Murder by nature

The Watts Family Murder...

• Jazmin Hernandez • Season 1 • Episode 10

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Intro

“Welcome to Murder By Nature, where we discuss True Crime, Mystery disappearances, and unsolved cases!. I’m Jazmin Hernandez, your host!


Thank them for listening and being a part of this community.

Before we jump into this case, I want to stress a few points. I have always been very hesitant to research this case due to my emotions towards this one. I have been a true crime fan since the lacey Peterson case, but this case and that one have always been super hard to discuss. Before jumping into the case, I want to stress that Shanann’s social media is still up, and when you go to Facebook and like or try and comment, it brings that post back up to her friends on the platform. Please remember her family is active on Facebook; they see those comments and likes with photos of her and the murderer. They have commented numerous times to people not to like, comment, or share as this is still something they are processing and would not like to see those in their feeds. With that, let's get started. 

References: 

Shanann Rzucek was born on Jan 10, 1984 in Passaic county New Jersey to Frank and Sandra Rzucek. Shanann was an older sister to her brother Frankie, and her family was extremely close. Shanann was trying to make a name for herself in this world. Her family did not come from money, and she knew she would have to fight tooth and nail to give herself the life she dreamed of. Shanann purchased land in CO and built her first home alone until she met Leonard King. The two were married and attempted to build a life with each other, but from Shanann’s side, she wasn't happy. Her confidence dropped, and she was left in a mess. Shanann and Leonard divorced in 2009. 

In 2010 Shanann was on Facebook when she got a friend request from Christopher Watts. She recalls, “What the heck? I’m never going to meet him. I have a ton of FB friends,” Chris continued to pursue Shanann to the point where she gave in. Chris and Shanann were married in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Nov 3rd, 2012, and by the following year, the couple was expecting their first child Bella. This was something that she had dreamed of for years. When Shanann was younger, she was diagnosed with Lupus and struggled hard with her illness. She stated that when she met Chris, she was at her lowest of lows, and he stuck by her accepting her for who she was. She couldn't imagine 3 short years later; they would welcome their first child into the world. Two years later, the co

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Intro

“Welcome to Murder By Nature, where we discuss True Crime, Mystery disappearances, and unsolved cases!. I’m Jazmin Hernandez, your host!


Thank them for listening and being a part of this community.

Before we jump into this case, I want to stress a few points. I have always been very hesitant to research this case due to my emotions towards this one. I have been a true crime fan since the lacey Peterson case, but this case and that one have always been super hard to discuss. Before jumping into the case, I want to stress that Shanann’s social media is still up, and when you go to Facebook and like or try and comment, it brings that post back up to her friends on the platform. Please remember her family is active on Facebook; they see those comments and likes with photos of her and the murderer. They have commented numerous times to people not to like, comment, or share as this is still something they are processing and would not like to see those in their feeds. With that, let's get started. 

References: 




Shanann Rzucek was born on Jan 10, 1984 in Passaic county New Jersey to Frank and Sandra Rzucek. Shanann was an older sister to her brother Frankie, and her family was extremely close. Shanann was trying to make a name for herself in this world. Her family did not come from money, and she knew she would have to fight tooth and nail to give herself the life she dreamed of. Shanann purchased land in CO and built her first home alone until she met Leonard King. The two were married and attempted to build a life with each other, but from Shanann’s side, she wasn't happy. Her confidence dropped, and she was left in a mess. Shanann and Leonard divorced in 2009. 



In 2010 Shanann was on Facebook when she got a friend request from Christopher Watts. She recalls, “What the heck? I’m never going to meet him. I have a ton of FB friends,” Chris continued to pursue Shanann to the point where she gave in. Chris and Shanann were married in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Nov 3rd, 2012, and by the following year, the couple was expecting their first child Bella. This was something that she had dreamed of for years. When Shanann was younger, she was diagnosed with Lupus and struggled hard with her illness. She stated that when she met Chris, she was at her lowest of lows, and he stuck by her accepting her for who she was. She couldn't imagine 3 short years later; they would welcome their first child into the world. Two years later, the couple welcomed their second daughter Celeste, {CeCe, on July 17, 2015. 


Quickly the family started to feel the struggles of raising children and trying to stay afloat. In June of 2015, the Watts family filed for bankruptcy. With a combined income of 90k in 2014, the family couldn't afford their lifestyle in addition to CC debt, Student Loans, and Medical bills. The couple stated that their monthly income and their mortgage it took up all of their money. 


In 2018 Shanann decided that she had come too far to let this be their life and started a new job with Le-Vel, a multi-level marketing Health supplement company that came with a greater income and paid trips.


As the family starts to feel like they can breathe again, Shanann surprises Chris with the news they are expecting. In a video from Shananns Facebook, she is wearing a shirt that says “Oops… we did it again” and surprises Chris with the news of their pregnancy. He reacts by saying, “That’s awesome.”


On June 17th, 2018, Shanann posted about Chris on Facebook with a Father’s Day post. She writes, “Chris, we are so incredibly blessed to have you; you do so much every day for us and take great care of us. You are the reason I was brave enough to agree to number 3! From Laundry to kids' showers! You are incredible, and we are so lucky to have you in our life! Happy Father’s Day!” 


As the family balanced Chris’ job as an operator at Anadarko Petroleum and Shan’ann’s frequent business travels for the nutrition supplement company, their lives centered around their daughters, as shown in Shan’ann’s frequent Facebook posts. From the outside, they appeared to be a happy suburban family, but Shan’ann’s friends had recently started hearing about trouble in paradise.


Chris began drastically distancing himself from Shanann shortly after she told him about her pregnancy. A baffled Shanann told friends repeatedly that he’d never behaved like this before. Partly as a cooling-off period, Shanann took the girls to visit their grandparents in North Carolina over the summer of 2018. Throughout the five-week visit, she noted that Chris rarely called to check in and wondered if his silence was due to her fighting with his parents. While Shanann was visiting family in North Carolina, she decided that she would visit with her in-laws. She did not get along with Chris’s family, and they didn't like her much either. During their short visit, it was said that Chris’s mom Cindy had ice cream in her freezer containing all the things CeCe was allergic to, and the witness stated that Shanann got upset and started arguing with Chris’s mom. Cindy demanded that she left, and after she did, she texted Chris to call his dad and explain how upset he was that they would do that to his daughter. Chris quickly texts her bad and states that he completely agrees and can't believe they did that. 


During the trip, Shanann doesn't understand why Chris is being so distant and sends him the following message. You okay? It's like you don't want to talk. I kept trying to talk and had to dig it out of you. Chris says I’m fine, baby. The last few days at work have put a lot of responsibility on me with new people. I didn't mean to seem short, boo. I love you to the moon and back. Shanann responded back to him that she missed him and felt like he wanted to just work out and run, which he stated was a way to clear his head, but she didn't buy his excuse. She messaged him I wish my husband wanted to talk to me. 


Shanann makes one final attempt to help her marriage and sends the following message “l realized during this trip what’s missing in our relationship!” “it's only one-way emotions and feelings. I can’t come back like this. I need you to meet me halfway. You don’t consider others, nor think about others' feelings.” Chris agrees with her and says he will work on it, and she won't come back like that. On July 31st, 2018, Chris flies to North Carolina to join his family on their final week of vacation. 


Despite being on a family vacation, Shanann texts a friend about trouble between the couple. She tells her friend that Chris hasn't touched her and won't even kiss her. She tells her friend that he has never been like this, and she has been silently crying the whole time. Even though there was a huge amount of trouble in paradise, Shanann still posted on social media as a perfect family. 


During their vacation, Shanann tries to have sex with her husband, who ultimately refuses. Shanann texts her friends that she thinks Chris is having an affair, and they reply that they felt this wasn't true. She tells them that he hasn't been like this except for one time when his parents didn't attend their wedding. She tells her friend, "He has changed. I don't know who he is," "He hasn't touched me all week, kissed me, talked to me except when I'm trying to figure out what is wrong. Addy, I have no idea what happened?" 


The family vacation ends, and they fly home to Colorado. 


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On August 8th, Shan’nann texts a friend. “He told me he doesn’t want this baby, and he’s happy with just Bella and Celeste; he thought he wanted another one. I'm so sick to my stomach. Tried to have sex with him last night just to see if that would help him, and he rejected me.” Shanann also told the same friend, “I don’t feel safe with him after what he said about the baby.” 


August 9, 2018: Shanann tells a friend that Chris went to her ultrasound but was cold to her, so she decided to cancel the baby's gender-reveal party. She couldn't believe the man he was becoming, and she had been crying so much her eyes burned. Later that evening, she texted another concerned friend, “Omg, much better. We talked. He told me he loved me back. Still cold, but not as cold. He even kissed me before going to sleep in the basement.” But her excitement was short-lived. That weekend, Shan’nann went on a business trip and left the girls with Chris. Her friend Nicole picked her up, and they headed to AZ. Shanann felt so much relief from her conversation with Chris that she wrote him a handwritten note and headed out. On that Saturday, Aug 11th, 2018, Chris arranged for a babysitter so he could attend a sports game and then go to dinner with some friends. 


Shanann knew that Chris was out and decided to check the bank account when she saw something that didn't make sense. Chris went to dinner at the Lazy dog cafe, but his bill was 60 dollars. Shanann and her friend Nicole looked up the menu and knew Chris was lying. Now let's back up to June. 


In June of 2018, Chris Watts started talking with Nichol Kessinger. Nichol is a coworker of Chris. Chris came by her office one day and stuck up a conversation. They hung out for the first time outside the office a month later. According to The Denver Post, Chris sees Kessinger about four or five times a week, and they started a physical relationship in early July. He tells her that he's almost divorced from his wife, but they are separated. Later that month, while Shan’ann and the girls are out of town in North Carolina, he tells Kessinger the divorce is final. Insider reports that Kessinger goes to Chris’ home for the first time on July 4. It is also reported on July 4th that Chris stayed the night at Nichol's house and woke up to several texts, calls, and facetime from Shanann. He tells Nichol he has to go because his wife will call again, and he has to be home. This makes Nichol furious and proves she will be the other woman always, and she doesn't want to see him. This is short-lived because Nichol ends up inviting him back over that same night. They also go on a date to the Shelby American Collection car museum on July 14 and spend the night at Great Sand Dunes National Park on July 28, all while his family is away. On July 30, he gives her a love note before joining his family on vacation. Now back to the night of Lazy Dog. It is shown that Instead of going out with his friends, he took Kessinger out to dinner, playing with his credit card instead of a gift card for the first time. But the charge didn’t escape Shan’nann’s notice.


Friends stated that Shanann was devastated knowing Chris was lying and just wanted to get home.


Still, no one could have ever guessed the chillingly brutal murders about to end their happily ever after.


The Disappearance

In the wee hours of the morning of Aug 13th 2018, around 2 AM, Shanann returned home after her friend Nicole Atkinson had dropped her off. Nicole watched as Shanann entered the house and then drove off. 


August 13, 2018, 1:40 p.m.: Nicole Atkinson becomes worried when she doesn't hear from Shan’ann. “I called her and texted her several times,” she says. “I knew she had a doctor's appointment that morning because she’s pregnant. I was even more concerned that she didn’t show up for it.” 


Nicole calls the police to do a welfare check on Shanann and the kids. She tells the Police that Shanann was not feeling very well during their trip and was scared that Shanann might be hurt.  Nickole and her son, Nicolas Atkinson, went to the Watt's residence and observed Shanann’s car in the garage. The vehicle still had child seats inside of it. Nickole had called Shanann’s husband, Christopher Watts, and requested he come home and check on Shanann. Nickole stated Shanann was diabetic but was not known to have seizures or to ever blackout. When the police arrived, they checked the front door, and Nickole entered the password, and it opened. The door had a safety latch which prevented it from opening more than a few inches. They announced they were from the Police Department and heard no noises from Shanann or her children, Celeste Watts and Bella Marie Watts. They did not see anything through the windows that were out of the ordinary. They checked all windows and the rear slider door. All were locked, and the sliding glass door had a lock bar. Nickole kept saying Christopher was not coming. She had called him several times, and he kept giving her different arrival times, and she needed the officer to contact him to make it serious. The officer contacted Chris by phone and asked for the garage door code. Christ stated it did not work from the outside and that he was about five minutes away at that time. When Chris arrived, he opened the garage door and went inside the garage to check for Shanann and the two children. Chris gave consent to check the entire home. The officer, Chris, and Nicole went through the house looking for the girls. While on the landing, Nicole and the officers checked the rooms for any signs of the girls. During this time, Chris approached the officer holding Shanann's wedding ring and stated he found it on the nightstand. When Nickole asked where Shanann's phone was, Christopher went to the couch upstairs and found it between the cushions. The phone was off, and he made a comment that when that comes on, it will be blowing up with messages. Chris did not know the password to Shanann's phone, but Nickole knew it and turned it on. Chris gave consent to the officers to look at her phone to see if there were any leads on where Shanann and the girls might of went too. But no calls were made that morning. Chris stated Shanann arrived home from a trip around 2 AM and was asleep at the time. He woke up around 5 AM to get ready for work, and they began talking about them separating. Chris stated it was a civil conversation, and they were not arguing. They were emotional, though. Christopher stated they had been talking about separating for a few weeks. Christopher stated about 5:28 AM; he backed his truck up to the garage to load up tools and left. Chris stated he had tools stolen in the past, and now he unloads his truck on Fridays. Chris told police that Shanann was in bed at that time but told him she was going to a friend’s house today with their two children. He stated he did not tell Shannan which friend's house she would go to. Chris told police that he went to a job site at an oil well past Hudson, Colorado, to check on it. He was there alone for a few hours, as he was an operator for Anadarko. While the police were questioning Chris, Shanann's mother called and was adamant that Chris had done something and that they needed to check the GPS on his truck. Christopher's work truck has GPS on it. The police noted that the master bed had removed the comforter, sheets, and pillows. The fitted sheet was next to the comforter on the floor, and the pillows were on the other side of the bed, but they didn't notice that the top sheet was anywhere in the room, which was odd to them as the house was weirdly clean. Nickole told the police that Shanann works from home, and it is extremely unusual for her to leave without her phone. She does direct sales and doesn’t go anywhere without it.


Nathaniel Trinastich, the neighbor to the east, tells Nicole and police that he has a home Surveillance that points right to his driveway, and you can see the Watts driveway. At 5:30 AM, you can see Chris's truck backing into the driveway, and it leaves a short time later. Nathaniel and Nickole both stated they had never seen him back into the driveway before. Unfortunately, the video shows no other vehicles coming or going. The garage door of the residence was checked. It did not open from the outside but did open and close from within. While reviewing the footage, you can tell that Chris is extremely uncomfortable and has a panic attack. He puts his hands on his head to slow down his heart rate. 


When police checked Shanann’s phone, It had an alert that stated the garage door was opened at 12:42 pm. Chris showed me the police his phone, which also showed alarm times when the doors were opened, and it showed an alarm about the time when he had left the open garage door. The police noticed that Chris's demeanor was nonchalant. He asked once if he should go look for his family, and the police had to remind him that her car was at the residence and they needed him there for now. He did not ask again about looking, and he did not seem overly concerned. Nickole and Nathaniel said they both felt Chris was extremely nervous. Nathaniel told the police that he had heard Chris yelling loudly at Shanann recently more and more. The police canvassed the neighborhood, but No one contacted observed any vehicles coming or going or anything unusual. They left business cards on a few residences with video surveillance and requested copies if anything was observed.


On Aug 14th, 2018, Chris talks with new reporters and pleads for their return: “Shan’ann, Bella, Celeste, if you’re out there, just come back, like if somebody has her, just please bring her back, I need to see everybody, I need to see everybody, again, this house is not complete without anybody here. Please bring them back.”




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Jazmin Hernandez

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