User:Declankenney/Chris watts

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Christopher Watts and Shanann Cathryn Watts (née Rzucek, January 10, 1984 - August 13, 2018) were from North Carolina Christopher from Spring Lake and Shanann from Aberdeen. They met in 2010 and were married in Mecklenburg county on November 3, 2012, according to online records.The couple had two daughters: Bella Marie Watts (December 17, 2013 - August 13, 2018) and Celeste Cathryn "CeCe" Watts (July 17, 2015 - August 13, 2018). At the time of her death, Shanann was 15 weeks pregnant with a son who was to be named Nico.

The Watts family lived in a five-bedroom home at 2825 Saratoga Trail in Fredrick, Colorado which they purchased in 2013, and declared bankruptcy in 2015. Christopher was employed by Anadarko Petroleum while Shanann worked from home selling a product called Thrive for the Multi level marketing company Le-Vel.

Watts was fired by the company on August 15, the day of his arrest. The authorities located the bodies of the Watts family on the oil-storage site, situated approximately 3 miles north of Roggen, on August 16. The girls' bodies were found in crude oil storage tanks, while Shanann was buried in a shallow grave nearby. Bella and Celeste's bodies had each been pushed through a hatch at the top of a different oil tank, with the lid being 8 inches in diameter.

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At approximately 1:48 am on Monday August 13, 2018, Shanann, returning from a business trip to Arizona, was driven home by her friend and colleague Nickole Utoft Atkinson. Over that weekend, Christopher was home with their daughters.[7] Later that day, Shanann and the girls were reported missing by Atkinson, who became concerned when Shanann missed a scheduled obstetrics and gynecology appointment and failed to return her text messages. After Shanann missed a business meeting, Atkinson went to the Watts residence at about 12:10 pm.[8][9] When the doorbell and knocks went unanswered, Atkinson notified Christopher, who was at work, and called the Frederick Police Department. On August 13, 2018, the marriage ended in tragedy. Watts strangled Shanann in their Colorado home. He then drove her body to a job site at the oil company where he worked. He buried his wife's body and then smothered his daughters and put their bodies in oil tanks. Breathing the fumes from crude oil are known to cause chemical pneumonia, irritation of the nose, throat, and lungs, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, loss of coordination, fatigue, nausea, and labored breathing. Chronic exposure can result in irregular heartbeats, convulsions, and coma. A Frederick police officer arrived to conduct a welfare check at about 1:40 pm.[10] During the welfare check, Christopher gave the police officer permission to search the house,[11] where the family dog was discovered unharmed, but no sign of Shanann or the girls was found.[12] Searchers discovered Shanann's purse containing her keys and the children's medicine.[11] Her phone was later located between the couch cushions in the family home.[13] Her car, which still contained the girls' car seats, was in the garage.[14] Shanann's wedding ring was found on the bedside table.[11] The FBI and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) joined the investigation the next day. Christopher initially told police that he had no idea where his family might be and that he had not seen his wife since 5:15 am the previous day, when he left for work.[15] He gave interviews to Denver stations KMGH-TV and KUSA-TV outside the house, pleading for the return of his wife and daughters. Investigators with search dogs could be heard on the property during the interview.[16][17]

Watts was arrested on August 15, 2018. According to the arrest affidavit and footage from a security camera in the interview room, he failed a polygraph test and subsequently confessed to murdering Shanann. He asked to speak to his father before confessing. According to the affidavit, Watts was having an affair and claimed he asked for a separation from Shanann. During the investigation, he claimed Shanann had strangled the girls in response to his request for separation and that he had then strangled her in a fit of rage and transported the bodies to a remote oil-storage site leased by his employer, Anadarko Petroleum.

Watts is currently serving life in a Wisconsin prison after pleading guilty to murdering his family – is still the named owner of the house, according to property records. He is currently in custody at the Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin, after being relocated from a Colorado prison for security reasons. A Zillow listing estimated the home's current value at $816,200. The 4,177-square-foot four bedroom, five bathroom home was built in 2013, sits on 0.15 acres and offers stunning views of the Rocky Mountains. Watts and Shanann reportedly bought the property for $400,000. In the meantime, the house remains empty. “It's not kept up,” says Chuck Burr, 55, who lives two doors down from the Watts home. Shanann Watts sold products for THRIVE by Le-Vel, a multi-level marketing company. Chris Watts told investigators that Shanann had him wear patches the company sold in videos to market them, and that he hated the way they made him feel, noting that they raised his heart rate and kept him awake.