In August 2018, Chris Watts appeared on television pleading for the return of his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and their two young daughters, who had disappeared in Colorado, United States. In front of the cameras, he asked for help finding them and claimed not to know what had happened.
However, the police investigation began to reveal contradictions in his account. Officers discovered that he was having an extramarital affair and that he had lied during interrogations. In addition, he failed to pass a polygraph test, which increased suspicions against him.
Days later, Watts confessed to the murder of his entire family. He admitted to killing his wife and then his daughters, hiding the bodies in an oil field where he worked. The crime shocked the world, and he was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The case became one of the most shocking family crimes of recent years, especially because of the public image Watts tried to project while actively participating in the search for his missing family.