He pleaded for return of his daughters, pregnant wife. He knew where the bodies were, cops say
Just two days ago, 33-year-old Chris Watts pleaded for the return of his pregnant wife, Shanann, and their two daughters in an interview with WMGH.
“I just want them to come back,” he told the station. “If somebody has her, please bring her back.”
Now he’s in the Weld County Jail, according to jail records, the primary suspect in the investigation into their disappearance from their home in Frederick, Colorado, and their murder.
He was booked early Thursday on three counts each of first degree murder and tampering with evidence. He is being held without bond.
Investigators found Shanann’s body, and two more they believe to belong to the two girls, on a plot of land belonging to Anadarko Petroleum Corp., John Camper, director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, told the Associated Press Thursday. Chris Watts previously worked for Anadarko, one of Colorado’s largest oil and gas drilling companies, a company spokeswoman told reporters during a news conference.
He confessed some level of involvement in his family’s disappearance, police say, according to KCNC, but the specifics of the alleged confession had not been released as of Thursday morning. Chris Watts told investigators he could lead them to the bodies of his wife and daughters, according to an updated report from WMGH.
Shanann and the couple’s two daughters, Celeste and Bella, have not been heard from since Monday. Shanann was 15 weeks pregnant, and the couple were planning to find out the gender of their third child soon, according to KDVR.
Shanann was from North Carolina and went to Pinecrest High School in the town of Southern Pines, about 25 miles west of Fayetteville, according to WSOC. Her family still lives in North Carolina.
Bella was 4 years old. Celeste, whom family called “Cece,” was 3.
The FBI and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation joined Frederick police in the search for all three on Wednesday, according to The Denver Post. Late Wednesday night, investigators could be seen towing a truck marked with evidence markers, which was reported to be Chris Watts’ work truck.
This story was originally published August 16, 2018 at 10:16 AM with the headline "He pleaded for return of his daughters, pregnant wife. He knew where the bodies were, cops say."