Evil Dad – he murdered his family to be with his mistress
When Chris’ wife and daughters vanished, he put out an emotional plea for their return...
The Watts were an everyday suburban family, who seemed to have it all.
Chris, 33, and Shanann, 34, had two cheeky-faced little girls, Bella, four, and Celeste, three, and they had another one on the way, which Daddy was over the moon about.
Little Peanut! Love her/ him already!!! Chris texted his wife after she sent him a photo of their ultrasound.
In the midst of all her happiness, Shanann posted Chris’ response on Facebook.
I love Chris! He’s the best dad us girls could ask for, she wrote, proudly.
Of course, it wasn’t all roses and the family had been through some hardship over the years. Financial difficulties meant they’d had to file for bankruptcy in 2015.
Luckily, Shanann landed a new $80,000-a-year job promoting heath supplements.
While she sometimes had to work away from home, Chris looked after the girls.
He’s my rock! He takes care of us girls unconditionally! Thank you baby, for holding down the fort this weekend! Love you, she wrote on Facebook during a work trip.
Despite making her proud wife comments, Shanann had an inkling things weren’t okay. Chris, a petroleum company worker who she’d been with for eight years, had become distant – and there were other things...
Shanann had been getting alerts from her credit card for money spent in restaurants – amounts too high for one person.
After speaking with Chris about it she suggested couples counselling, but he refused. Sadly, just as they discovered their baby was a boy they were going to call Niko, it looked like they were over.
He has changed, she texted a friend in August.
I don’t know who he is.
Admitting that her, ‘eyes burn from crying so much,’ there was speculation of an affair – but Shanann didn’t want to believe it.
Chris was her soulmate, the father to her kids… What would she do without him?
And then on August 13, she disappeared. Shanann seemed to have had enough and walked out with her girls.
At first Chris didn’t seem concerned. A friend, Nickole Atkinson, phoned him to say Shanann wasn’t responding to calls or texts, but Chris said she was at a playdate.
Gravely concerned, Nickole went to the Watts’ home and noticed Shanann’s car was in the garage. Nickole reported her missing. Then the next day, Chris, now worried about his wife and daughters, made an emotional plea.
‘If you’re out there, just come back,’ he said on TV. ‘If somebody has her, just please bring her back.’
But it didn’t take the police long to reveal that would never be the case…