OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) Authorities have been investigating the disappearance of Susan Powell as a murder for at least several months, while they publicly left open the possibility that the Utah mother might be found alive.
A search warrant obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request Tuesday showed that police were investigating three felonies in Utah: first-degree murder, kidnapping and obstructing a public servant.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill acknowledged for the first time that they believe Powell is dead, saying in an AP interview that the case is being handled as a murder investigation.
WATCH ABOVE: Social Worker Tells 911 That The Powell Home 'Exploded
Gill wouldn't discuss the evidence, but said authorities don't have enough information to file charges in the case.
"I think when I talk about it as a missing persons case, that's because we haven't located the body of Susan Powell ," Gill said. "Do we think that she may have met harm? Sure.
"I think that's been an ongoing assumption with law enforcement," he said, adding that the case remains "open and active."
Investigators are now reassessing the case after her husband and "person of interest" in her 2009 disappearance, Josh Powell, torched his home this weekend, killing himself and their two young children.
PHOTOS: (Story Continues Below)
ABC News obtained what it says was a voicemail Josh Powell left for his family members. In it, Powell said he couldn't live without the boys and didn't want to go on anymore.
In the recording played Tuesday on "Good Morning America," Powell also said he was calling to say goodbye and apologize.
"I'm sorry to everyone I've hurt," he is heard saying. "Goodbye."
An autopsy showed the children also suffered hatchet wounds to their necks.
As authorities work to determine exactly why Powell committed the murders at the Washington residence, investigators said they're no closer to answering the question they've had for two years.
"We still haven't identified or found where Susan Powell is," said West Valley, Utah, Police Chief Buzz Nielsen, who is in charge of the investigation into the young mother's disappearance.
The father of the 5- and 7-year-old boys painted himself as a tortured man, ridiculed without reason in the disappearance of his wife, steadfastly insisting he was innocent until the end.
Powell's horrific murder-suicide seemed to come out of nowhere. Just days before, in a motion seeking custody of his children filed with a Washington state court, Powell said he missed his wife, and would remain strong for the boys.
"A lesser person would fall under the intense scrutiny I am facing, but apparently my inherent resilience as a person makes it increasingly difficult for them to pursue their agendas," Powell wrote. "I am standing tall for my sons, but it deeply hurts to face such ridicule and abuse.
"I know my own heart is free of any guilt regardless of what people claim," he added.
Things changed dramatically when the judge ruled against him, ordering the children to remain with Susan Powell 's parents for now.
On Sunday, Powell's boys came for a routine supervised visit. They ran ahead, the social worker falling behind. Powell then locked the door, used a hatchet on his kids, and lit the house on fire.
Ultimately, Powell and both boys died of smoke inhalation, Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office investigator Melissa Baker said Monday evening.
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