Case File 1

Welcome, Investigator.

This file contains sensitive information about a case shrouded in mystery and unanswered questions. As you click through each page, you'll uncover the intricate details of the victim's life, their family background, and the tangled web of relationships that may hold the key to solving this case.

A Friend Request
Leads to Love

Shanann Watts was facing health problems in 2010 when she met Chris. "I was in a really, really, really bad place, and I got a friend request from Chris on Facebook," she said in an online video about four months before her death. "I was like, 'Oh what the heck, I'm never going to meet him.' Well, one thing led to another, and eight years later, we have two kids, we live in Colorado, and he's the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Their Family Grows

After the couple moved to Colorado, they started a family. B.W. was born in December 2013. "[Shanann] was so excited to have her first baby girl," her family wrote in her obituary. "How she loved and cherished her!" Less than two years later, in July 2015, C.W. was born. "Oh, how [Shanann] was so excited to be able to have another child because of her battle with Lupus," her family wrote. "Every moment with her was a blessing." In 2018, Shanann became pregnant again with a baby boy.

Marital Problems

By all outward appearances, the couple's marriage was strong. However, in the summer of 2018, Shanann noticed that things had changed. "He has changed. I don't know who he is," she texted a friend on Aug. 7. "He hasn't touched me all week, kissed me, talked to me except for when I'm trying to figure out what is wrong. We've never had a problem in our relationship like this. I just want to cry."

Watts' Secret Double
Life is Discovered

Authorities soon learned that Chris was having an affair with Nichol Kessinger, who worked at his company. After she learned about the murders, Nichol Kessinger cooperated with the police. Before coming forward, Nichol Kessinger appeared to worry about the public shaming that she might face. "Did people hate Amber Frey?" she typed into an internet search, invoking the name of the woman who was having an affair with infamous killer Scott Peterson, who murdered his wife, Laci, and their unborn child in 2002. Nichol Kessinger told authorities that she believed that Watts was going through an amicable divorce.