Murder: True Crime Stories - SOLVED: The Watts Family Murder 1

Episode Date: November 4, 2025

To the outside world, Chris and Shanann Watts had it all — a beautiful home, two adorable daughters, and a baby boy on the way. But behind the smiling family photos, cracks were forming. When Shanann and the girls vanish without a trace, Chris’s pleas for their return ignite a nationwide search. Yet, as investigators look closer, they uncover secrets that turn a picture-perfect marriage into one of the most chilling crimes of the decade. Murder: True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. For ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Don’t miss out on all things Murder: True Crime Stories! Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hi, crimehouse community. It's Carter Roy, and if you love digging into the most gripping true crime stories, then you need to listen to another crime house original. Crimes of with Sabrina DeAnna Roga and Corinne Vienne.N. Crimes of is a weekly series that explores a new theme each season, from crimes of paranormal, unsolved murders, mysterious disappearances, and more. Sabrina and Corinne have been covering the true story. stories behind Hollywood's most iconic horror villains, and this month they'll be diving into the paranormal. Listen to Crimes of Every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. From the outside, the Watts family looked like the picture of happiness.

Their social media was filled with smiling photos, videos of kids playing, and posts about family milestones. It was the kind of curated lifestyle that suggested stability and love, but appearances can be deceiving. And behind the stage smiles and carefully crafted captions, and the truth was far more complicated. The marriage was, between Chris and Shanan was strained, finances were tight, and Chris was living a secret life no one else knew about. What looked like a happy family was starting to crack in ways that would soon become impossible to hide. And it was just a matter of time before the whole thing shattered.

People's lives are like a story. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end. But you don't always know which part you're on. Sometimes the final chapter arrives far too soon, and we don't always get to know the real ending. I'm Carter Roy, and this is Murder, True Crime Stories, the Crime House original powered by Pave Studios that comes out every Tuesday and Thursday.

At Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to you, our community for making this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing, and following murder true crime stories wherever you get your podcasts. And to enhance your murder true crime stories listening experience, subscribe to Crimehouse Plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get ad-free listening, early access to every two-part series, and exciting bonus content. This is the first of two episodes on the Watts Family Murders. In 2018, 34-year-old Shanan Watts, who was pregnant at the time, and her daughter's 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Cici went missing in Colorado. The case sparked a huge search and made headlines

across the country. Today, I'll introduce you to the Watts family and take you inside Shanan and Chris's marriage. I'll walk you through the days leading up to Shannon, Bella, and Cici's disappearance, the first signs that something was wrong, and how investigators quickly began to doubt Chris's story. Next time, I'll bring you into the heart of the investigation, the confessions, the evidence that came to light, and the devastating truth about what happened inside the Watts' home. All that and more coming up.

With Instacart, you get groceries that over-deliver, so you can over-share your preference. Want russet potatoes with no brown spots? You got it. Want turnips that look light, but feel heavy? Easy. Want honey crisp apples that are firm, green, and definitely not Macintosh like last year when you lost the fall bakeoff to perfect Penelope Johnson? Okay, a bit TMI, but we're here for it. So download the app today and get zero dollar delivery fees on your first three orders. Instacart, groceries that over deliver. Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. 10 while living in Charlotte, North Carolina, 26-year-old Shanan Rusek got a Facebook friend request that would change her life. 25-year-old Chris Watts wanted to add her to his network. Shanan didn't know him, but they had some mutual friends, so she figured, why not? She clicked except. Shanan wasn't looking for a boyfriend, but she was looking for all the online support she could get. The last year of her life had been really tough. Not only had she gotten divorced,

but she was also diagnosed with lupus and autoimmune disease. Her hair was falling out, she felt permanently weak, and she lacked the energy to socialize much. So like many people, she turned to the internet to feel connected. She posted photos, videos, and live streams, racking up new followers and telling people about her life. When she first first, she first, looked at Chris's profile, and he seemed kind of nerdy. He wore glasses, was about 245 pounds, and didn't have the best fashion sense, but all of that made Shanan feel safe with him. And most importantly, he was clearly interested in her. He struck up conversations, commented on her posts, and made her feel desired. After chatting for a while, he asked her to meet up in Charlotte where

they both lived, the attraction was instantaneous, and soon they were dating. But Shanan was cautious. She worried her health issues were too much for such a nice, normal guy like Chris. So to protect herself from heartbreak, she tried to push him away. She posted about how she tortured him and rejected him during their early days, giving him every opportunity to block out the door. But he never did. Instead, Chris promised to stick by her through her health issues and whatever else might come their way. And that was when Shanan decided he was the one. On November 3rd, 2012, about two years after their first meeting, 28-year-old Shanan and 27-year-old Chris got married. During the ceremony, the couple exchanged vows, promising to

love each other till death do them part. Everyone was beaming. Shanan's health was on the mend and her family welcomed Chris with open arms. But a few people were missing. From the beginning, Chris's parents and his sister had decided they didn't like Shanan. In their eyes, she was stealing Chris away from them. They showed their disapproval by boycotting the wedding. Chris was understandably upset but he wasn't going to let his family keep him from being happy he might have thought they'd warm to shenan once they actually tied the knot but it quickly became clear that wasn't in the cards instead of confronting them about it chris bottled up his emotions and became distant and cold with his new wife in short it wasn't the best start to a marriage but then the couple got some news

Shanan became pregnant with their first child in the spring of 2013. They were thrilled. And just like that, things started to look a lot brighter for the newlyweds. Before the baby was born, they visited Colorado and fell in love with the area, specifically a small town just outside of Denver called Frederick, population 12,000. They found a five-bedroom home for $400,000. It was out of their price range. but they thought it was the perfect place to start a family.

So they bought it anyway. Then they packed up their lives in North Carolina and moved west. In December, they had their first child, Bella. Shanan was over the moon. Because of her lupus diagnosis, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to have kids. So Bella was truly a blessing. And then, lo and behold, less than a year later, Shanan got pregnant again.

She couldn't believe her good luck. In July 2015, Shanan gave birth to a second daughter. They named her Celeste, but everyone called her Cece. Shanan and Chris felt lucky in the children department, but not everything in their life was going as smoothly. A month before Cece was born, Shanan and Chris had filed for bankruptcy. The couple's income for the prior year was about a hundred,

$100,000, which they said barely covered their monthly $3,000 mortgage and $600 car payments, not to mention their credit card debt, student loans, and medical bills, and their homeowners association was suing them for unpaid fees. All that to say, money was tight. Chris had gotten a better paying job as an operator at Anadarko Petroleum, an oil company about six months earlier, but it wasn't enough to turn their finances around, which meant Shanan would have to find a way to help. In January 2016, 32-year-old Shanan started working as a brand promoter and sales rep for a nutritional and supplement company called Lavelle. Her new job meant she was permanently glued to her phone, but on the upside, she was making between $65,000 to $70,000 a

year, which meant relief for her family's finances. Plus, the gig came with some serious perks. Shanan and Chris started going on trips to San Diego, Las Vegas, and Puerto Vallarta, all on the company's dime. Shanan was a top earner, signing up more than 200 friends. She even sold Chris on supplements. He started using some of the weight loss offerings and saw immediate results. Soon, he became obsessed with working out.

Not only was he looking better than ever, but he seemed happier. And so did Shanan. Friends and neighbors said they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Things seemed to be going well for the Watts family, and it was about to get even better. In early June, Shanan learned she was pregnant with her third child. She decided to surprise Chris with the news. She ordered a shirt that read, oops, we did it again. She put it on right before he came home from work and filmed his reaction.

In the video, Chris seemed overjoyed. He said, I guess when you want to, it happens. Wow. A week later, on Father's Day, Shanan gushed about Chris on Facebook. She wrote that their family was so blessed to have him and that he was the reason she felt brave enough to have a third kid. little did she know chris wasn't the family man he made himself out to be he had a wandering eye and recently a co-worker had caught his attention and it wouldn't be long until chris decided she was worth sacrificing everything for in june june 2018 in june 2018 34-year-old Shanan Watts revealed to her husband, 33-year-old Chris Watts, that she was pregnant with their third child.

When Shanan posted the video of Chris's reaction to the news on Facebook, she presented it as a time of celebration. Their unborn child was a blessing, and they were so excited. But the truth wasn't quite so sunny. The same month, Chris met someone at work. Nicole Kessinger was 30 brunettes and worked in the environmental department of a contractor who partnered with Chris's employer and a darko petroleum. Chris saw her for the first time in the break room.

He didn't say anything to her then or any of the other times they crossed paths, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. Until one day in the middle of June, he walked into her office and introduced himself. They had a few casual conversations after that. Nicole thought Chris was soft-spoken and a good listener. He told her that he had two daughters, but she noticed he didn't wear a wedding ring. When she asked about the situation, he told her he and his wife were separated in finishing up divorce proceedings. He said he was living in the basement until it was all finalized.

Nicole had no reason to think Chris was lying, and by the end of June, just weeks after learning his wife was pregnant, Chris met up with Nicole outside of work for the first time. Back in the Watts household, Shanan started to suspect that something was off with her husband. He had been acting distant and strange in a way that she couldn't pin down. She told a friend she thought Chris was having an affair. When she repeated this fear to her mom, she told Shanan to give Chris some space. Still, Shanan couldn't let go. She tried to draw Chris back by giving him self-help and relationship books.

But Chris didn't read them. He actually threw one of them out in the garbage. Shanan was at a loss. Her only saving grace was a trip back home to North Carolina that she'd already scheduled. She and the girls were going for five. weeks, and Chris would join them at the end when he could get time off work. Shanan hoped the time apart might make him miss her and fix all their problems. On June 26th, Shanan and her daughters, four-year-old Bella and three-year-old Cece

flew to North Carolina for the summer. That left Chris alone in Colorado, free to see Nicole Kessinger whenever he pleased. By early July, the two were. were having a full-blown affair. Although Nicole thought it was just a normal relationship. When they saw each other four to five times a week, they went on a date to a car museum and even spent a night at Great Sand Dunes National Park. Still, she told Chris she wanted to take it slow. She didn't want his daughters to be upset. She suggested he focused on helping them adjust to the divorce. As far as Nicole knew, she and Chris were in no way.

rush, they had their whole lives ahead of them. While Chris was enjoying his time with Nicole, Shanan was getting more and more fed up. She berated Chris for missing her calls and not initiating any face-times with their daughters since they'd left. He was acting like he didn't miss his family at all. And then there were Chris's parents. And the ones who didn't like Shanan to begin with, They also lived in North Carolina near her own parents. Shanan had gone over to their house so they could spend time with their granddaughters. But the play date hadn't gone well. Chris's mom bought ice cream that had ingredients CeC was severely allergic to.

When Shanan called her out on it, Chris's mom got defensive and it turned into a full-blown fight. Shanan shouted at her, accusing her of trying to. to kill her baby. In response, Chris's mom kicked Shanan out of the house. Shanan took the girls with her and said she'd never let them go over there again. After the fight, Shanan immediately texted Chris to talk to his parents about putting their daughter's life at risk. Chris agreed that it wasn't right and said he would fix things. But the truth was, Chris thought Shanan was blowing things out of proportion. He wanted his parents to be part of his daughter's lives, and he thought it was unfair for Shanan to cut them out without even asking him. All in all, it drove the wedge between

husband and wife even deeper. Meanwhile, Chris was falling more in love with Nicole every day. A few weeks after the CC debacle, he wrote her a gushing love letter. He said that she took his breath away the first time he saw her and that he got lost in her stunning green eyes when they first spoke. He went on detailing all their firsts together and how he wanted to keep having more of those with her. Then, while he was still daydreaming about a future with Nicole, Chris boarded a plane for North Carolina and finally rejoined his wife and kids for the rest of their trip. Things didn't improve once he arrived. In North Carolina, Chris continued texting and calling Nicole.

He even told her his divorce was finalized and asked Nicole to help him find an apartment that would work for him and his daughters. Nicole agreed right away. She felt like she'd met a good man who was doing all the things a decent father should do. Nicole had still never met any of Chris's friends or family, but that was okay.

She told him she wanted to take things slow, and the last thing she'd want was to rush into meeting his daughters. Still, Nicole felt like Chris could be the one. By early August, she was looking at wedding dresses online. By the time the Watts family returned home to Colorado, Shanan's frustration with Chris was reaching a peak. She was 13 weeks pregnant and feeling more estranged from her husband than ever. He was distant and unsupportive. She even texted a friend that she wasn't sure she could raise three kids in that type of environment

and confessed she was having doubts about keeping the baby. If she didn't, Shanan thought maybe she could sell the house and move out of state with her daughters. She and Chris were in a terrible place. Maybe it was time to finally leave him. But then on August 9th, Shanan and Chris had a conversation right before she left for a business trip to Arizona. She texted the same friend and said it had been their best talk yet. Maybe there was still hope. They had just found out that their unborn child was a boy, something Chris had always wanted.

Maybe that would be enough to get them out of whatever hole they dug themselves into. While the talk gave Shanan renewed hope, it clearly meant something different for Chris. Maybe he was just telling his wife what she wanted to hear. Because the second she was gone, he hired a babysitter for Bella and Cece and rushed to meet Nicole at a sports bar in the next town over. Two days later, in the early morning hours of August 13th, Shanan returned home from her work trip. Her friend Nicole Atkinson gave her a ride home. They promised to catch up in the morning after Shanan's doctor appointment at 10 a.m. But Shanan would never make it to that appointment.

And within a matter of hours, she and both of her daughters would be declared missing. A new true crime podcast from Tenderfoot TV in the city of Mons in Belgium, women began to go missing. It was only after their dismembered remains began turning up in various places that residents realized. A sadistic serial killer was lurking among them. The murders have never been solved. Three decades later, we've unearthed new evidence. Le Mestre, Season 2, is available now. Listen for free on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On August 13th, 2018, 34-year-old Shanan Watts landed back in Colorado after a business trip to Arizona. Her flight had been delayed and it was late, but her friend and coworker Nicole Atkinson picked her up and drove her home. When Atkinson pulled up outside of Shanan's house around 2 a.m., she made her friend promise to text her in the morning after her doctor's appointment. Shenan was 15 weeks pregnant with her third child, a son, and tomorrow she was supposed to hear his heartbeat for the first time. Shanan said she'd let her know how it went right away. Then Shanan got out of the car and headed inside where her husband, 33-year-old Chris Watts, and their daughters, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old C.C. were sleeping. But the next morning, Atkinson didn't get attacked. She called Shanan and sent her a few messages, but they went unanswered.

That worried Atkinson. Shanan always had her phone with her because of work, and she was always very responsive. Atkinson decided to go over to the house and check on Shanan. She had health issues. What if she'd fallen or blacked out in the house without anyone realizing? When Atkinson arrived, she knocked on the door, but no one answered. answered. She peered inside the windows, but saw no signs of movement inside. She called Chris and told him she hadn't heard back from Shanan and was worried. He said he'd leave work and

come home to check the house. While she waited, Atkinson also called the Frederick Police Department, just to be safe. At 1.40 that afternoon, Officer Scott Coonrod arrived at the Watts home, Atkinson explained that Shanan was 15 weeks pregnant and had lupus, and if she wasn't answering her phone, it meant something had to be wrong. Officer Coonrod checked the house from the perimeter and called through the front door, but he couldn't enter without more cause or permission from one of the owners. Atkinson told him she'd called Chris and that he was supposedly on his way. But every time she called him for an updated ETA, he kept pushing back his arrival time. Finally, Chris's car pulled into the driveway. When he got out, he gave the officer

permission to search the home. The three of them entered the house. But it was clear no one was home. Shanan's car was in the garage, and the car seats were still in it. Chris, found Shanan's wedding ring on the nightstand and her phone on the upstairs couch. Officer Coonrod asked Chris if they could look through Shanan's phone. He said yes and he gave them the password. It was the due date of Shanan and Chris's unborn son. After unlocking the phone, the officer looked through it. No calls had been made that morning. At that point, Officer Coonrod called in a detective and asked him to come to the Watt's house. When the detective arrived, he and Coonrod thoroughly searched the place.

There were no signs of forced entry or any sort of altercation. They found Shannan's wallet, phone, credit cards, and purse, which had her lupus medication in it. Atkinson confirmed that it was odd that she would leave any of that behind, but especially her phone. own. In Chris and Chanan's room, the investigators noted the comforter, fitted sheet, and pillows were all on the floor. They didn't see the top sheet anywhere. But besides that, nothing seemed out of place. The only thing enough to do was see if the Watts' neighbors had noticed anything suspicious. The man who lived next door showed Coonrod his home video surveillance At 148 a.m., his cameras picked up Atkinson's vehicle leaving the house after dropping off Shanan.

Then, at 5.27 a.m., the cameras recorded Chris's truck backing into the driveway so that the rear was in the garage and obscured from view. Shortly after, the truck drove off. No other vehicles were spotted at the house after after that. The way Chris had backed up the truck, set off alarm bells. Both the next-door neighbor and Atkinson told Coonrod that they'd never seen Chris do that before. But Chris had an explanation ready. He said his tools had been stolen recently. So now he unloaded them into the garage every Friday, then reloaded them on Monday mornings. He also finally provided them with more information about what happened that morning.

He said Janan had been in bed when he'd left for work. She told him she was going to take the kids to a friend's house later. He didn't ask which friend. Chris also admitted that after she got back from her trip, they'd spoken about separating. He said they were emotional, but it was still a talk and not a fight. Besides, it wasn't anything new. He said they'd been discussing the possibility for weeks. Still, they hadn't come to a conclusion before he had to leave for work.

He told Officer Coonrod that he went out to his job site at an oil well in Hudson, Colorado, about 17 miles away. He was out there alone for a few hours doing his job as an operator. Atkinson was there while Chris said all of this, and she didn't buy the story he was telling. She felt like his demeanor was off, like he was defending himself. even though he hadn't been accused of anything. Around 3.45 p.m. After talking to the officers

and presumably once they'd left his home, Chris texted Nicole Kessinger. He told her that his family was missing. The Chanan had taken the girls to a play date but hadn't returned and he didn't know where they were. Despite that dramatic statement, Chris seemed calm over text. Nicole worried that,

something terrible had happened, but she didn't want to overreact, especially if it might upset Chris. But then Nicole turned on the TV. She watched as local news reporters started showing up outside the Watts House. Nicole couldn't understand why they'd be there if it was all just some misunderstanding. Later that night, as the news reports disclosed more details, Nicole would was shocked to learn the full extent of what had happened, and who Chris really was. She listened to news anchors give the details of Chris's family, his two young daughters and his wife, who he was very much still married to, and who was 15 weeks pregnant. Nicole was at a loss for words.

Chris had lied about everything. He wasn't separated at all. And suddenly, she had a very bad feeling. If Chris could lie to her about being married, what else could he be lying about? And then an even darker thought crossed her mind. Could Chris have possibly done something to his family just to be with her? All through that night and into the morning on the 14th, Nicole berated Chris over the phone

about his marriage and asked pointed questions about his missing family. Chris admitted to lying to Nicole about the state of his marriage, but he said he would never hurt his family. He guessed that Shanan was just upset and had taken the kids somewhere to teach him a lesson. But Nicole was done listening. She could no longer trust a word that came out of Chris's mouth. So she cut off contact, saying she didn't want to speak to him until his family was found. Meanwhile, investigators were growing increasingly worried. They knew the likelihood of anyone finding Shanan and her missing daughters alive was dwindling by the hour. As of that morning, August 14th, the three of them were officially declared missing.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation released endangered missing person alerts. investigators still didn't know what had happened to them but they were almost positive that Chris Watts had something to do with it and they were determined to get to the bottom of things thanks so much for listening I'm Carter Roy and this is Murder True Crime Stories. Come back next time for part two on the Watts family murders and all the people it affected. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House original

empowered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media at Crimehouse on TikTok and Instagram. Don't forget to rate, review, and follow Murder, True Crime Stories, wherever you get your podcasts.

Your feedback truly makes a difference. And to enhance your Murder True Crime Stories listening experience, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode ad-free, and instead of having to wait for each episode of a two-part series, you'll get access to both at once, plus exciting bonus content. Murder True Crime Stories is hosted by me, Carter Roy,

and is a Crime House original, powered by Pave Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Murder True Crime Stories team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benadon, Natalie Pertsovsky, Rachel Engelman,

Lori Marinelli, Sarah Camp, Alex Burns, Honeya Saeed, Russell Nash, and Spencer Howard. Thank you for joining us. Looking for your next crime house, listen, don't miss Crimes of with Sabrina DeAnna Roga and Corinne Vienne.N.

Crimes of is a weekly series that explores a new theme each season, from Crimes of the Paranormal, Unsolved Murders, Mysterious Disappearances, and more. Their first season is Crimes of Infamy, the true stories behind Hollywood's most iconic horror villains. And coming up next is Crimes of Paranormal. real-life cases where the line between the living and dead gets seriously blurry. Listen to Crimes of Every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.