I have fallen down the Chris Watts family annihilator rabbit hole. Over the last week, I’ve read books, watched documentaries, read articles, listened to various podcasts and over the past three days I read the discovery file. All 1960 pages of it.

Obviously, we (the public) will never truly know what happened, why it happened, how it happened, etc. but reading the discovery file… which is every report, every interview, transcripts of texts/messages, copies of pretty much every piece of evidence involved in this case, was heartbreaking.

As I was reading posts regarding Watts, and whether he actually committed the murder, and if he did, did he act alone; I have read several discussions (that got pretty intense) where people have speculated and made assumptions all across the board.

He admitted to killing his pregnant wife, Shanann, and daughters, Bella and Celeste. He admitted it. He gave several different versions of his confession, but all of the evidence literally points to Watts as the killer. He brutally murdered his beautiful family, and cruelly disposed of them. There isn’t anything to debate here, in my opinion. The man is a monster, and he is where he should be… in prison for the rest of his life, without the possibility of parole.

I am not completely convinced that he acted alone, however. I believe 100% that he and he alone, murdered and disposed of Shanann, Bella and Celeste. But after reading the things I’ve read, and finding out from Watts himself, via “Letters from Christopher, that he drugged Shanann (once in NC to attempt to induce a miscarriage) and having the question “where did you get the 80 mg oxycodone?” And his answer being, “that will be something I take to my grave.”, definitely leads me to think perhaps his girlfriend provided the oxy. In the discovery file, there are so many questionable Google searches that the girlfriend did, and then deleted, that just leads me to think maybe she was more involved than either (Watts or his gf) claimed.

My heart absolutely breaks for the Rzucek family. They have not only lost a daughter and sister, and their grandchildren in one of the most devastating ways possible… but this poor family is being subjected to harassment, bullying, slanderous statements (written and verbal), insensitive and inappropriate videos on YouTube, etc., on top of attempting to heal. How we can be so disgustingly cruel to a grieving family is beyond me. The Rzucek family is attempting to create Shanann’s Law (I am still researching) and I think that is very brave, in the light of all they are dealing with.

There is a documentary on Netflix, American Murder: The Family Next Door, that was done in collaboration with the Rzucek family. The family was consulted and involved in every aspect, so they were able to ensure Shanann got to tell her story.

This case is ugly. It’s heavy, it’s so sad… and it didn’t have to happen. Watts literally could have filed for divorce. He could have just walked away. He could have ended his affair with his girlfriend, and actually tried rebuilding his marriage with Shanann. But instead, he chose to kill his pregnant wife, Shanann, and their two beautiful daughters, Bella and Celeste. Instead, he chose to completely destroy two families.

If you are like me, and have fallen down the rabbit hole with this case; all I ask is that you are kind. Kind towards both families (Rzucek and Watts), to all of Shanann’s friends, and to each other as you discuss and debate your opinions.

To wrap this tragic post, I will say: Nickole Atkinson is a damn hero. She is the friend we all deserve, and the friend we should all strive to be. Be an advocate for your loved ones. Be adamant. Be pushy. Be loud.