Last Updated on March 11, 2021
Chris Watts is a family annihilator who murdered his pregnant wife Shannan Watts, their unborn son Nico and their two daughters Bella and Celeste in 2018.
Initially his wife and children were reported missing and Chris denied having anything to do with their disappearance.
During the investigation it was discovered that Chris Watts was having an affair.
He later confessed to strangling his wife and suffocating his two daughters before hiding the bodies at an oil storage plant.
Disappearance of Shannan, Bella and Celeste Watts
At roughly 2am on 13th August 2018, Nickole Atkinson dropped Shanann Watts off at her home in Frederick, Colorado after returning from a business trip they took together.
However, when Nickole attempted to contact Shanann a couple of hours later she did not answer calls or texts.
After Shannan had missed a doctors appointment and a business meeting she came to their home.
Unable to get an answer at the house she called Chris, Shannanns parents and the police.
She was given permission to enter the property when Chris and the police arrived and they collectively searched the property.
The family dog was alone in the house and they was unable to find Shannan or the children.
Chris reveals that he has also been trying to contact her by showing a stream of unanswered text messages about his concern when she missed an appointment.
Police explored the Watts’ home later in the evening and discovered her vehicle was in the garage and her mobile phone and purse were still at the house.
Her wedding ring was found on the couples bed and the car seats were in her car in the garage.
The next day, Shannan and the children were pronounced missing and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) notified the media.
Missing Persons Investigation of Shannan Watts and the children
In the days that followed, Chris story about the day the family went missing changed significantly.
He initially told police that he had no clue about where Shanann, Bella and Celeste may be.
Chris claimed that they were all in bed asleep when he left for work that morning at 5:15am.
Chris spoke to the media, giving multiple interviews to local media and pleaded for the return of his family.
His behavior was described as peculiar when he attended a neighbours property to view the CCTV and the neighbour told the police that something wasn’t right with Chris.
The CBI and FBI checked Chris and Shannan’s phone records as part of their investigation and it was discovered that Chris was regularly texting and calling another woman.
On the 15th August, Chris was given a polygraph test and failed.
It was at this point that he confessed to having an affair with his associate Nichol Kessinger.
He revealed that they met at their company The Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and had been dating for around 2 months.
Nichol has been placed into witness protection and is said to have been given a new identity.
Chris Watts also went on a number of dates and had a number of hookups with women after meeting them on Tinder.
Chris Watts Confession
After failing a polygraph test, Chris Watts ask to speak to his father and told police he would tell them what had happened after he spoke to him.
Chris confessed to his father that he had killed his wife in a rage after she had suffocated the children as she was unhappy that he had asked her for a separation.
He told the police that the bodies were at an oil storage site owned by his employer as he had taken them there in his truck.
He had placed the two children in oil tanks and buried Shanann in a shallow pit outside the site.
Chris Watts Arrest
Chris Watts was arrested on 15th August 2018.
After learning of his arrest, Nichol voluntarily attended the police station to speak to the police about their affair.
When Shannan went to stay with her parents they would spend most days together.
Chris had told her that they were separated and only found out they were still together from his TV interviews.
Nichol did not know that Shannan was pregnant with their third child.
She claimed that he seemed off and was too calm after the disappearance of his family.
On 21st August 2018, Chris was charged with five counts of first-degree murder, unlawful termination of a pregnancy, and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.
Chris Watts trial and sentencing
At his first trial Chris Watts was denied bail and at a later trial it was set at $5million.
Chris Watts pleaded guilty to all of the charges after later confessing that he had killed Shannan after she had told him if they separated she would pursue full custody.
He confessed to authorities that he smothered the children with a blanket after driving them to the oil field.
In letters with a prison pen pal he claims to have unsuccessfully smothered the children in their beds.
At the request of Shannan’s family the death penalty was not put forward by the District Attorney.
Chris Watts was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences for the first degree murders and an additional 84 years for the other offences.
Chris Watts appeals
No appeals have been made in regard to the Chris Watts case.
In 2019, he was said to be looking at his options for appeal.
His options for appeal are limited as he plead guilty to the crimes.
He is said to have claimed to have not been in the right mind when he entered his please.
Chris Watts Prison Life
Chris Watts is currently serving his sentence at the Dodge Correctional Institute in Wisconsin.
He is said to have photographs of the family in his cell and is said to spend much of his time alone.
In letters with a prison pen pal he claims to have unsuccessfully smothered the children in their bed and had given Shannan oxycodone in an attempt to kill their unborn child.
He also revealed that he had been planning the crime for a number of weeks.
Media
American Murder-The Family Next Door is a Netflix documentary that was released on 30th September 2020.
The film follows the case from their disappearance to his arrest and features Shannan’s social media posts and text messages as well as recorded footage of events and home movies.