Discovering that a family member has vanished without a trace is a devastating experience that no one should ever endure.
Picture the horror of your pregnant spouse and two young daughters mysteriously disappearing.
That’s the nightmare 33-year-old father Chris Watts faced, initially claiming to authorities and the public that his family was missing, pleading for assistance in locating them.
However, a tragic revelation was imminent.
On a Monday, Shanann Watts and her daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, were reported missing.
Chris recounted having an ’emotional’ conversation with his pregnant wife, who was six months along with their third child, before her disappearance, providing scant details.
Shanann had returned home early Monday from a trip to visit family and attend a work conference. Concern arose when she missed a doctor’s appointment and became unresponsive, leading friends to involve law enforcement.
State investigators and the FBI collaborated in the search for Chris’s missing family, with him appearing on television to appeal for help in their search.
Directly addressing the camera, he expressed bewilderment: “I have no clue where they went. I don’t even feel like this is real right now. It’s like a nightmare I can’t wake up from.”
In his statements, Chris expressed longing for his missing family and the profound emptiness he felt without them.
Chris Watts, now accused of killing his wife and children, used these words to describe his daughters on Tuesday (day before his arrest). #9news pic.twitter.com/b0pUHOobOZ
— Chris Vanderveen (yep…me) (@chrisvanderveen) August 16, 2018
As the hunt for the missing trio unfolded, the police encountered puzzling details.
Police Mystified
No signs of a struggle were evident in the house, but certain aspects perplexed law enforcement.
According to friend Amanda Thayer, Shanann Watts’ phone, wallet, and purse were discovered in the residence, as reported by NBC News.
During televised interviews, Chris began to disclose more about the night Shanann returned home, describing a lengthy and emotionally charged conversation.
On Wednesday evening, Chris Watts was arrested and detained at Weld County Jail, north of Denver, confirmed the Frederick police in a statement.
Shanann’s remains were found on Anadarko Petroleum Corporation’s premises.
“At this juncture, we’ve located a corpse that appears to be Shanann Watts’,” stated Colorado Bureau of Investigation Director John Camper during a press briefing on Thursday. “We have strong grounds to believe we know the whereabouts of the children’s bodies, and we are endeavoring to extricate them.”
According to the prosecutor, evidence suggested that Shanann and her daughters met their demise at home. Subsequently, Chris was charged with triple homicide.
The motive behind the killings remains undisclosed by the authorities.
“This is undeniably the most harrowing outcome imaginable,” expressed Colorado Bureau of Investigation Director John Camper.
