast. it's 4g lte. what's l-e spell? nothing. w-h-y? hey, can we stop spell talking now? ok. a-y. [ male announcer ] buy a waterproof pantech element for $249.99 and get a 4g burst smartphone free. only from at&t. >>> live from america's news headquarters i'm elizabeth prann. greece's parliament passing another round of austerity measures sending protesters into the streets. the package includes decrease in government spending wages. it seems crucial for the government to remain in the euro zone and paves the way for greece to receive 170 billion in new you rescue loans. >>> a wintery mix hitting the south central united states. up to three inches of snow making for dangerous driving conditions in texas where numerous car accidents have been reported. a winter

last september, josh powell's father steven was arrested on several charges, including voyeurism and child pornography. following that arrest, custody of the powell children, who had been living in the same house, was given to susan's parents. just days ago, a judge denied josh powell's attempt to regain custody of the children. now a tragic end with no real answers and a community and family in mourning. frances kuo, nbc news. >>> well, now here's a look at other stories making news today early today in america. it's hard to believe no one was seriously hurt after a small plane crashed into a montana home. three people were aboard. witnesses say the plane hit some trees before slamming into the house. the homeowner was there at the time, but everyone walked away from the crash. >>> in wisconsin a propane explosion was captured on video. >> oh, my god! >> it happened at a propane facility near madison after a truck driver filling his tanker had a malfunction which caused a hoes hose to break loose. the blast shook the ground for miles around, but no one was injured. >>> in california,

on the ending nobody saw coming. >> reporter: a social worker had just brought the two boys to josh powell'sfor a supervisorred visit. after letting them in powell blocked the some worker from going in. the social worker said she smelled gas and called her supervisorrers but before help could come the house blew up. >> we were just getting ready for the super bowl party and suddenly the house shook and i ran outside and you can see the black smoke. >> i was -- knocks me over. >> reporter: powell and his sons died in the blast. >> this is a tragedy. it's deeply wrong, that's why it's evil. >> reporter: last thursday powell was denied custody of the boys when a judge ruled they must remain with their grandparents. >> we are happy to have them -- [inaudible] the best for the kids. >> reporter: last year his father was arrested for possession child porn. powell was living there at the time. that's when susan powell's parents got custody of the boys. susan disappeared from her home in december of 2009. josh powell claims he took the boys on a midnight trip in freezing weather when his 28- year-ol

powell's family has been in a bitter custody battle with josh powe powell. boys were with their grandparents on sunday morning before they were sent over to their dad's and murdered. >> they didn't want to go see their dad when it came time. and -- but daddy is waiting for you. i encouraged them and tried to talking them into going. but they clearly did not want to go. >> that was susan powell's mom, judy cox, and her dad, chuck cox, talking about that day. that was a court-mandated visit. a supervised visit that those little boys had to have with their dad. we all know now what happened just moments after they ended up at that house. live with us from seattle, susan powell's sister, denise cox. denise, thank you very much for copping to speak with us today. i know you just saw if boys on saturday. and now comes this flood of just awful details. is your family -- are you all okay? >> no. trying to be. opening up to the public and basically trying to get it out there on spreading the word on how wonderful the boys were and how tragic it is and trying to drum

coming up next the crime time and prime time special report as we investigate josh powell sickening murderhis own two boys. powell's missing and probably murdered wife's family is with us. was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. align can help. only align has bifantis, a pantented probiotic that naturally helps maintain your digestive balance. ♪ ooh baby, (what) can i do for you today? ♪ try align today. ♪ [ door creaking ] [ dog whimpers ] ♪ ♪ get up offa that thing ♪ and dance till you feel better ♪ ♪ get up offa that thing ♪ a dance till you -- si it now ♪ dog barks ] [ deep beetle exhaust, dog barks ] ♪ y feel good [ male announcer ] back. and better than ever. the all-new beetle. [ dog barks ] ♪ get up off... laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks o

police say they had just dropped off josh powell's two, young sons for a supervised visit, when powell locked the door, keeping the caseworker out. moments later, there was a smell of gas. the caseworker stepped back. and the house exploded into flames. powell was the only person of interest in the disappearance of his wife, susan, in 2009. >> did you kill your wife? >> no. >> did you have anything to do with the disappearance of your wife? >> no. >> nothing? >> nothing. >> reporter: his kids were taken from him in the wake of the investigation, that also turned up allegations of child pornography related to josh's father. the explosion comes less than a week after a judge ordered josh powell to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before a further custody decision could be made. his strange behavior and tensions with his wife's family, at times, boiled over. >> powell is coming here and helping. >> that isn't helping to find susan. how is your standing at our neighborhood market helping to find susan? >> reporter: susan powell was reported missing in december of 2009. josh powell told pol

they were kill in a home explosion set by their father josh powell. s wife susan cox powell has been missing since december of 2009 and presumed dead. josh powell is the only suspect in her disappearance. >>> in 20 minutes more on the josh powell case. what led to the murder-suicide and could anything have been done to stop it all? i'll be joined by wendy walsh and holly hughs, 7:30 right here on cnn. >>> it is not a big state and it was a narrow victory but a win is a win. and as you saw, last hour on cnn a few minutes ago, mitt romney is the winner of the maine caucuses a slim victory over ron paul. romney got 39% of the vote and ron paul 36%. santorum was third and newt gingrich was fourth. how important was this win for mitt romney? >> very important. it comes on the heels of a straw patrol at the conservative political action conference. romney winning that straw poll as well. he needed it after setbacks to rick santorum. that surge was on the minds of so many mitt romney supporters. that is why romney campaigned in maine. john, tell us how mitt r

josh powell was the only person of interest in his wife's disappearance in 2009. ied custody only last week. today the boy's grandmother told msnbc that she alerted officials that powell could be violent if he felt cornered. >> i think all those that were working on the case were doing by law what they were able to do or supposed to do for their jobs. i don't think they realized what kind of a person he really was. >> thank you for joining us by phone. i understand the department is conducting an internal review on what happened here. what is the department examining at this point? >> we'll look at all actions taken during the life the case, which is from september forward. we'll also examine the processes and everything that occurred and determine if there's anything that we need to do to change our policy or practice, and look at anything else we could have done. >> i know this is difficult. obviously, for your staff as well. i keep thinking about the social worker who was there when this happened. there's enough pain to go around here and especially for this fam

we can tell you a social worker brought his two young children, to josh powell's home. she knocked on the door. the boys went inside. he forced the social worker outside of the home. she's supposed to be there for the scheduled visitations. since she could smell gas in the air, she called 911. moments later the home exploded. there was nothing they could do to save the three people inside. police are on their way out here to continue the investigation of susan powell. she went missing in december of 2009. he was the only person that was named a person of interest. their investigation is not over, but they say what happened here was horrific and that josh was reasonable for this double murder/suicide. >>> thank you. now to decision 2012, where poll numbers show president obama with a pretty solid lead over rom in a general election head to head matchup. the president beating romney 52-45. president obama is laying out why he deserves that second term in an exclusive interview with matt, the president defended himself against the claim he's not transformed washington. p.