Colorado Man Confesses He Killed His Missing Pregnant Wife And Two Daughters
A Colorado man has been charged with the murders of his pregnant wife and two young daughters after he confessed to the crimes on Wednesday. The woman and two girls were reported missing early this week.
Chris Watts, 33, was booked on three counts of first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the disappearance of 34-year-old Shanann Watts, who was 15 weeks pregnant, and daughters Celeste, 3, and Bella, 4, according to ABC News.
Watts initially said his wife and children were missing, claiming his wife had disappeared without a trace, leaving her purse and keys at home in Frederick, located about 30 miles north of Denver.
“When I came home and then walked in the house, nothing. Vanished. Nothing was here,” he said on Tuesday, according to the ABC News report. “My kids are my life…. I mean, those smiles light up my life.”
Breaking: Chris Watts has confessed to killing his pregnant wife Shannan and two kids, says Shennan Watts’ brother and a person familiar with the search. pic.twitter.com/I8N5JuAS5X
— Matt Mauro (@mattmauronews) August 16, 2018
Watts’ confession came after the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the FBI joined the local police investigation into their disappearance, Fox News reported.
One of Shanann Watts’ close friends, Nickole Utoft, called the police after Watts failed to answer her calls, even though the two had made plans to meet. Utoft told police she last saw Shanann at about 2 a.m. on Monday when they got home from a work trip in Arizona.
Before confessing, Chris Watts told local news channels that his wife had said she was going to a friend’s house when she vanished and even asked the public for help in locating his family.
“Shannan, 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,” he is quoted as saying, according to the Fox News report.
During his confession, Watts told police that he and Shanann had an “emotional conversation” the night before her disappearance and said he would not elaborate further when pressed on whether the two had had an argument, according to ABC11 Eyewitness News. The same report contends that Shanann and Chris Watts appeared to have a good relationship, citing a Facebook video in which Shanann called her husband the best thing that’s ever happened to her.
Police said they believe they know where bodies are and are working to retrieve them.
The Frederick Police Department will provide more details during a press conference expected to take place later this morning in front of the town’s courthouse, according to a tweet by the Town of Frederick.
#ShanannWattsInvestigation Update 3 of 3: The Frederick Police Department will host a news conference to provide an update on the case at the Town of Frederick Courthouse, 333 5th Street, beginning at 10:30 a.m., on Thursday, August 16th.
— Town of Frederick (@TownofFrederick) August 16, 2018
