POLICE believe they’ve found the bodies of two young girls allegedly killed by their father in Colorado.
The discovery comes after the body of their mother, 34-year-old Shanann Watts, was found on a property owned by Anadarko Petroleum, one of the state’s largest oil and gas drillers, where Christopher Watts used to work, police said.
The bodies believed to be of Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, were located near to where Ms Watts was found dead, police said.
After his pregnant wife and two daughters disappeared, Christopher Watts stood on his porch in Colorado and lamented to reporters how much he missed them.
He longed for the simple things, he said, like telling his girls to eat their dinner and gazing at them as they curled up to watch cartoons.
“Last night, I had every light in the house on. I was hoping that I would just get ran over by the kids running in the door, just barrel-rushing me, but it didn’t happen,” he told Denver TV station KMGH.
On Thursday, Watts was in jail after being arrested on suspicion of killing his family, probably before he spoke those words. Authorities did not offer a motive.
“As horrible as this outcome is, our role now is to do everything we can to determine exactly what occurred,” John Camper, director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, said at a news conference in Frederick, a small town on the grassy plains north of Denver, where fast-growing subdivisions intermingle with drilling rigs and oil wells.
Watts, 33, has not been formally charged. A judge ordered him held without bail and told prosecutors to file charges by Monday afternoon. He set a Tuesday hearing to review the case.
As he was escorted into the courtroom, Watts did not speak. He looked down for much of the hearing but made eye contact as the judge reviewed his rights.
Watts’s lawyer, James Merson of the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office, left without commenting to reporters. He did not immediately respond to a voicemail left at his office Thursday by The Associated Press.
A family friend reported Shanann Watts and her daughters missing on Monday, police said.
In his previous interviews with Denver TV outlets, Christopher Watts said his wife of nearly six years returned home about 2am Monday after a flight for a work trip was delayed.
He said the two had an “emotional conversation” before he left for work a few hours later and that he became concerned after she did not return his calls or texts or those of her friends. He said he came home to an empty house after a friend knocked on the door at noon and got no answer.
Shanann Watts’ Facebook account paints a portrait of a happy married life, with a constant feed of photos and videos of friends, relatives and herself. Her comments were typically upbeat, whether she was running errands, playing with her kids or promoting a health program.
She posted selfies of her and her husband smiling in restaurants, at the ocean on vacation and at their house.
On May 5, she wrote: “I love this man! He’s my ROCK!” On June 19, she posted a photo of some texts with her husband after sending him a picture of a sonogram. He replied that he loved the baby already. She posted: “I love Chris! He’s the best dad us girls could ask for.”
Her page has photo collages and video slide shows praising Chris Watts, describing how their love was growing stronger and how he gave her the strength to have a third child.
The couple’s 2015 bankruptcy filing captures a picture of a family caught between a promising future and financial strain. The filing estimated that they had the same range of assets as liabilities, according to court records. At the time, Christopher Watts worked for Anadarko, earning about $61,500 a year as an “operator.”
His wife was working at a call centre at a children’s hospital, making about $18 per hour. Combined, they earned $90,000 in 2014. But they also had tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, along with some student loans and medical bills — for a total of $70,000 in unsecured claims on top of a sizeable mortgage.
A spokeswoman for the oil company said Christopher Watts was fired on Wednesday, but she declined to provide any details, citing the active investigation.
Shannan’s friend Ashley Bell said she never detected that anything was wrong between Shanann and her husband, who she described as a loving father.
“She was always about her girls,” Bell said. “She would do anything for her girls.”
Shanann’s father, Frank Rzucek, said on Facebook that the family did not want to talk to the media.
FREDERICK, Colorado – With the case documents currently sealed by a judge regarding the investigation into why 33-year-old Chris Watts allegedly killed his pregnant wife and two young daughters, more information about the family is filling in holes in the timeline surrounding the killings.
Local, state and federal law enforcement officials said at a Thursday morning news conference they are still working to piece together the investigation surrounding the deaths of 34-year-old Shanann Watts and her daughters, 3-year-old Celeste and 4-year-old Bella.
PHOTOS: Chris Watts arrested, charged for family deaths
But many questions remain about what might have led to the killings and when they occurred. Here’s everything we know so far:
Chris Watts faces investigation on murder, tampering charges after alleged confession
Watts was taken to jail at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday after he was detained for questioning. Two law enforcement sources told Denver7 Watts had confessed to killing his wife and daughters. He faces investigation on one count of first-degree murder after deliberation; two counts of first-degree murder – position of trust; and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.
Weld County prosecutors will have until Monday afternoon to file formal charges against Watts. The affidavit for his arrest, which was sealed Wednesday night as the police investigation continues, could be unsealed Monday if charges are filed, officials said Thursday. The unsealed affidavit would likely provide more details about what police know that led them to arrest Watts in the deaths of his family.
New details at Thursday afternoon court hearing
At a 2:30 p.m. bond hearing, Weld County prosecutors said they believe Shanann and the girls were killed inside of the family’s home but did not say why they believe that. Prosecutors have a 3:30 p.m. Monday deadline to file charges, and Watts will learn what formal charges he might face at a 10:30 a.m. Tuesday court hearing. Watts will be held without bond pending his next court appearance.
Timeline surrounding disappearance: what we know
Frederick police on Wednesday confirmed some of the details surrounding Shanann’s disappearance that neighbors, friends and family have been talking about since Monday.
A friend of Shanann’s dropped her off at her home in Frederick around 2 a.m. Monday. She had been in Arizona on a work trip. But much of what we have learned about what happened afterward comes from an interview with Chris Watts himself, who has been arrested in his family’s deaths despite his claims he knew nothing about where they had gone.
He claimed that he last saw Shanann around 5:15 a.m. Monday when he left home. He told Denver7 that Shanann’s friend showed up to his door just after noon that day wondering where she and the girls were.
Police confirmed that the woman went to the home after Shanann missed a doctor’s appointment and that she first reported Shanann and her daughters missing.
Officers went to the home on a welfare check around 1:40 p.m. Monday and confirmed that the three were missing and that Shanann’s phone keys and purse were all left at the home.
The FBI and CBI joined the investigation Tuesday.
Chris Watts stayed with family friends after Shanann, kids reported missing
Watts stayed with friends of the couple’s after Shanann and the girls were reported missing. He also coordinated media interviews, including one with Denver7, through them.
"We are so sorry we defended him. We feel stupid." -- Nick Thayer, apologizing for defending Chris Watts, who sources say confessed to killing his pregnant wife Shanann and children Bella and Celeste. They spent hours with Chris Monday & Tuesday & let him sleep in their home. pic.twitter.com/LcEdCwMDqI — Jaclyn Allen (@jaclynreporting) August 16, 2018
Those friends, Nicholas and Amanda Thayer, told Denver7 Thursday they were horrified they let him stay in their home and apologized for backing Watts. Thayer said she had been told last week by Shanann that she had concerns of infidelity on Chris’ behalf.
“She said that it came to her mind that possibly he could be cheating but at the same time, she was like, you know, he has no game,” Thayer said.
Close friend Amanda Thayer says that last week #ShannanWatts confided in her about concerns of possible infidelity: pic.twitter.com/p0qyRCjmnl — Jaclyn Allen (@jaclynreporting) August 16, 2018
Chris Watts gave interview, pleaded for wife and daughters to come home
Watts gave an interview to Denver7’s Tomas Hoppough on Tuesday, a day after the three were reported missing.
In the interview, he tells a detailed version of what he claims happened when Shanann and their daughters Bella and Celeste went missing, including that he and his wife “had an emotional conversation” before he allegedly last saw her.
“I mean, she wasn’t here. The kids weren’t here. Nobody was here,” Watts claimed.
He also made a direct plea for Shanann and the girls to come home.
“Shanann, Bella, Celeste: If you’re out there, just come back. Like if somebody has her, just bring her back. I need to see everybody. … This house is not complete without anybody here. Please bring ‘em back,” he said.
You can watch the full interview by clicking here or in the player embedded below.
Neighbors had mixed feelings about couple
Denver7 spoke with several neighbors this week who described the couple in various ways. One neighbor who didn’t want to be identified said they appeared to be a normal family. “I didn’t see anything negative in their relationship,” the person said of Shanann and Chris.
Another neighbor, Ann Watt, said she was in “absolute shock” at the killings, saying she had seen Shanann and the girls at the neighborhood pool. “I lost a lot of sleep over it last night,” Watt said.
Mike Hendrickson said he and his wife were “shocked” at the news that the family was missing. “They seemed like very quiet people and very nice, cordial people,” he said. “My wife would also say how much she admired [Chris] for the attention that he paid to those young ‘uns.”
But he said, before learning that Chris was arrested in connection with the case, that “something just doesn’t add up” after seeing the interview with Chris.
Body believed to be Shanann found on Anadarko property
The body believed to be that of Shanann was discovered on property owned by Anadarko Petroleum Company, where Chris Watts had been employed. But officials said they were still working to recover the bodies of the two girls as of Thursday morning.
Anadarko said late Thursday morning that Chris was no longer employed by Anadarko, but did not say when or why they parted ways.
“We are heart-broken by this, and our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones and friends of the Watts family. We will continue to support law enforcement in its investigation,” company spokeswoman Jennifer Brice said in a statement.
Shanann previously worked for Children’s Hospital Colorado
Children’s Hospital Colorado said Thursday that Shanann had previously worked there but had left the hospital more than a year ago.
“We’re deeply saddened by the tragic death of a talented and highly respected former colleague and her two young daughters,” the hospital said in a statement. “Although Shanann had not worked at Children’s Hospital Colorado in more than a year, she is remembered fondly and we send our thoughts and prayers to her loved ones.”
Couple previously filed for bankruptcy
Background checks and court records relating to Shanann and Chris Watts also revealed they filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in July 2015, and there was a civil claim filed in July of this year by the Wyndham Hill Master Association, the couple’s homeowner’s association, in Weld County court. Court records show there was a return date on a court summons set for Aug. 24 in that case.
According to The Denver Post, the couple listed liabilities of more than $400,000 in its 2015 bankruptcy filing.
And the Thayer on Thursday told Denver7 that Chris mentioned putting the house up for sale on Monday.
"We spoke to Chris on Monday. He mentioned putting the house up for sale; him and Shanann had spoke about doing that," Amanda Thayer told Denver7 Thursday.
Shanann’s brother starts fundraisers for funeral expenses
Shanann’s brother, Frankie Rzucek, pointed out two fundraisers created to help find the missing family that have now been turned into efforts to raise money for funeral expenses. There is a Facebook fundraiser and one on PayPal.
“I’m not one to ask for donations or any kind of money I didn’t earn, but at this time we don’t know how long we will have to be in Colorado or what all were supposed to do about this tragedy,” he wrote on Facebook. “I’m so distraught and in shock with this sickening news … For all the people who are helping and donating may god bless you for helping a family in need.”
KGTH-TV's Jennifer Kovaleski, Jaclyn Allen, Jace Larson, Tomas Hoppough and Stephanie Butzer contributed to this report.
A day after his pregnant wife and two daughters vanished, Christopher Watts stood in his front yard and faced the parade of news cameras with uniform solemnity.
“I came home and walked in the house and nothing. Just vanished,” the 33-year-old husband and father told Denver 7 ABC on Tuesday.
“It just seems like I’m living in a nightmare, and I can’t get out of it,” he told KUSA-NBC, as officers from the Frederick Police Department led search dogs through the family’s 4,000-square-foot house behind him.
“In my heart I believe she is somewhere, and I hope she is safe,” Watts told Fox 31 while a dog barked from somewhere in the house.
There were no interviews the next day. Shortly before midnight, police returned to the house, quietly arrested Watts and began hauling trash bags out the front door.
Now the same TV stations that had interviewed the father are reporting that he has been jailed on charges of murder, and his family is dead.
Earlier in the week, when there seemed to be some hope of a happy ending, idyllic photos of the family plastered the news: 4-year-old Bella; her little sister, Celeste; and Christopher and his wife, Shanann, who was in her second trimester with the newest Watts family member.
“She would take the kids to the pool, and he would always take them in a little wagon,” a neighbor in the subdivision told KUSA. “We were always impressed by his doting over them and how much he appeared to love them.”
[A teen reunited with her birth mother — who then killed her and burned her body, police say]
Their life, apparently, wasn’t perfect. Two years after buying their house in 2013, the Wattses filed for bankruptcy. They were drowning in a $400,000 mortgage and more than $50,000 in credit card debt, filing documents show. His paycheck as an operator for Anadarko Petroleum and hers from a children’s hospital weren’t nearly enough.
But they resolved the bankruptcy: A deal was struck with the creditors, they stayed in the house and the family kept growing.
This month, Shanann took a trip to Arizona to attend a conference for her new occupation, marketing a “lifestyle system” called Thrive.“Everyone have an amazing day and absolutely fantastic month!” she wrote on Facebook before leaving.
Watts told KUSA the girls stayed home with him that week. He said Bella was getting ready to start kindergarten.
On Monday, a friend picked Shanann Watts up at the airport and dropped her off at the house about 2 a.m.
Another friend called police after Shanann missed a doctor’s appointment that morning, then didn’t answer her door, ABC11 reported.
By Tuesday, state investigators and the FBI had joined the search. Posters of the family were being handed out to drivers around the neighborhood as Watts stepped into his driveway to tell the reporters what it felt like to learn they were missing.
“I was blowing through stoplights. I was blowing through everything just trying to get home as fast as I can, because none of this made sense,” he told KUSA.
RAW INTERVIEW: Chris Watts, husband of missing Frederick woman, speaks to Denver7's Tomas Hoppough "Shanann, Bella, Celeste… if you're out there, just come back," Chris Watts, the husband of a pregnant Frederick mother of 2, told Tomas Hoppough Denver7 on Tuesday, during a 7-minute interview. "If somebody has her, please bring her. … This house is not complete without anybody here. Please bring them back." Today, police officials say he confessed to killing his wife and two young daughters. Officials believe they know where the bodies are. Story: http://bit.ly/2PbRaOz Posted by Denver7 on Wednesday, August 15, 2018
He said he had left the house for work shortly after 5 a.m. on Monday — after seeing her briefly when she got in from the airport, and checking on the girl with the baby monitor.
“I texted her a few times, called her, but she never got back to me,” he told Denver 7.
He figured she was just busy, he said. Only after one of Shanann’s friends called him and said she wasn’t at the house did he begin to worry.
“Just vanished,” Watts said. “Nothing was here. I mean she wasn’t here. The kids weren’t here. Nobody was here.”
Watts wanted to drive around looking for them, he said, but police told him it wouldn’t do any good. All he could do was sit in his house or stand in his yard, listening to police dogs bark while he described his emotions.
“Last night, I had every light in the house on,” he told Denver7. “I was hoping I would just get ran over by the kids, running through the door and just, like, barrel rushing me. But it didn’t happen.”
He paused a moment.
“I mean, the kids are my life,” he said. “I mean, those smiles light up my life. And just, like, I mean, last night, when they usually eat dinner, it was like, I miss them. I miss telling them, ‘Hey, you gotta eat that or you’re not gonna get your dessert.’ I miss that. I miss them, you know, cuddled up on their couches. They have like a Minnie Mouse couch and Sofia couch that they cuddle up on and watch ‘Bubble Guppies’ or something. And to just, like, you know, I was …”
Chris Watts, 33, was denied bail on Thursday in Colorado and faces three murder charges
The husband accused of killing his pregnant wife and two young daughters, and then making an emotional televised appeal for their safe return, has appeared in court for the first time.
Christopher Watts, 33, was led into the court room in Weld County, Colorado on Thursday in an orange jumpsuit and shackles. He was denied bail during the appearance.
The body of his wife Shanann Watts, 34, was found earlier Thursday at the Anadarko oil and gas site where her husband Christopher worked near their home in Frederick, on the northern outskirts of Denver.
The bodies of the couple's two daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, three, were found later in the afternoon at the same site.
Watts didn't speak as he was escorted into the courtroom. He looked down for much of the hearing but made eye contact as the judge reviewed his rights.
Though formal charges have not yet been filed, he could face three charges of murder and three charges of tampering with evidence. Judge Marcelo Kopcow told prosecutors to file formal charges by Monday and set a Tuesday hearing to review the charges with Watts.
Kopcow approved a request by Watts' attorney that police preserve all written notes and notify the defense team before autopsies are performed. Prosecutors said it's not clear when that will happen.
Prosecutors say they believe the mother and children were killed in their home and the bodies later moved, but no cause of death has been made public in the case.
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Christopher Watts confessed to killing his wife Shanann and their daughters Bella, four (top right) and Celeste, three, (bottom left) on Wednesday night. Shanann's body was found on Thursday and police in the process of recovering the two girls'
Christopher Watts glances back at a Weld County Sheriff's Deputy as he is escorted out of the courtroom at the Weld County Courthouse on Thursday in Greeley, Colorado
Watts' wife and daughters disappeared this week, and he was arrested on suspicion of killing them late on Wednesday after making emotional televised appeals for their return
A pump jack sits near the home where the pregnant woman and her two daughters lived, in Frederick, Colorado. Watts said his wife returned to the home on Monday morning between 1am and 2am from a business trip, and he last saw her when he left for work around 5.15am
Shanann went missing on Monday after returning from a business trip to Arizona at around 1am. She promotes a weight loss supplement for a living and travels the country to attend sales conferences.
The children spent the weekend at home with their father while their mother was away working, police said.
Watts said the last time he saw his wife was at 5.15am on Monday when he left for work. He said that they had stayed up having an 'emotional conversation' between her arrival at 1am and his departure for work.
He said he became worried when she did not reply to his text messages later in the morning. Watts said he became panicked when a friend arrived at the home at noon and there was no answer.
Shanann was 15 weeks pregnant. Her family revealed on Thursday that she was carrying a baby boy who was to be named Nico.
She and her husband were due in court next week to face a lawsuit from their homeowners' association, which was suing them for $1,500.
They had previously faced financial difficulties, and filed for bankruptcy in 2015 to escape crushing credit card debts and focus on paying off their mortgage.
Friends, however, have said that they never noticed anything wrong between the couple. In June, Shanann shared an ultrasound of their unborn third child on Facebook, calling Watts 'the best dad us girls could ask for'.
Watts was employed at Anadarko until word of his arrest on Wednesday, the company told DailyMail.com. Shanann appeared highly engaged with her work marketing supplements, boasting on social media of work trips to New Orleans, Toronto, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, Las Vegas and San Diego.
Shanann (left on August 8) shared an ultrasound (right) in June, calling Watts 'the best dad us girls could ask for'. She worked for a company that sold weight-loss patches
Shanann regularly shared loved-up social media posts about her husband. They are pictured on a recent trip. She referred to him as her 'rock' and often told how much she loved him
Christopher Watts looks down during his bond hearing at the Weld County Courthouse on Thursday in Greeley, Colorado
Judge Marcelo A. Kopcow (above) ordered Watts remanded without bail on Thursday
Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke (above) is seen at the bond hearing. He requested the arrest affidavit be sealed and has released little information about the crimes
In the days that followed Shanann's disappearance, Watts gave several media interviews where he made conflicting statements before he was finally arrested on Wednesday night.
Authorities are being extraordinarily tight-lipped about their investigation and are refusing to say how they think Shanann died.
They would not indicate on Thursday when they think the mother was killed, or if they believe the children were still alive when she returned on Monday from her business trip.
Nor did investigators reveal what prompted Watts to make his apparent confession.
He did lead police to Shanann's body, police said, adding on Thursday that they also believe they known the location of the two girls' bodies.
The Weld County District Attorney asked a judge to seal the arrest affidavit and was granted his request.
On Thursday, the DA said he hoped to share more details on Monday when he planned to lodge formal charges against Christopher.
The gushing mother would also praise him for being a good father and doting on their daughters. He is pictured with Celeste
Hours before his arrest on Wednesday, Chris appeared on NBC's Today show (above) where he said he had 'like no idea' where the family went
Shanann's family, in the meantime, have been left outraged by the investigation. They say police 'dragged their heels' in taking Christopher into custody.
'The cops drug their feet. He was the only one with them and backed his truck into the garage,' Shanann's brother Frankie Rzucek fumed on social media on Thursday
'Doesn't take a genius to know who was suspect. My blood is boiling.'
On Thursday, Shanann's family issued a statement sharing their grief.
It wasn't an argument it was an emotional conversation. I'll leave it at that.' Christopher Watts on Wednesday in a media interview
'The family are deeply saddened over the inhumane murders of their beloved daughter and sister Shanann, her unborn child and her beautiful daughters Bella Marie and Celeste Cathryn.
'Please allow the family, and those close, to mourn their passing in private.'
A fundraiser to help support Shanann's family in paying funeral and other expenses raised nearly $30,000 in just two days.
On Wednesday, police were seen searching the family's home at the same time.
They towed away Watts' truck and were seen putting other evidence into bags.
Hours earlier, Watts appeared on NBC's Today show where he said he had 'no idea' where they went.
Police remove bags of evidence from the family's home on Wednesday night. The bodies were not found in the home but on an oil and gas site where the man worked
The husband's truck was taken away from their home on Wednesday night. Shanann's car was still at the house
'I don't feel like this is even real right now. It's like a nightmare I can't wake up from,' he said.
'When I got home yesterday it was like a ghost town. She wasn't here. The kids weren't here. I have no idea, like, where they went,' he said.
However, in a separate interview, he told Fox that Shanann told him she was going to a friend's home with their daughters.
She said she was going to a friend's house with the kids and that’s the last thing I heard, and that was it. It was very vague,' he said.
'In my heart I believe that she is somewhere and I hope that she is safe.'
Elsewhere, he said he was not so sure.
Tributes were left outside the family's home in Frederick, Colorado, on Thursday
Stuffed animals and balloons were among the items left outside the family home
'Right now I don’t want to just throw anything out there. I hope that she’s somewhere safe right now and with the kids.
'But could she have just taken off? I don’t know, but if somebody has her and they’re not safe, I want them back now.'
Turning to the camera, he made a direct plea to them, saying: 'Shanann, Bella, Celeste, if you're out there just come back.
'If somebody has her, just bring her back.
'I just need to see everybody. I need to see everybody again.
'This house is not complete without anybody here. Please bring her back.'
When asked if they'd had an argument before she vanished, he said: 'It wasn't an argument it was an emotional conversation.
'I'll leave it at that.'
Breaking in to a smile, he then said: 'I just want them to come back.
'This has got to stop. Someone's got to come forward.'
