On the morning of August 13, 2018, Shanann Watts didn’t show up for a doctor’s appointment. She was 15 weeks pregnant, a devoted mom of two little girls, and had just returned from a business trip. Her friends knew something was off almost immediately—and within hours, she was reported missing.
But what no one knew at the time was that the man smiling on local news, pleading for his family’s safe return, was the one responsible for their deaths.
A Picture-Perfect Family—or So It Seemed
Chris and Shanann Watts looked like the American dream. Their social media accounts were full of family trips, birthday parties, and sweet moments with their daughters, Bella (4) and Celeste (3). Shanann was a successful rep for a health and wellness company, while Chris worked in the oil industry. To outsiders, they were a picture-perfect family.
But behind the scenes, their marriage was crumbling. Shanann confided in friends that Chris had become distant. He was no longer affectionate. He stopped answering texts. And what she didn’t know—at least not fully—was that he was having an affair with a co-worker.
The Morning It All Unraveled
When police showed up at the Watts’ home for a welfare check, Chris was oddly calm. He invited officers in, showed them around, and even allowed them to watch security footage from a neighbor’s camera. That footage would be one of the first cracks in his story.
The neighbor’s camera caught Chris backing his truck into the garage and loading something heavy into it—exactly when he claimed to be heading to work.
His body language was off. He fidgeted. He barely made eye contact. And as soon as the cops left, the neighbor turned to them and said, “He’s not acting right. Something’s not right with him.”
A Confession That Got Worse with Every Word
Chris was brought in for questioning. At first, he denied everything. But when he failed a polygraph, he finally broke—sort of. His first version of the story was that he killed Shanann in a “fit of rage” after she supposedly killed their daughters.
But investigators didn’t buy it.
Soon after, Chris admitted to strangling Shanann, then smothering both daughters—one after the other—while they sat in the backseat of his truck next to their mother’s body.
He drove all three bodies to a remote oil field. Shanann was buried in a shallow grave. Bella and Celeste were placed in separate oil tanks.
The Chilling Aftermath
Chris Watts was arrested and eventually sentenced to five life terms without the possibility of parole. In prison, he gave additional interviews that revealed even more horrifying details—like how Bella fought for her life, begging, “Daddy, no!” before he killed her.
Perhaps most disturbing is the footage that remains: Chris giving news interviews, smiling awkwardly, his arms folded tightly as he lies to the camera. Knowing what we know now, those few minutes of video feel like watching evil in real-time.
