After she was allegedly killed by husband Chris Watts, Colorado mom Shanann Watts was buried in a "shallow grave" on property belonging to Chris' employer Pregnant Mom Was Slain After Work Trip — Then Allegedly Buried in 'Shallow Grave' by Husband After she was allegedly murdered last week by her husband, Chris Watts, Colorado mom Shanann Watts was buried in a “shallow grave” on property belonging to Chris’ then-employer, according to multiple news outlets. Citing court documents filed by prosecutors, ABC News, the Denver Post and local TV station KUSA report that Shanann’s remains were “recovered from a shallow grave near an oil tank.” Get push notifications with news, features and more. Authorities previously announced that Shanann, then 15 weeks pregnant, had been found dead on Thursday on the property of Anadarko Petroleum, where Chris reportedly worked as an operator until being fired on Wednesday — the same day as his arrest. The bodies of the Watts’ young daughters, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste, were also found on Thursday not far from Shannan, according to investigators. Causes of death have not been released, though a motion filed by Chris’ attorney raised the possibility — in requesting that DNA evidence be recovered from their necks — that at least Bella and Celeste were strangled. The prosecutor’s filing revealing Shanann’s burial location was in response to defense motions. It showed that the girls’ bodies had been concealed “inside oil tanks near” Shanann’s grave. According to KUSA, the defense stated in a previous motion that Bella and Celeste had been in oil for four days — essentially the length of time that they and their mom were missing. The disappearances were reported Monday afternoon some 12 hours after Shanann returned home, to Frederick, from a business trip. RELATED VIDEO: Pregnant Mom & 2 Daughters Likely Killed at Home — Allegedly by Husband — Before Bodies Were Dumped shannan-watts-1 Shanann Watts’ daughters | Credit: Frederick Police Chris was arrested Wednesday night and remains in custody, accused of first-degree murder and tampering with a body in all three deaths. He will return to court this week to face formal charges. His attorney did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. One of the defense’s motion, requesting DNA be gathered from around the girls’ necks, was denied on Friday with the judge explaining that he would not dictate work for the medical examiner, according to The Coloradoan. Autopsies were conducted Friday on Shanann and her daughters, the paper reports. A motive has not been confirmed. “They were the couple that you’d look at and then turn to your husband and be like, ‘Why aren’t we like that?’ ” friend Kris Landon tells PEOPLE. “They seemed so supportive of each other, it was their public face. I had no idea what was going on behind closed doors, and I don’t think many people did.”<doc-sep>These two little girls are my world! I love them so much, even when they drive me crazy! Tomorrow is the last day Celeste is in 2yr old PreSchool and Bella is in PreK 1. Growing up so fast. A post shared by Thrive Healthy Fit Mom (@shanannwatts) on May 24, 2018 at 8:06am PDT<doc-sep>Shanann Watts, 34, and her two children Bella, 3, and Celeste ìCeceî, 4, have been missing since Monday from Frederick, CO, according to Frederick Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Ian Albert. Police checked on the residence of Watts after a friend called and requested a welfare check for the 15-week pregnant mom. At this time police are not releasing additional information about the incident, but believe the public is not at risk, Sgt. Albert said. Police are asking the public to call if they have any tips that could lead to the whereabouts of Watts. Court docs say victims may have been strangled Christopher Watts is escorted into the courtroom before his bond hearing at the Weld County Courthouse on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018, in Greeley, Colo. Watts, of Colorado, whose wife and daughters disappeared this week was arrested on suspicion of killing them. (Joshua Polson/The Greeley Tribune via AP, Pool) (CNN) — A murder suspect told police in Colorado he strangled his pregnant wife in a rage after he saw her on a baby monitor strangling the couple’s 3-year-old daughter, Celeste, according to court documents. Chris Watts said the couple’s other daughter, Bella, 4, was already “sprawled out” on the bed and blue in the couple’s bedroom, according to an arrest affidavit from Frederick police. Watts confessed to burying his wife, Shanann Watts, 34, near two oil tanks and dumping his daughters’ bodies in the tanks, according to the affidavit. But prosecutors paint a different picture of the killing. Watts was charged Monday with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his wife and young daughters. Two additional first-degree murder charges accuse him of causing the death of a child younger than 12. The 33-year-old father also faces three counts of tampering with a body, and a count of first-degree unlawful termination of a pregnancy, said Weld County District Attorney Michael J. Rourke, who did not reveal a motive. Watts, who was arrested last week, is being held without bond, with his next court appearance scheduled for Tuesday morning. Defendant previously denied affair with co-worker, investigators say Investigators said they learned Watts was “actively involved” in an affair with a co-worker. He had previously denied it in interviews, according to the affidavit. Early on the morning of August 13, Watts said he told his wife he wanted to separate, and then the killings took place, court papers said. Before Watts’ confession, authorities used a drone that spotted a bedsheet in a field near the oil tanks, the affidavit said. “The sheet matched the pattern of several pillowcases and a top sheet recovered from a kitchen trash can from [Watts’] residence early that day,” the affidavit said. In an emotional address Monday, Shanann’s father, Frank Rzucek Sr., thanked authorities for finding the bodies of his family members. He said the family appreciated those who attended a candlelight vigil and expressed support. “Keep the prayers coming for our family,” he said, holding back tears. KDVR/Weld County Sheriff Chris Watts Prosecutors: Pregnant wife was buried in a ‘shallow grave’ Shanann, Bella and Celeste were reported missing August 13 from their home in Frederick, a town of about 8,600 people 30 miles north of Denver. The location where their bodies were found on August 15 was the site of a petroleum and natural gas company where Chris Watts had worked, authorities said. Watts was terminated from Anadarko Petroleum on August 15, company communications manager Jennifer Brice said. A court filing by prosecutors says Shanann Watts’ body was “recovered from a shallow grave near an oil tank,” and that “law enforcement recovered the bodies of defendant’s two daughters from inside oil tanks located near the grave of their mother.” The girls’ bodies were in an “oil well filled with crude oil for several days,” Chris Watts’ attorneys indicated in a court filing. Autopsy results have not been released, but documents filed last week in Watts’ arrest revealed some of the victims may have been strangled, along with other details. On Monday, a judge denied several defense motions, including a request to require pathologists to swab the little girls’ necks, throats and hands for DNA. Watts’ attorneys have not publicly commented on the case. Friend recalls last time she saw Shanann In a Monday interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” friend Nicole Atkinson said she dropped Shanann off at home about 2 a.m. August 13 after they finished a business trip. “She went inside, turned around and waved at me and shut the door,” Atkinson said. Shanann didn’t return calls later that day and missed a medical appointment at which she was expected to hear her unborn child’s heartbeat, Atkinson said. Shanann was 15 weeks pregnant. Atkinson said she contacted Chris Watts, but he didn’t seem as worried as she thought he should be. Atkinson said she then contacted police. In an interview with a local news station on August 14 – after his family disappeared but before his arrest – Chris Watts also said his wife got home around 2 a.m. “We had an emotional conversation, I’ll leave it at that,” Watts told a reporter who asked whether they’d argued. “I just want them back. I just want them to come back.” Watts said he left for work about 5:15 a.m. that day and wasn’t concerned when his wife didn’t respond to his texts and phone calls since she’d just returned from being out of town. But he grew worried, he said, when one of her friends contacted him around noon and said she wasn’t responding to messages. “I walked in the house and – nothing,” Chris Watts told KMGH. “She wasn’t here. The kids weren’t here.” Court papers showed the couple also faced financial problems in recent years and filed for bankruptcy in 2015. Their homeowners association, Wyndham Hill Master Association, recently sued the couple, saying they owed $1,533.80, according to a civil suit obtained by CNN. CNN’s Kaylee Hartung and Konstantin Toropin reported from Greeley, Colorado. Ralph Ellis and Darran Simon wrote in Atlanta. Faith Karimi, Joe Sterling Sheena Jones and Dave Alsup contributed to this report from Atlanta.<doc-sep>
FREDERICK, Colo. -- Authorities say bodies believed to be a pregnant woman and her two young children were found on the property of one of Colorado's largest oil and gas drillers where her husband used to work. John Camper, director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, told reporters Thursday that investigators found Shanann Watts' body and were trying to recover what they believe are the bodies of 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste from Anadarko Petroleum Corp. property. VIDEO: Chris Watts, accused of murdering his pregnant wife and two young daughters, appears in Weld County Court. His next appearance was set for Tuesday 10:00am@CBSDenver @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/tuH3WvkQvl — Dillon Thomas (@DillonMThomas) August 16, 2018 Shanann Watts' husband, Chris Watts, was arrested Wednesday in connection to the case. He is facing three charges each of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, CBS Denver reported. "This is absolutely the worst possible outcome that any of us could imagine, and I think our hearts are broken for the town of Frederick as much as anybody," Camper said. Prosecutors said at a hearing Thursday that they believe the three were killed inside the family's home, reports the Denver Channel. Chris Watts appeared in Weld County Court handcuffed and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit. His next appearance was set for Tuesday at 10 a.m., CBS Denver's Dillon Thomas reports via Twitter. He was ordered held without bond. Chris Watts' paystubs show he was working for Anadarko in 2015. Company spokeswoman Jennifer Brice said he's no longer employed there. She declined to provide any other information, citing the active investigation, and said the company is heartbroken and supporting investigators. Shanann Watts and her two daughters were reported missing since Monday. CBS Denver CBS Denver reported that Chris Watts confessed to killing 34-year-old Shanann Watts, who was 15 weeks pregnant, and the two girls. Shanann Watts' family was also told that Chris Watts agreed to bring officers to the bodies, according to the station. CBS News hasn't independently confirmed that Chris Watts admitted to police that he killed Shanann, Bella and Celeste. Shanann Watts' family released a statement to CBS Denver: "It is with deep hurt, confusion and anger to confirm our beautiful cousin Shanann Watts, her unborn child, and her two angelic daughters, Bella and Celeste, were viciously murdered by husband Chris Watts; who confessed to the killings. Please keep Shanann's parents and brother in your prayers." Chris Watts mugshot CBS Denver Court documents are sealed in the case at least until Monday. So far, police haven't revealed what the motive might have been for the murders, CBS Denver reported. They also haven't said how the woman and the children were killed. Chris Watts told "Today" Wednesday morning he was living a "nightmare." He said the last time he saw his family was early Monday morning before leaving for work. "I just want them back," he said. "I just want them to come back." The Colorado Bureau of Investigation and FBI assisted local authorities in the investigation. CBS Denver reported that investigators were seen removing items from the family's home. A truck was also taken. Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said the case has been referred to his office for determination on filing of formal charges. A family friend of Shanann Watts told The Associated Press she had just visited her hometown in North Carolina and seemed happy. Her parents' next-door neighbor, Joe Beach, said he had seen Shanann Watts when she visited the neighborhood of modest homes in Aberdeen for three weeks. He thought she went back to Colorado within the last week. Beach said he talked to her a couple of times about her daughters and life in Colorado. He said "she didn't give me an indication that there was anything wrong. She seemed pretty happy." He said he knew her parents well and had known Shanann since she was a teenager. Beach said she was a nice person with two lovely children, both of whom he had seen on the recent visit. He said he hasn't spoken to her parents since the tragedy, but a neighbor told him they flew to Colorado.