This story is pretty much as awful as it gets.

Josh Powell, a suspect in his wife’s 2009 disappearance, set up an explosion of his home yesterday that resulted in his own death, along with the death of his two sons.

As first reported by The Seattle Times, a case worker dropped Powell’s two kids of at his house in Graham, Washington yesterday and was then “forced out,” said a spokesman for Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, adding: “An explosion happened shortly thereafter.”

Authorities later recovered three bodies from the rubble who they believe are Josh Powell and his sons Charlie, 7, and Braden, 5.

The kids had been in the custody of their grandparents; and a family court judge had told Josh, earlier in the week, that he would have to undergo a psychological review before having an opportunity to have them under his care again.

Powell’s attorney in that case, Jeffrey Bassett, told The Associated Press that he received a three-word email from his client minutes before the explosion that read: “I’m sorry, goodbye.”

Susan Powell went missing in 2009. Soon after, Josh accused the police of covering up a conspiracy in their investigation. No charges were ever filed against him.