Aman who pleaded on TV for the safe return of his pregnant wife and two young daughters reportedly confessed days later to killing his family.
Dad reportedly confesses to killing wife, kids after pleading for their safe return
A Colorado man who pleaded on TV news for the safe return of his pregnant wife and two young daughters reportedly confessed days later to killing his family, according to reports.
Police in Frederick, along with FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation officials, arrested Christopher Watts, 33, late Wednesday after his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, 34, and their two daughters, 3-year-old Celeste and 4-year-old Bella, were reported missing on Monday.
Watts now remains held without bail on three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of tampering with evidence, KMGH reports.
Two law enforcement sources close to the investigation told the station that Watts confessed to killing his family and authorities believe they will soon find the victims’ bodies.
During an interview with the same station on Tuesday, Watts told a reporter that his wife’s purse, keys and phone were at their Frederick home prior to her disappearance.
Watts said his wife, who was 15 weeks pregnant, returned home from the airport at about 2 a.m. Monday, roughly three hours before he left for the day.
Watts said she never returned several calls from him and other friends, causing him to start worrying.
“She never got back to me, but she wasn’t getting back to any of her people as well, and that’s what really concerned a lot of people,” Watts told KMGH.
In a steady, unemotional voice, Watts said he tried calling and texting his wife three times to no avail.
“I hope that she’s somewhere safe right now with the kids,” Watts said. “But I mean, could she have vanished, just taken off? I don’t know, but if somebody has her and they’re not safe, I want them back now.”
Watts, who stammered at times during the interview, also spoke about his daughters, saying their smiles lit up his life and that he was hoping to see them return home.
“I miss them,” Watts said of feeding them dinner. “I miss telling them, ‘Hey, you gotta eat that or you’re not gonna get your dessert.’”
Watts continued: “I just want everybody to just come home. Wherever they’re at, come home. That’s what I want.”
Watts said his wife had been returning home from a business trip in Arizona. They had an “emotional conversation” prior to her leaving, but Watts declined to classify it as an argument, he told KMGH.
Investigators have not yet commented on what preceded the alleged triple killing, as well as the whereabouts of Shanann Watts and her daughters.
Police in Frederick will provide an update in the investigation during a news conference early Thursday.
