Found Deceased CO - Shanann Watts (34), Celeste"Cece" (3) and Bella (4), Frederick, 13 Aug 2018 *Arrest* #35

[MerryB]

That was my thought. If I'm recalling corectly, in earlier threads it was said there beds were unmade yet their blankets were not there. Can someone confirm if NAU stated that? I assumed it was personal blankies they had.

That is correct.

 

[Waterdog]

I think the discussion didn't go anywhere, posters were just offering suggestions to why. Could it be due to finances were tight? SW's friend/s recommended another school?

It could be a couple of different scenarios. Bella was of Preschool II age, which is the year before kinder. This is usually a full 5 day a week school schedule. Cece was more of a 2 or 3 days a week age, or would be in more of a daycare situation if she went every day. The cost of 2 kids in private preschool at the same time would be exorbitant. Maybe they chose a different school because they missed the registration dates, or because of cost, or switched to one that accommodated both girls. If I was in their $ situation and the 4 year-old was bright enough I would try to get her into public kinder. I only know of public (free) preschool that is for underprivileged children. *Also, it could be as simple as SW not liking one of the schools or she preferred one over the other for whatever reason, maybe one was more prestigious than the other. This is a thing in some parts of America — gotta have the kids in the “best” school. I lean toward it being about the cost, but my cynical side thinks it could even be because *perhaps* one of his married with children APs had kids at the school in question.

 

[NuttMegg]

I think fuel flea said in an earlier post that he thinks CW did put the bodies there. I think, if I understand correctly, that he is saying that he wouldn't have been able to do so without work orders and planning on his part.

In other words, he couldn't just drive out to one of the tanks, and open it up and begin messing with the levels and volume, without someone noticing and checking it out. So he had to have a WORK ORDER first, and clear it with the front office, if he was going to get away with it.

AND that may be why LE figure it out so quickly. Because he did get the work order, cleared it with the bosses. So when the detectives came a calling, they knew exactly where to look.

why would someone of his level be planning all of that work? Wouldn't he have a boss to plan work orders? I will have to be convinced that opening the small hole sets off alarms..... Can't wait to hear more.....

 

[MassGuy]

why would someone of his level be planning all of that work? Wouldn't he have a boss to plan work orders? I will have to be convinced that opening the small hole sets off alarms..... Can't wait to hear more.....

Yes. I think a lot of assumptions are being made here. The planning that would have been involved, doesn’t jibe with everything else that he did. Things that can only be described as reckless and sloppy.

 

[katydid23]

Highly unlikely. This was his job. I'm not saying he is the brightest person, but most likely this site was on his route that day. Also imo it's highly unlikely that there was any sort of alert system when those hatches were opened. That's what they are designed for.. so the operator can open it to gauge it.

My nephew may be wrong, and he has only been a field engineer for 5 years or so, but he says that in the last few years, they have put lots of new sensor systems in, because they are cheap now and make everything much safer.

The oil industry has been concerned with terrorism, both domestic and international, and with tampering and theft. So a lot of sites have begun using these sensors that keep track of when a tank is opened, closed, and fuel is added or drained.

So as you say, they would not be 'alerted' necessarily that the hatches were opened. But there may be records of it on the main sensor data logs because that is how they are now protecting themselves. IF CW had a work order for that site, then they wouldn't have been concerned that it was opened and things were moving around.

But if he was just supposed to check this or that, and suddenly he was draining the tank, that might have been a red flag?

Your husband knows way more than I can ever begin to know. So you are probably correct.

 

[Marli61]

But if CW had a work order already, for that tank site, then it wasn't that stupid. If he told them he was doing maintenejnce or checking for leaks, or checking the sensors, and he got a work order on Friday, then they might have ignored the changing levels, etc. JMO

Another thing to point out here. Even if the levels changed.. in this case went up.. that may not have raised suspicion at all. IF & it's a pretty big IF there were such sensors, it could be expected that the well had maybe pumped more so the levels would be higher. If levels went down there would have been more question as to why.

 

[Johnny1181]

I think fuel flea said in an earlier post that he thinks CW did put the bodies there. I think, if I understand correctly, that he is saying that he wouldn't have been able to do so without work orders and planning on his part.

In other words, he couldn't just drive out to one of the tanks, and open it up and begin messing with the levels and volume, without someone noticing and checking it out. So he had to have a WORK ORDER first, and clear it with the front office, if he was going to get away with it.

AND that may be why LE figure it out so quickly. Because he did get the work order, cleared it with the bosses. So when the detectives came a calling, they knew exactly where to look.

Perhaps.... but they also posted that this would require a work order, and could not have done it alone (paraphrasing) as I quoted their post a few minutes ago.

Which was the second post from two different posters who suggested a work order and an accomplice.

I'm still wondering if they think the work order will be put into evidence, and since there have been two nearly identical references to an accomplice, and a work order, the theory on why that accomplice hasn't been arrested.

For me, those are strong assertions. And I haven't heard yet the theories surrounding them. And I would like to.

Just my interpretations of the posts made here.

 

[katydid23]

why would someone of his level be planning all of that work? Wouldn't he have a boss to plan work orders? I will have to be convinced that opening the small hole sets off alarms..... Can't wait to hear more.....

No, he wouldn't plan the work orders. But he would have known already that his boss was giving him work orders for that tank site. So he knew that is where he needed to make it happen.

 

[NuttMegg]

Yes. I think a lot of assumptions are being made here. The planning that would have been involved, doesn’t jibe with everything else that he did. Things that can only be described as reckless and sloppy.

how would he explain that he was out there so early if there were alarms?

 

[Dum-Dum Sucker]

So, he just drops the kids off in the tanks, at his workplace, that he is possibly scheduled to go to, while driving his work truck, that has a GPS, fuel, and speed monitor.

Doh! Homer Simpson could've planned a better method of disposing bodies.

Or, looking at it from a different angle, if CW was scheduled to go to that set of tanks, no one would be the wiser at his workplace when his GPS put him exactly there.

 

[Marli61]

My nephew may be wrong, and he has only been a field engineer for 5 years or so, but he says that in the last few years, they have put lots of new sensor systems in, because they are cheap now and make everything much safer.

The oil industry has been concerned with terrorism, both domestic and international, and with tampering and theft. So a lot of sites have begun using these sensors that keep track of when a tank is opened, closed, and fuel is added or drained.

So as you say, they would not be 'alerted' necessarily that the hatches were opened. But there may be records of it on the main sensor data logs because that is how they are now protecting themselves. IF CW had a work order for that site, then they wouldn't have been concerned that it was opened and things were moving around.

But if he was just supposed to check this or that, and suddenly he was drawing the tank, that might have been a red flag?

Your husband knows way more than I can ever begin to know. So you are probably correct.

My husband did say though that fields in the front range could be different... more high tech. So your nephew isn't necessarily wrong. We are in the eastern part of the state.

 

[Dum-Dum Sucker]

No, he wouldn't plan the work orders. But he would have known already that his boss was giving him work orders for that tank site. So he knew that is where he needed to make it happen.

And WHEN he needed to make it happen.

 

[SaguaroSpirit]

It could be a couple of different scenarios. Bella was of Preschool II age, which is the year before kinder. This is usually a full 5 day a week school schedule. Cece was more of a 2 or 3 days a week age, or would be in more of a daycare situation if she went every day. The cost of 2 kids in private preschool at the same time would be exorbitant. Maybe they chose a different school because they missed the registration dates, or because of cost, or switched to one that accommodated both girls. If I was in their $ situation and the 4 year-old was bright enough I would try to get her into public kinder. I only know of public (free) preschool that is for underprivileged children. *Also, it could be as simple as SW not liking one of the schools or she preferred one over the other for whatever reason, maybe one was more prestigious than the other. This is a thing in some parts of America — gotta have the kids in the “best” school. I lean toward it being about the cost, but my cynical side thinks it could even be because *perhaps* one of his married with children APs had kids at the school in question.

Or worked there.

 

[Hazelnutty]

@Fuelflea Welcome! Hang in there. The posting, quoting & replying gets easier.

BTW-- cutest dog ever in your profile pic.

We're glad to have you

 

[MassGuy]

how would he explain that he was out there so early if there were alarms?

My guess would be that there either weren’t any alarms, or they could be easily disabled.

 

[Johnny1181]

If CW did anything to those tanks, it would have some kind of work order, and he would not be doing it alone, just my opinion

Do you have an opinion as to why the accomplice has not been arrrested?

 

[NuttMegg]

No, he wouldn't plan the work orders. But he would have known already that his boss was giving him work orders for that tank site. So he knew that is where he needed to make it happen.

So, given that he went out there so early to dump the family, he (imo) ran out of time and half buried his wife, then went to hudson to go to work, iirc, when did he do the previously scheduled work on that pad?

 

[Waterdog]

No, he wouldn't plan the work orders. But he would have known already that his boss was giving him work orders for that tank site. So he knew that is where he needed to make it happen.

Since there was a seeming time crunch due to SW arriving several hours later than planned, this might explain why he didn’t wait for a more opportune time (if premeditated.)

 

[molly1255]

A version of an "abduction story" was proposed on the early threads. It goes something like this:

SW and the girls were abducted out the back door (per the insinuation made by CW in his porch performance). SW was murdered and buried in the shallow grave, but the 2 precious girls are still out there, possibly alive and at the mercy of their captor/s.

To this I will add: If LE bought this tale, then CW could cash in on SW's life insurance policy. Yes, the little girls were covered under a policy through CW's work as well, but the payoff amount on SW most likely would be more substantial.

JMO

I do remember this conversation and I have wondered if this was actually his original plan. I do think he had a master plan. SW's car, keys, cell, etc. were still at the house and that could be expected if she and the girls had been abducted.

If that was his plan, he could have just come home from work on Monday, made some calls to her friends pretending to be looking for her, unlocked the back door and then called LE to report them missing. I initially thought there was a six-foot privacy fence along the back of the back yard, but I've also seen pictures of a shorter, split-railing fence along the back border of the back yard. If that is what is there, it would be a piece of cake to slip through the rails, or even hop over it.

JMO, that still doesn't explain SW's shallow grave. I'm not able yet to come up with a scenario that explains that. If he'd buried SW in a shallow grave far away from where he'd been that morning, and where the bodies of his little girls were hidden in tanks, that would make some sense. IMO, he was never going to get away with this, but this may have delayed his arrest. JMO.

SW's body would have eventually been discovered, and if he managed to be cleared of her murder, he would have collected the life insurance benefit on her. If there was an accidental death and dismemberment benefit attached to the coverage, he could have collected double the benefit. Insurance carriers consider the murder of an insured to be an accidental death. That may have been part of the plan, but I don't think he was ever going to collect, because I don't think he would have ever been cleared by LE.

Another thing that makes no sense to me is why he would tell LE that he told SW he wanted a separation before he left for work that morning. Why would he want LE to think there were marital problems? He was smart enough to know he didn't want LE to know about his affair. Marital problems plus and an affair = motive to LE.

Plus, her car, keys, cell, etc. were in the house. Is this separation discussion story something he came up with in a desperate attempt to try to get NUA to back off when she called him Monday? Perhaps to try to explain why SW may have just walked off with the girls - as in she probably went for a long walk with the girls to cool off and don't worry, she'll come home.

She and the girls were never coming home and he knew this, and the doors were locked from the inside and the neighbor's security cam showed SW never left via the garage. This made it impossible that SW could have left the house on foot.

What an incredible cluster, JMO.

 

[mickey2942]

Or, looking at it from a different angle, if CW was scheduled to go to that set of tanks, no one would be the wiser at his workplace when his GPS put him exactly there.

Until the bodies were found. And then, he is date and time stamped exactly where he was and what he did.

It was inevitable that his activities of that day were going to be scrutinized to the nth degree, once it was apparent his wife and daughters were missing. Even if he been able to clear the house up, without Nickole showing up...the mere fact that a pregnant woman with 2 children is missing, and not using a credit card, her cell phone, would have alerted authorities to investigate further.