Chris Watts Allegedly Hid Murdered Daughters' Bodies Inside Oil, Gas Tanks
Accused father reportedly wanted to hide the smell of his daughters' decomposing corpses, so he hid them at a property owned by Anadarko Petroleum, where he worked.
The daughters of a slain pregnant woman from Frederick, Colorado were reportedly found hidden inside of oil and gas tanks, not far from where the body of their mother was discovered.
Shanann Watts, 34, and daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, went missing on Monday. Now, their husband and father Chris Watts, 33, faces three counts of murder and one charge of obstruction of justice for allegedly tampering with evidence in the case.
Several high-ranking sources have reportedly told Denver TV station KMGH that the two girls were found inside oil and gas tanks that "were mostly full." Those sources reportedly said they believe Watts placed the bodies of his daughters in the tanks in order to conceal the smell of their decomposing corpses.
Shanann’s body was found Thursday on a property owned by Anadarko Petroleum. It’s one of Colorado’s largest oil and gas drillers. It’s also where Chris worked, the Associated Press reported. The bodies of the Watts children were found nearby, hours after their mom’s remains were located. No information has been released about how the family was killed.
“As horrible as this outcome is, our role now is to do everything we can to determine exactly what occurred,” John Camper, director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, said at a news conference after the bodies were found.
Chris appeared to be a worried husband and father in various media interviews after his family went missing on Monday. In an interview with Today, Watts claimed he had last seen his wife early Monday morning, when she was arriving home from a business trip. He claimed he saw his girls asleep on a baby monitor. In one media interview, he was wringing his hands at his fear over the welfare of his wife.
Despite the portrayal of a perfect marriage on social media, the couple had been through its share of issues.
They filed for bankruptcy in 2015, claiming $70,000 in debt, according to documents obtained by KDVR-TV in Denver. Their debt was mostly the result of unpaid student loans and retail purchases, the station reported.
Chris is being held without bail and he is expected to be formally charged by Monday. A possible motive hasn’t been released.
[Photo: Colorado Bureau of Investigation]