The Watts Family Murders (Part 1)

The Watts Family Murders (Part 1)

From Morbid by Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart

May 7, 2026 · 1h 51m · Episode 783

About this episode

The episode discusses the disappearance of Shanann Watts and the subsequent investigation into her and her children's whereabouts.

When thirty-four-year-old Shanann Watts missed a doctor’s appointment on August 13, 2018, her friends reported her missing to the Frederick, Colorado Police. When officers searched the home, they found Shanann’s car parked in the garage and her belongings—including her wallet, cell phone, and medication—were found in various spots around the house, but there was no sign of Shanann or the couple’s two children anywhere. The next day, the FBI opened an investigation into the disappearance of Shanann, Bella and Celeste and Chris took to local television to give one of the most infamous and suspicious interviews of all time. He asked anyone with information about their whereabouts to come forward. The very next day however, Chris failed a polygraph exam and eventually confessed to murdering his wife, but he initially denied killing their children.

People in this episode

Hosts: Ash Kelley, Alaina Urquhart

Topics covered

  • Watts family murders
  • true crime
  • missing persons
  • investigation
  • confession

Keywords

  • Watts family
  • Shanann Watts
  • Chris Watts
  • missing persons
  • true crime
  • FBI investigation
  • confession

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FBI

Places: Frederick, Colorado

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