The friend's call that sent police to the Watts home — and the phone left behind

On the morning of August 13, 2018, in Frederick, Colorado, Shanann Watts, 15 weeks pregnant, was supposed to be at a doctor's appointment.

She never showed up.

Her close friend, who had grown concerned, drove to the Watts family home and found the minivan still in the driveway, the car seats inside.

The friend called police.

Officers entered the house and found Shanann's purse and her phone — but no Shanann, no 4-year-old Bella, no 3-year-old Celeste.

THE FRIEND'S CALL

That phone call set in motion a missing-persons investigation that would, within days, become a murder case.

The friend later told officers that Shanann had seemed normal the night before, excited about her pregnancy.

But the phone left behind — along with the purse and, investigators noted, her wedding ring — did not fit the story Shanann's husband told.

Christopher Watts, a 33-year-old oil field worker, said Shanann had left the house in a hurry.

Not with her phone. Not with her purse. Not with her ring.

He appeared on local news, pleading for their safe return.

THE INCONSISTENCIES

Investigators found inconsistencies in Watts's account of that morning.

He failed a polygraph test.