Almost everyone has heard of the infamous Chris Watts case and how he annihilated his entire family by murdering his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts (34), and his two daughters, CeCe (3) and Bella (4) Watts, in cold blood.

Like Susan Smith, Chris tried to lead everyone on a wild goose chase to find his family after killing them.

Although, Chris did think he would have more time to cover up the crimes.

Unfortunately for Chris, his wife Shanann had friends who cared for her well-being.

When Shanann’s best friend Nicole texted Shanann to see how her Prenatal appointment went, Nicole received no messages from Shanann.

This deeply concerned Nicole and ultimately led her to call the nonemergency line to perform a wellness check on the house for Shanann and the girls.

After which, Chris would get involved in the “search” to find his girls.

A few days later, Chris Watts would crack, confessing to murdering his entire family.

Shocked and dismayed, the whole country wanted to know why?

The Chris Watts murders were atrocious and unheard of.

How could this happen?

There are many theories about how and why Chris took this route especially in the Chris Watts Netflix documentary, all of which end in the unfortunate demise of Shanann, CeCe, and Bella Watts.

This is the Chris Watts Case. This is their story.

Chris Watt’s Upbringing

Religious Influences

Chris was born on May 16, 1985, to Cindi and Ronnie Watts and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Chris was raised Southern Baptist and a little more recluse.

Chris’s father, Ronnie, took the lead in Chris’s upbringing.

It was often reported that he was emotionally abusive, calling Chris a ‘nancyboy’ and a ‘sissy’ whenever he cried or showed too many emotions.

Being raised Southern Baptist, there was generally a lot of criticism and fear during his adolescence.

Some may say the practice rules people by fear and damnation to keep its subjects in line and “good enough” for God.

In a way, he was scared straight.

Chris would go to church with his dad, Ronnie. Chris was very similar to Ronnie in temperament.

Ronnie was an avoidant and passive personality, and so was Chris.

Neither spoke their truth since they kept so much inside. It wasn’t manly to show emotions.

His mother, Cindy Watts, reports Chris repenting in the bathroom as a teenager.

She described it as “an OCD manner.”

Chris would pray every day and reported praying throughout his marriage with Shanann.

Although, Chris would mention he didn’t know Shanann’s spiritual or religious beliefs as they never discussed them.

Chris Never Had Girlfriends

Chris was fine moseying along under the radar and never really standing out.

He was timid and described as socially awkward but generally got along with people.

It was noted, however, that Chris wasn’t exactly a social butterfly in high school.

He would choose to stay home with his parents whenever there were dances.

Chris never had any girlfriends and never dated or showed interest in dating well into his college years.

He didn’t hang out with a dude squad in his free time.

His NASCAR Tech peers shared that he neither had girlfriends during this time nor did he hang out with the guys.

Chris was a quiet, reserved guy who kept a lot to himself and was a bit of a mystery.

Was Chris Watts Gay?

Considering Chris never spent time with girls or guys and given his strict religious upbringing, It has been speculated that maybe Chris was gay.

Or at least bisexual.

He didn’t seem to fit in with anyone.

If he were a closeted gay man in his adolescence, I could imagine in the late 90s, that would be a tough place to be, especially in the south.

You wouldn’t know if there was anyone else who felt like you because they might be closeted as well.

In addition, you couldn’t ever live as your authentic self, so how could you genuinely fit in with anyone?

• He never went to any social gatherings
• Had little to no friends
• Didn’t take part in school dances
• Never showed much interest in girls or getting into a relationship
• Didn’t have any type of dude squad, which I feel is the safety net for young men
• Was heard repenting profusely in the bathroom
• Was raised in an overtly religious southern baptist household where homosexuality is considered a sin and deserving of eternal damnation.

None of this is a smoking gun by any means.

None of it proves he was struggling with his sexuality and I want to make that clear.

However, it does raise some eyebrows and questions about how little we or anyone knows Chris.

He shared very little with people, and I don’t think anyone except Chris knows who he is, and we may never know.

However, I am not a naysayer. I am an entertainer.

I will entertain almost anything to understand this case more, including the possibility Chris struggled with his sexual identity.

Anything is possible, honestly.

Chris & Shanann

The Facebook Message

When they first met, Chris and Shanann lived in the Charlotte, NC, area.

A mutual friend connected them on Facebook.

Chris sent Shanann a message introducing himself.

During this time, Shanann went through many health issues due to her Lupus diagnosis.

Lupus is a debilitating disease, similar to Cancer, where the body starts attacking its organs and tissue.

Lupus can negatively affect multiple organs, including the lungs, brain, and heart.

Shanann later mentioned in a video she posted on Facebook that Chris was her rock during this time.

With Shanann being so sick, she felt Chris was ride or die due to their meeting and being her rock when she felt her worst:

“ He knew me at my worst, and he accepted me – he is the best thing to ever happen to me. ”

Shanann Goes All In

Shanann was a very ambitious and driven woman.

She fought hard for her successes, knew what she wanted, and was highly headstrong.

When Chris entered her life, and she felt her lowest, it made sense she would lean on him for emotional support.

However, one could argue she wasn’t in a good state of mind or health to have the best judgment.

Shanann fell for Chris when she was vulnerable and spiritually running on fumes.

Similar to a wounded gazelle, if you will.

Chris came right in and swooped her off her feet.

In Shanann’s eyes, Chris was her white knight in shining armor to rescue her from her despair.

Shanann was head over heels dedicated and in love with Chris.

From the outside looking in, they both seemed infatuated with each other.

The Families Meet

Shanann, as mentioned before, was an incredibly ambitious woman and set many goals for herself.

One is to be a homeowner.

During her time in North Carolina, she built her own home.

A few months after Chris initially reached out to Shanann on Facebook, Shanann held a cookout for both of their families to meet at her home. 

Sandi Rzucek, Shanann’s mother, said that Chris’s parents, Ronnie and Cindy, were floored when they saw Shanann’s house.

Shanann having a knack for business, wanted to sell it at some point and make a profit.

This came naturally to Shanann, coming from a family of contractors.

Shanann was dedicated to making Chris’s family comfortable at her home during this cookout.

Sandi reported she was “waiting on them hand and foot” when she was finally left alone with Cindy, Chris’s mother, when they had this exchange:

Cindy: “ Shanann was married before?”

Sandi: “ Yes, just like your daughter was. ”

Cindi: “ I just don’t see it. “

Sandi: “ What?”

Cindi: “ I don’t feel or see that your daughter loves my son. “

Sandi mentioned that since then, she knew Cindi would be a thorn in the marriage because her mother-in-law was the same way.

Cindi and her daughter would always remain recluse and quiet during all cookouts that followed.

The Wedding

From the get-go, there appeared to be a lot of tension between the two families.

Sandi reported she and Shanann went out and bought food and wine for their engagement party.

Shanann was excited and wanted to impress.

Jamie, Chris’s sister, wanted the invitations so she could help.

During the gathering, Shanann grabbed Sandi to talk in the bathroom.

Shanann was confused because she made 80 invites to send out, and only immediate family came.

The next day, Shanann called the people on the invite and found none had received an invite.

Shanann was devastated.

Things were not going well, and this is not how anyone wants to kick off their union.

Once it was time for the wedding in 2012, only Chris’s Uncle and grandmother showed up from his side of the family.

Cindi, Ronnie, Jamie, and none of Chris’s immediate family came.

The ultimate sign this family was going to cause a lot of problems.

Although, they both still looked excited and happy about their future together.

Chris & Shanann’s Marriage

Cancer Scare

Sandi reported that Shanann and Chris appeared so head over heels in love. They waited on each other, hand and foot.

Shortly after they got married, they made the unilateral decision to move out to Colorado for Shanann’s health.

Everything seemed to be going great between the two.

As time went on, Shanann noticed an abnormality on Chris’s genitals.

After further inspection from the doctor, it was cancer, swiftly removed.

Sandi mentioned in the police discovery this is when Shanann “saved his life.”

Shanann’s First Pregnancy

After the cancer scare had passed, Shanann got pregnant with Bella.

Everyone was so excited!

Well, at least Shanann’s family was excited.

During this time, both Chris and Shanann were working at a car dealership.

Chris was a mechanic, and she was a car salesperson.

It was a great team, and Shanann was top of sales.

With Shanann’s Lupus, her pregnancy with Bella was considered high-risk.

After a while, she stopped working to preserve her health.

Bella Marie Watts was born in December 2013.

Everyone was thrilled.

Shanann got through the pregnancy and delivered a healthy baby girl.

All was bliss.

Shanann’s Second Pregnancy

Shortly after Shanann gave birth to Bella, she quickly got pregnant a second time with Celeste (CeCe) a few months later.

Sandi reported that this pregnancy with CeCe was rough on Shanann due to her Lupus.

She was sick a lot.

Shanann was diagnosed with a VERY high-risk pregnancy where she experienced massive water weight gain, trouble breathing, severe back pain, chest pains, fatigue, and exhaustion. Sandi said:

“My husband and I sold everything but our house and moved out to live with them, to help our daughter every way way could. Frank and I had to work to pay our bills too. We were there for 15 months. “

Shanann gave birth to CeCe in July 2015.

CeCe was born with a rare condition with a short esophagus.

It took three operations to extend it and 1.5 years of steroids for her to breathe.

It was a rough couple of years after CeCe’s birth.

However, they were happy to have two little girls in their family.

Chris Watts daughters seemed like two happy go lucky girls.

Shanann’s Work

Shanann worked in sales for a multilayer marketing company called Thrive.

It was one of those Inception-type sales jobs where you make money by bringing more salespeople below you.

You make commissions off them and anyone else they sign up beneath them with the idea that you will quickly bring in 6 figures due to all the marketing layers.

These marketing and sales gigs can quickly become unsustainable for some people.

If you struggle to bring people in below you or to sell the massive stock of products you had to buy to get started, many quickly find themselves in debt and struggle to garner any traction.

Shanann, however, did a decent job.

She brought in about the same amount Chris did at his job, around 60k.

Shanann frequently gave her all in any project, job, or activity she needed to pursue.

Ultimately she was doing so well that she won a company car similar to Mary Kay.

Social Media Life

Shanann posted a lot of marketing videos on Facebook to promote the products and her lifestyle.

They showcased a lot of their personal lives because of it.

Chris, being the recluse he is, hated it.

He didn’t like showcasing his life on social media, which is fair.

I, for one, don’t partake in social media at all.

I haven’t shared a single picture of my daughter on Facebook for this reason.

However, it was required of her job if she had any chance of making decent money.

And she did.

Debts

Medical Debts

Shanann and the girls were reported to have a lot of health issues.

Both Bella and CeCe were diagnosed with asthma after years of misdiagnosis and medical bills.

With the time it took to finally diagnose the girls with asthma, Shanann’s neck surgery, Chris’s cancer, and other medical issues, they owed about $110k in medical bills. 

Which equates to about $9k per month if paid on time.

All of this is criminal in general and showcases the massive problems the US has with its healthcare systems.

Shanann had no health insurance, and Chris’ job coverage for everyone took 60 days before they all had access to it. 

This was a massive source of stress in the marriage like it would be for any relationship.

HOA Debts

Shanann and Chris lived in a suburban neighborhood.

One that involved an HOA.

An HOA is an acronym for Home Owners Association.

They collect monthly fees to ensure the community is adequately tended to.

For example, if the community pool pump stops working, rather than have a homeowner volunteer their time and money to fix it, the reserved HOA fees take care of it.

HOA fees can cost anywhere from $50-$400 per month.

Shanann and Chris were reported to be more than $8K behind in their HOA fees and were sued by the HOA because of it.

Bankruptcy

Three years before the murders and only three short years since they married in 2015, Shanann and Chris filed for bankruptcy.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy claiming liabilities that totaled nearly $450K.

Between student loans, medical bills, and consumer debt, they struggled to keep up with the lifestyle they wanted versus the one they could afford.

Between Shanann and Chris’ income, they collectively brought in around $7K per month.

Their income wasn’t nearly enough to afford their over $400k mortgage, debts they carried, childcare they needed, and fun consumption they spent a ton of credit on.

This contributed to a lot of stress and tension in their marriage.

Shanann’s Third Pregnancy

Chris wanted another baby, hoping it would bring him and Shanann closer together.

Spoiler alert!

It never does.

Babies cause couples to grow apart due to constant demands and stress.

Rarely do hail mary pregnancies in a dwindling marriage ever recover the relationship.

Regardless, they were actively trying before Chris met Nichol.

Turns out she got pregnant!

Shanann was thrilled and couldn’t wait to share the news.

She decided to share it with everyone on Facebook live as an unaware Chris walked through the front door.

Tension With In-Laws

Sandi mentioned that Cindi and Ronnie Watts would visit twice a year.

Cindi would watch the girls during a time when Shanann and Chris were at a business conference for a few days.

According to Cindi Watts, Sandi reported that she wasn’t allowed to see her grandchildren during this time.

“ During that time, we weren’t allowed to see our grandchildren or even eat dinner with them once we got home.

She brought them upstairs and stayed upstairs. She wouldn’t let us hold them or anything. ”

The tension escalated to the point where Sandi confronted Cindi about her behavior.

This resulted in a verbal tirade from Cindi toward Sandi, accusing her of being controlling.

Sandi, upset, texts Shanann about the occurrence.

Shanann reassured her mother that she would take care of it and all would be well, desperately tiring to keep the peace.

Sandi reported that this occurrence was the last time she spoke with Cindi Watts.

Shortly after, Sandi moved back home.

Shanann’s 6-Week Trip to NC

Peanuts

Shanann took the girls to North Carolina to meet their uncle, Shanann’s brother, and auntie, Chris’s sister.

She hoped It would be a nice family reunion for both families and stayed during the week with her family and would spend the weekends with Chris’s family.

According to Sandi, the first week went great between the two families.

The second week, however, sparked some fire.

Both girls are deathly allergic to tree nuts.

Those who understand the severity of this allergy understand it’s essential to stay away from the allergen for their safety.

In Watt’s home, there were bowls of peanuts that Shanann had to discard.

Then, Cindi gave the girls a bowl of ice cream with peanut chips.

Upset, Shanann told Cindi the girls could not have peanuts due to their allergy.

Cindi, poo-pood Shanann saying it’s just ice cream and not a big deal.

Shanann elaborated further on the severity of peanut allergies and how they could kill them.

Cindi continued to disregard Shanann.

Shanann decided she wasn’t willing to stay with people who didn’t care about her children’s well-being.

She called her mom and dad, who later picked her up and brought them back to their house.

Shanann didn’t go back for the remainder of her trip.

She called Chris and told him everything.

He said he would take care of it.

CeCe’s Birthday

Shanann intended to celebrate CeCe’s third birthday party while in North Carolina.

Since the drama occurred shortly before her birthday, there was still some bad blood.

None of Chris’s family showed up for the party.

Cindi sent CeCe’s birthday package back to their home in Colorado.

Overall, the relationship between the two families was incredibly toxic.

Chris Joins The Family

After five weeks, Chris flew to North Carolina to join the family for the remaining week.

Shanann and the girls went to the airport to pick him up.

That day Chris spent with his family.

After the day came and went, he returned to Shanann’s family residence.

Sandi reported that during this time, both Shanann and Chris spent a few hours talking on the back porch.

It was clear there was a distance between the two.

The whole family goes down to Myrtle Beach.

Sandi notices that Chris is acting strange and distant.

He was quiet, on his phone a lot, and wasn’t attentive to Shanann or the girls.

He was doing his own thing, and his head was elsewhere.

But where?

Chris Watts Girlfriend

Nichol Kessinger

Nichol was a co-worker of Chris in Well County.

Remember my post 10 Surprising Infidelity Stats Within Marriages where the number one place infidelity happens is with a co-worker?

Chris and Nichol are no exception.

When she initially met Chris, she said she was under the impression that he was a single bachelor.

Later, he told her he was a father and husband.

However, she believed that he was undergoing a separation and was going to leave Shanann ( spoiler: They never do because cheaters are cowards who don’t have the balls to just say they are unhappy and leave, that’s why cheating is more practical. In this case, he would rather kill them than leave.)

Chris said that he loved how Nichol chased him. He was used to it being the other way around.

She was sexually adventurous and open to things Shanann wasn’t, including anal sex.

The relationship was a strong sexual one, often taking place when Shanann was out of town for business.

Sexually Charged

Chris mentioned to the police that Nichol was the only person he felt he could be himself around.

Even more than Shanann.

He genuinely felt she was his soul mate.

Nichol identified herself as bisexual, potentially bonding them even more IF Chris was bisexual as well. 

It would make sense that he felt closer to Nichol with just that fact alone.

Therefore, Chris didn’t have to live a lie to her as he did with Shanann.

Chris described his marriage with Shanann as “walking on eggshells.”

Nichol introduced Chris to a handful of her friends later on a trip to The Great Sand Dunes.

Chris described them as “dark” and into doing “dark things.”

Many have speculated this to be sexually deviant.

Chris says he will take what has been done during some of these meetings to his grave.

Given how sexually adventurous Nichol was, it makes you wonder, if Chris can admit to the whole world that he killed his family, what were some of these acts done that were any worse than that where he feels that would be the end if anyone found that out.

Mutual Interests

Since Chris believed Nichol was the only woman he could be around, they had much in common.

She was very active, an outdoorsy type.

Nichol loved cars, skateboarding, working out, hiking and camping, all the sex, and going to drag races together.

This is something they would do frequently together.

Nichol was his best friend that knew everything about him and could be the most vulnerable and honest with him.

When your partner is the best friend in your life, love and sex are just the cherries on top.

This was a dynamic Chris never felt he experienced with Shanann.

Since the foundation of Nichol and Chris’s relationship was that of a close friendship, he wanted that kind of intimacy he’s never experienced.

He wanted to start a new life with her at all costs.

To Chris, he was never going to be happy otherwise.

The Fantasy

Nichol and Chris wanted a life together.

If Chris is indeed bisexual, and Nichol understood this and was willing to be in a marriage where he could be free to be with Nichol and other men, it was perfect to have your cake and eat it too.

Ronnie and Cindi Watts being Southern Baptist, Chris coming out was never an option for him.

If Nichol loved Chris enough to be his “beard” in their marriage, that would mean Chris’s secret would never come out, and to the public, he was in a straight marriage with Nichol.

Then behind closed doors, he could be his authentic self.

Nichol wanted to also give Chris a son.

She wanted to give Chris something Shanann already hadn’t, which was a tall order.

These idyllic fantasies pushed Nichol and Chris to move forward together in their plans.

Chris told Nichol he wasn’t interested in repairing the marriage and that he and Shanann had been growing apart for too long.

The Fragility of The Affair

Nichol and Chris went to the Shelby Museum in the summer of 2018.

Another activity they enjoyed together frequently due to their love of cars.

They planned to go to dinner for the evening and needed to stop by Watt’s house first.

Chris mentioned while they were in the house, Nichol was playing with Dieter, their dog.

Dieter led Nichol upstairs, where she was numerous pictures of Shanann and the girls together, as well as Chris.

At this time, Nichol was starting to see what they were actively tearing apart.

Nichol noticeably bothered coming down, he starts.

Chris invites her to lie on the couch for a moment.

Nichol said to Chris:

“ You have all of this, more than most people, and we’re doing this? Why are we doing this? Are you willing to give all this up? Is your relationship with your wife that bad?”

Chris responds:

“ Shanann and I are drifting apart and don’t talk anymore. We were actively trying to have a baby before we met.”

Nichol was distraught by this.

Convinced that their marriage couldn’t have been that fragile if they were actively trying to conceive.

However, many people do this as a hail Mary to save their relationship.

It didn’t matter, though.

It was enough to piss Nichol off.

She wanted everything Shanann had with Chris, including conceiving a son.

Chris Watts Mistress Demands More Time

Like many mistresses, they get upset that they aren’t the number one girl in their man’s life, no matter how sh*tty the guy says their marriage is.

Nichol was frustrated that Chris was still prioritizing his time with his wife and kids over her.

She thought he was ready to leave and didn’t understand the holdup.

Chris, too, Nichol, seriously.

After Nichol’s demands, he started giving his 15-week pregnant wife, Shanann, Oxycodone for the next eight days.

Chris said he read online that Oxycodone could induce a miscarriage.

He also said that he started to ignore Shanann every night to talk to Nichol for hours.

Chris was poisoning his wife in the hopes that she would miscarry, which would eliminate the pregnancy hurdle and make leaving more complicated, and he started giving his mistress the sugar she demanded.

He was mentally one foot out the door of his marriage.

Chris Feels Pressure From Both Mistress and Wife

My husband and I always find these Sister Wives’ shows so funny for this reason exactly.

My husband says it’s hard enough to keep one woman happy, let alone multiple!

That was the case here.

Chris led himself to a crossroads between Shanann and Nichol.

He officially reached a point where he couldn’t keep both half-baked relationships forever.

Nichol wants the marriage to end, and Shanann is actively trying to mend the marriage.

It is an active game of tug of war with Chris.

Being too much a p*ssy to be honest with anyone, Chris tries his best to keep both women at bay without giving away his position, as cheaters do.

This was when Chris realized it was time to make some moves.

He cannot continue to have his cake and eat it forever.

It wasn’t sustainable.

Nichol and Chris’s Last Meeting

On August 11th, 2018, Chris and Nichol went to dinner together.

This was when Shanann was out of town in Arizona with Thrive.

Chris got a babysitter for the girls and told her he was going to a baseball game with friends.

During that dinner, Nichol and Chris went over their plans together.

Nichol said she had found some apartments that could work for Chris.

Initially, she was looking for an apartment that could house them as well as the girls but felt their relationship was moving too fast and slammed the brakes.

She wanted to just focus on their relationship.

Chris started to reflect on their relationship more.

There was nothing that Nichol could give that he couldn’t already get with his family; a beautiful wife who still wants him sexually and intimately, two loving daughters, a beautiful home, and a job.

The only thing Nichol had,  was the ability to be his authentic self in a way he couldn’t be with anyone else on Earth.

To Chris, living an authentic life was priceless.

A Dishonest Life

Chris understood that his life was all an illusion. A bubble on the verge of bursting.

If Chris was never honest about his sexuality and married to avoid being ostracized, his whole marriage is a lie.

They have a couple of kids since that is what society says you should do next if you want to be happy.

They buy a home they can’t afford and showcase it on social media.

With Shanann posting on social media about their life, all looks well.

However, we all know social media is a performance.

Nothing is authentic or genuine.

Everything is meticulously planned for you to see what they want you to see.

Social media doesn’t provide context, and context is essential.

Chris was living a dishonest life.

He wasn’t honest with himself, his wife, his kids, his parents, or anyone.

He desperately tried to play out this facade for people to eat up.

Shanann Knows Somethings Up

Shanann’s Texts

Around August 6th, Shanann confided in her friend Addy over her marriage.

These texts took place after her trip to North Carolina.

Shanann knew something was off.

Unfortunately, her friend had too much toxic positivity in an attempt to ease Shanann’s concerns when that wasn’t what she needed.

She needed her friend to be open to the idea that Chris maybe wasn’t the guy he was portraying himself as.

Shanann’s Suffering Before Death

As awful as Shanann and the girl’s deaths were, nobody ever talks about the abuse and suffering she underwent the weeks before her death.

She knew she was losing Chris and was desperately tired of mending the marriage.

She sensed he wasn’t mentally all there and was worried about their future together.

Chris, trying to keep his wife out of the loop as much as possible, kept stringing her along to keep her satisfied while simultaneously exiting the marriage.

Chris put her through many lies, gaslighting, and emotional abuse during the last weeks of her life.

She had no idea what was up with them and was under so much emotional stress due to his odd behavior.

You can see she was in emotional and physical distress due to it all.

Chris was not only making her sick with emotional whiplash, but he was slowly poisoning her with Oxycodone in an attempt to kill their unborn child.

Chris attempted to sweep any insecurities Shanann had under the rug to keep her at bay while he decided his next moves.

Shanann’s death was in no way a slow one. She suffered much during her last days.

August 13th, 2018

Shanann’s Final Moments

Shanann returns home from her Thrive trip from Arizona around 2 am.

Their home security footage confirms this.

Her friend Nikkie dropped her off and waited until she was in the house before she drove off.

Chris was home with the two girls.

Chris and Shanann had sex once she got in bed, and they both fell asleep.

A few hours later, Chris and Shanann both woke up.

After this, they would have a conversation for about 15-20 minutes.

Shanann ultimately broke down in tears. She told Chris she knew there was someone else.

Chris being Chris, still couldn’t be honest for either Shanann or Nichol’s sake and denied any affair was taking place.

He did, however, confess to no longer loving her and that they were no longer compatible.

What Shanann said to Chris after this is still up for debate, and we may never know.

However, in response, Chris said he “snapped” and went after Shanann.

He got on top of her and started to strangle Shanann.

Chris said she didn’t fight back, and it took nearly 4 minutes to kill her.

Chris said he felt the idea of killing his wife was implanted long ago, and he had “no control” over it.

Bella & CeCe

Once this went down, one of the girls entered the room, wondering what was happening.

Chris reassured the girls as he went to load Shanann’s body into the back of his truck.

He put trash bags on top of her to hide the body.

After this, he loaded up both of his daughters into this truck.

Once everyone was in the car, he made the 45-minute drive to a work site.

During this drive, he contemplated suicide.

He changed his mind after claiming he didn’t want anyone else to get hurt at the works site should something happen.

Or, in my opinion, he was too big a narcissist to kill himself.

Once he got to the work site, he started to suffocate CeCe with a blanket while 4-year-old Bella watched in horror.

He then did the same thing to Bella.

Chris Watts successfully and officially annihilated his whole family in a single morning.

The Disposal

He attempted to dispose of CeCe and Bella in the oil tanks to eradicate what he had done.

They proved too big, and it took an effort to squeeze them in.

They know this due to the investigation after which they found traces of their hair caught in the tube.

About 200ft from the oil tanks, Chris buried Shanann in a shallow grave.

After all, was said and done, Chris murdered his wife, his unborn child Nico, and his daughters Bella and CeCe in cold blood.

After the murders, Chris looked up the lyrics to a Metallica song called “Battery,” which references the killing of a family.

Chris later called Bella and CeCe’s school saying they would no longer be attending, and then called the real estate agent in the hopes of selling his house.

The Aftermath

Shanann’s Friend Nicole Grows Worried

That same day Shanann was murdered, she was due for an ultrasound appointment at her OBGYN.

Shanann’s friend Nicole knew about this and texted her that morning to ask how she was feeling and to let her know how it went.

After numerous attempts to contact Shanann to no avail, Nicole grows gravely concerned.

She calls Chris hoping to clear her worries that Shanann was okay and maybe was having an off day.

Chris attempts to ease her concerns by saying Shanann mentioned a “play date” or something.

Nicole, increasingly concerned, drives to their house to check for Shanann.

She is knocking on the door and looks for Shanann, but there is no trace.

She calls Chris, saying she is distraught and can’t find her and that she will call the police for a wellness check.

Chris was adamant that it wasn’t necessary and that he would be there soon.

Nicole, being a good person, calls anyway.

The Police Show

Shortly after Nicole calls for a wellness check, a police officer shows up to collect her statement.

Nicole is worried that she may be unwell and unable to call for help or get to the door.

The police officer does a sweep of the perimeter of the house.

He can’t go in until he has permission from Chris, who says he’s on his way.

After Chris shows up, he runs up to the cop and gives him an enthusiastic handshake like he was greeting everyone at a damn cookout.

Chris then lets everyone in where they do a light sweep of the house and ask questions.

They find that the bed sheets of the queen bed are missing, but almost everything else checks out.

Nothing is adding up.

Chris walks out of their master bedroom with Shanann’s wedding ring dangling from his finger in an attempt to showcase a “ wife who left and took the kids” narrative.

However, her phone, purse, medications for the girls, and anything Shanann would need having left Chris and taken the kids, were present at the house.

The narrative is not what happened.

Neighbor Nate

During the initial police sweep, a neighbor of the Watt’s, Nate, sees the commotion and asks what is happening.

The police let them know the girls are all missing and if they have seen them by any chance.

Nate says he hasn’t and goes back into his house, where he looks up his security camera footage.

He finds interesting footage of Chris, at 5 am, loading things into his truck.

He notifies the police and Chris, saying he has some exciting footage from the earlier morning.

They all watch the footage together where Chris is visibly distressed and uncomfortable.

You can see Chris loading things into his truck for over 30 minutes.

Chris narrates his movements for Nate and the police, which Nate finds odd considering his temperament.

Ultimately, the footage is too ambiguous to make sense of it, even though it is odd.

After Chris leaves, Nate notes to the police officer that Chris’s behavior is not normal for him and that he doesn’t trust him.

Turns out for a good reason.

The Media Catches Wind

Whenever a pregnant mother and two kids go missing, it’s media gold. The news couldn’t get enough.

They interviewed Chris, asking what his thoughts were.

In this infamous interview, it is clear Chris is overcompensating due to his unrealistically calm demeanor, given the nature of the situation.

He says how much he misses them, hopes they come home, and has no idea what could have happened to them.

Does this give you Susan Smith vibes?

It should.

It’s the same script, except she didn’t kill her spouse.

He attempts to gaslight an entire nation on the whereabouts of his family, claiming he is utterly clueless about what could have happened.

He leads close friends, family, and the whole country to believe he is a victim in this situation and asks for all the prayers for his family.

When Friends Are More Concerned

The common theme here is that friends have to pull teeth trying to get information out of Chris.

Everyone is so concerned for the girl’s well-being, and I don’t think he was expecting it.

Friends and family are more concerned than he is in their responses.

This friend can’t seem to get through the day without talking to Chris, hoping for a new update.

Chris is never the one to initiate contact.

It is always the friend having to chase him down.

Chris was in self-preservation mode.

Everyone handles crises differently.

However, most people were turned off and suspish of Chris’s laid-back nature, considering his whole family is nowhere to be found with no leads.

It almost came off as him trying too hard to be as cool as a cucumber to conceal his guilt when it also concealed any normal behavior to any average person this would happen to.

This was not expected behavior from a man whose wife and kids, at the very best, left him and, at worst, were dead.

He was simply putting on too much of a show.