CO - Shanann Watts (34), Celeste"Cece" (3) and Bella (4), Frederick, 13 Aug 2018 *Arrest* #16

[katydid23]

My hunch--this is pure speculation--is that he intended to spend Monday evening cleaning up and then he was going to report them missing on Tuesday. I suppose he could have been planning on doing that Monday night when he returned home, but it seems like things were still in too much chaos at the house for him to report as soon as he got home. Perhaps he would have reported it late on Monday after he had a chance to tidy up.

Either way, I think he was going to use the separation claim as a reason why he wasn't alarmed when he didn't hear from her.

Unless he had a really good excuse for where he thought they were, I think he'd have to report them missing sometime late Monday night. It would look really suspicious if he didn't. If it was just his wife missing, maybe.

But a pregnant wife with two very young children, not responding to phone calls, and not being with neighbors or friend---he'd have to call the police that night to avoid looking suspect. JMO

 

[Tigerlily75]

I've also wondered about that video cam and if it was the source of his overly precise times for her arrival and his departure.

I found him knowing she arrived home at 1:48 am and that he left at 5:27 am a bit odd, and if I recall correctly, some of his initial statements were more vague. My brother is the type of person who would know that, but he is a very anal retentive, precise person. That isn't how CW has been described personality-wise. It indicated to me he either had been told specific times or he was paying careful attention to that for the purposes of an alibi.

Yes I believe he was told those times by LE. He mentioned the neighbors camera - something I think he didn't know about before committing the crime. He also made a point to mention there are no cameras out the back, perhaps hoping people might believe she left out the back, or was kidnapped out the back.

 

[Zella]

Unless he had a really good excuse for where he thought they were, I think he'd have to report them missing sometime late Monday night. It would look really suspicious if he didn't. If it was just his wife missing, maybe.

But a pregnant wife with two very young children, not responding to phone calls, and not being with neighbors or friend---he'd have to call the police that night to avoid looking suspect. JMO

I think he was going to milk the friend he couldn't name for all it was worth or say she just needed a break.

But I agree it would have looked suspicious if he didn't report soon-ish, especially for someone who is known to stay in contact with people like SW was. I suspect if I went missing, my family would be more likely to be alarmed early than with other relatives because I am good about answering phone calls and staying in touch. Seems like she was the same way. In fact, he may have drawn suspicion on himself this way rather than the way he did if NU hadn't gone to the house that day.

 

[Inspector Gidget]

Notice the change in appearance and speech in Chris Watts,from this video and the subject of his presentation.Yikes This was back in 2012.

 

[isalybra]

Steroids are more likely to make people snap, but imo, this was premeditated. No snapping was happening. This was a long slow burn.

I don't disagree on the long slow burn but I'm very torn on the premeditation. Just knowing them I can't see it. Then we all never ever would have seen this happening at all so we were tragically wrong already.

 

[Zella]

Yes I believe he was told those times by LE. He mentioned the neighbors camera - something I think he didn't know about before committing the crime. He also made a point to mention there are no cameras out the back, perhaps hoping people might believe she left out the back, or was kidnapped out the back.

I would have loved to have seen the look on his face when he was informed about the cameras.

 

[PommyMommy]

I've also wondered about that video cam and if it was the source of his overly precise times for her arrival and his departure.

I found him knowing she arrived home at 1:48 am and that he left at 5:27 am a bit odd, and if I recall correctly, some of his initial statements were more vague. My brother is the type of person who would know that, but he is a very anal retentive, precise person. That isn't how CW has been described personality-wise. It indicated to me he either had been told specific times or he was paying careful attention to that for the purposes of an alibi.

The initial reports were that Shanann arrived home about 2 a.m. and he left for work about 5:15 a.m. It appears that he was told about the more precise times from the neighbor's camera by the time he was giving interviews the following day.

Chris Watts case: Everything we know so far about the alleged murders of his wife, daughters
A friend of Shanann’s dropped her off at her home in Frederick around 2 a.m. Monday.

He claimed that he last saw Shanann around 5:15 a.m. Monday when he left home.

 

[borndem]

I was thinking if he did kill himself, it won’t be because of remorse, but because he has lost what he was trying to get by killing them and not getting caught — freedom to move on. Now he is screwed.

Agreed. He probably thought his plan was pretty good, until he had trouble with SW's body - I would think he planned on putting her in a tank, surely he did, but maybe he got too tired, or she was too heavy, whatever. So he decided to dig a hole - maybe he hadn't brought a good shovel, or the ground was too hard or the sun was coming up, and he got paranoid. Maybe he worried that his Grand Plan might not work. But somewhere in there, he cleans up, knows he's lookin' good, and is ready to smile and chat a bit with LE. Because he's so smart, ya know.
Oops, now what??

 

[Zella]

The initial reports were that Shanann arrived home about 2 a.m. and he left for work about 5:15 a.m. It appears that he was told about the more precise times from the neighbor's camera by the time he was giving interviews the following day.

Chris Watts case: Everything we know so far about the alleged murders of his wife, daughters
A friend of Shanann’s dropped her off at her home in Frederick around 2 a.m. Monday.

He claimed that he last saw Shanann around 5:15 a.m. Monday when he left home.

Thank you! I was thinking he initially said 2 a.m. but couldn't remember what time he claimed he left.

 

[Not a Belle]

I'm wondering about the idea that he "hated" his life, or Shan'ann, or the girls, etc. He strikes me as not having particularly intense emotions in any direction, though IMO he tries to approximate expected ones. I think he tried to act out what he was "supposed to" feel or do in his regular life before their deaths, and I wonder if his presumably killing them (which is what I believe) may have been much less emotional than he has been given credit for, and just something he had to do to move on to the next thing--not born of emotion so much as of necessity. MOO, of course.

 

[Herat]

The initial reports were that Shanann arrived home about 2 a.m. and he left for work about 5:15 a.m. It appears that he was told about the more precise times from the neighbor's camera by the time he was giving interviews the following day.

Chris Watts case: Everything we know so far about the alleged murders of his wife, daughters
A friend of Shanann’s dropped her off at her home in Frederick around 2 a.m. Monday.

He claimed that he last saw Shanann around 5:15 a.m. Monday when he left home.

Did CW explain why he left home so early on Monday?

As I understand AB said his work started at 7:30 and it might take 30 minutes for him to get to the office site, or 40 to get to the farthest well.

So he could have left between 6:30- 7:00

Why leave at 5:57?

Do his neighbors know what time he usually leaves for work? Do they have any captures of him leaving from the week before?

 

[molly1255]

SBM

Good thoughts. I've been meaning to say that I don't think the Watts' home had a back gate. Their lot backed up to an undeveloped set of lots until fairly recently, when a developer started building what looks like some multi-family homes behind them. We could go back to some of the video of SW on the deck or CW mowing the lawn to make sure, but I'd bet a wooden nickel that there is not back gate, just a gate on the garage side of the house that goes to the front. We don't typically have back alleys in Colorado. Sometimes there will be a gate from a back alley into an open space, but I doubt that would happen here.

The fence in back was 6 feet high, so I don't see pregnant SW or the two young children scaling the fence to sneak away from CW.

Agree - and there was no reason to have to sneak away from CW. He had already left the house. As for someone taking them, it is even more ridiculous. Imagine trying to get a pregnant woman and two little girls over a 6 foot fence without attracting a lot of attention from neighbors.

 

[Waterdog]

Bill Carson, great thoughts. All we know for certain is that he used the Thrive patches. What I know from all my GNC visits and googling health supplements the dangers are usually in how they affect the heart not the brain. Well, he had a cold, dead heart so this is a moot point!
Ok, maybe my feelings are getting in the way here.

 

[human]

If he wanted her found so he could claim the insurance, burying her on his work site was pretty asinine.

Exactly. Did he want her found and was leaving her there until he could get a better spot? I do think that a tank was for her as well but he could not pull it off.

Maybe he did not know that you had to have a body for life insurance? This burying her makes no sense

 

[borndem]

Why would he leave that job for one that pays less than half?

That's a darn good question -- why, indeed...

 

[PommyMommy]

I don't disagree on the long slow burn but I'm very torn on the premeditation. Just knowing them I can't see it. Then we all never ever would have seen this happening at all so we were tragically wrong already.

Hi isalybra. I am wondering if you ever suspected that he would cheat on Shanann? Was he ever not where he was supposed to be or not answering her phone calls, things like that?

 

[Silver~Bell]

Notice the change in appearance and speech in Chris Watts,from this video and the subject of his presentation.Yikes This was back in 2012.

Knowing what is known now, I found it chilling to watch him. He had knowledge of how to try to fix a marriage and he could have just gotten out of his. His choices were so bizarre.

 

[SeesSeas]

@isalybra - In one of your early posts last week, you wrote "I do feel that for some reason he snapped."
Do you have current thoughts as to 'why' CW snapped?

 

[isalybra]

Hi isalybra. I am wondering if you ever suspected that he would cheat on Shanann? Was he ever not where he was supposed to be or not answering her phone calls, things like that?

He appeared to worship the ground she walked on. I did not live close to her to be in that immediate circle like Nickole so I didn't say that part of their relationship. From what I did see, she was more of the lead in the relationship and I think he was ok with that. Where I think it became an issue is when she started being more and more successful and taking more and more of her time. I'd imagine he may have started to feel insignificant and look for attention elsewhere. I'm not saying by any means that Shan didn't love him and care just as much but she was so very determined to make a great life for her family. I think he just couldn't handle it

 

[MerryB]

He said he text her after he left the house that morning. Her phone was still in their loft. Her pings would have shown her phone never left the house. Plus it would show she never called nor texted anyone while he was at work.

Then he would probably have said they may have been abducted from the home while he was at work.

But the neighbors camera would have shown that to be impossible.

So this guy was screwed anyway we look at it. Jmo.

Agree. Terribly planned (if planned). I wonder if he knew about his neighbor’s camera pointed at his garage. My guess is no.