OLYMPIA - Today Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, and Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, the chairman and ranking minority member respectively of the Senate Human Services & Corrections Committee issued this statement regarding the presumed murders of Charlie and Braden Powell on Sunday in Graham:

“We are saddened by the news of the deaths of Charlie and Braden Powell, apparently at the hands of their father. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of these young, innocent victims. We regret that the social worker assigned to their case was prevented from her attempt to save the children but are grateful she escaped serious harm. We are also appreciative of her effort to notify authorities about the circumstances.

“There are many questions stemming from this tragedy that we trust will be answered during what we anticipate will be a thorough investigation. While what happened to the Powell children would have been unimaginable, there should be much to learn from this about how to better protect children involved in court-ordered, supervised visits after custody decisions are rendered.”

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For more information contact Ashley Forsyth at (360) 786-7037 or ashley.forsyth@leg.wa.gov or Ian Cope at (360) 786-7535 or ian.cope@leg.wa.gov