FREDERICK, CO – Police announced Thursday that the body of a missing pregnant woman, Shanann Watts, 34, had been recovered from an Anadarko oil and gas facility in Weld County. The bodies of two children recovered later inside an oil tank may be those of her daughters Celeste and Bella ages 3 and 4, police said.
Police arrested husband Chris Watts, 33, in connection with the killing of Watts and the two girls.
ALERT: Watts Told Police He Strangled Wife After She Strangled Daughters
Here are five things to know about Shanann Watts:
Shanann Watts and daughters may have been killed in their home and taken to the oil and gas facility.
Denver7 reported that at Thursday’s bond hearing, Weld County prosecutors told the judge they believed Christopher Watts killed his wife and daughters in their home, but did not elaborate why. Prosecutors have been given until 3:30 p.m. on Monday to press charges on Christopher Watts. The arrest affidavit is sealed.
Shanann Watts appeared happy in her marriage on Facebook, but had recently confided to a friend that her husband may have been cheating.
Chris and Shanann Rzucek Watts were married in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, on Nov. 3, 2012. Public records show Shanann was previously married and used the name Shanann King.
Watts posted numerous loving messages about her husband, Christopher, on Facebook, but had recently suspected her husband had been cheating.
About 10 months ago, Shanann Watts posted a loving video on Facebook for the couple’s anniversary. She posted a slideshow of the couple and a paragraph declaring her love for her husband.
“7 years ago I️ fell in love with you, 5 years ago I️ married my best friend, my soul mate, I️ married you!! Chris these have been the best years of my life! Our love just grows strong everyday! We have two beautiful little girls that call us mommy and daddy! We sold a house, moved to Colorado 5 years ago and built a home for our family! You make me a better person, you believe in me, we have dreams and goals together, you understand me, you put up with me!I️ love you more than words can say and God placed you in my life at the right time! I️ couldn’t imagine life without you! Happy Anniversary! #WeddingAnniversary #Love #Family #Dreams #Goals #Marriage #Bestfriend #Ourfutureisbright #Big #Passion #soulmate #ourweddingsong
Shanann also had referred to her new baby saying the family would have a “gender reveal for Baby Watts #3” Her brother later revealed that the baby was a boy and the family had named him Niko.
Watts, who said she had health problems including diagnoses for lupus and fibromyalgia, said in videos that she thought she would never be able to have children, but was grateful for the two daughters and the new baby on the way.
Shanann Watts was a North Carolina resident who moved to Colorado:
Shanann Watts was born in Passaic, New Jersey, according to her Facebook page. Family members live in North Carolina. She and Chris Watts lived in Moore County, North Carolina before moving to Colorado. Local media reported she attended Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines.
Her brother, Frankie Rzucek, said on Facebook he was from Clinton, New Jersey, but now lived in Aberdeen, NC. Rzucek posted an angry post on social media about his brother in law and police:
“I just want to know why. My precious family my one and only sibling, my sister Shanann, 2 adorable nieces Bella and Celeste and her soon to be found out unborn son Niko. I just want 30 seconds alone with that heartless psychopath, Rzucek wrote on Facebook.
“May Satan have mercy on his soul. The cops drug their feet. He was the only one with them and backed his truck into the garage. Doesn’t take a genius to know who was suspect. My blood is boiling and the pain and anger and sadness I have in my heart. Nothing absolutely nothing would get in my way of taking away his life like he did mine and my ENTIRE FAMILY.”
Shanann Watts and husband Christopher met and married in North Carolina, before moving to the town of Frederick, Colorado in 2013, according to the Longmont Times-Call. Chris Watts worked for Anadarko Oil and Gas a spokesperson confirmed. The company later said he was no longer employed there.
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Shanann Watts and husband had financial pressures
Police declined to say if they know the motive for the killings, saying the investigation is ongoing.
Public records showed the family had financial difficulties, including a bankruptcy in 2015, when the couple reported they were $448,000 in debt. They were also sued by their homeowner association, Wyndham Hill Master Association Inc., in July, 2018.
Shanann Watts posted on Facebook that she had previously worked two jobs and had started a new career at Le-Vel, a company that sells a wellness patch she was often photographed wearing. Her Linkedin profile said she also worked at Children’s Hospital. According to her social media pages, Shanann had been successful at her job selling the Thrive patch, and was a member of the company’s “$80K Club.”
She was quoted in a company magazine describing how hard it was to work in the new business, but that she was motivated by “wanting more for my kids” and being “a cheerful stay-at-home mom my kids deserve.”
Christopher Watts gave several television interviews where he said he came home to find his wife and girls missing.
Christopher Watts issued an emotional plea for their return on multiple television stations, before allegedly confessing to killing his three family members, Denver7 reported.
“I just want them back. I just want them to come back,” he told the station. “If they’re not safe right now, that’s what’s tearing me apart right now.”
He said Shanann and his daughters had disappeared with his wife leaving her purse and keys on the table.
“I walked in the house and nothing. Just vanished. She wasn’t here, the kids weren’t here,” he told Denver7. Watts claimed he and his wife had “an emotional conversation, I’ll leave it at that.”
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