US3 min(s) read
Published 16:23 22 Jun 2026 GMT
New allegations have emerged suggesting that convicted family killer Chris Watts may have been involved with more than one woman before the murders of his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and their two daughters in 2018.
When Shanann Watts, who was pregnant with the couple's third child, and daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, three, disappeared from their Colorado home in August 2018, Chris Watts initially portrayed himself as a worried husband and father desperate for answers.
Investigators later discovered he had murdered all three. Watts eventually admitted to the killings and later indicated that his affair with Nichol Kessinger played a role in his desire to start over.
In a letter written from prison, he said: "I knew if I took my hands off of her, she would still keep me from Nikki." He also wrote: "They asked me why she couldn't fight back, it's because she couldn't fight back."
For years, Kessinger was believed to be the only woman Watts was involved with outside his marriage. However, newly highlighted information suggests there may have been others.
According to reports, a woman named Amanda McMahon told detectives that she met Watts through Tinder in either February or March 2018, several months before the murders.
McMahon claimed Watts told her he had separated from Shanann when they met in a restaurant parking lot before heading back to her home together.
She later described the encounter as deeply uncomfortable, alleging that Watts became unusually aggressive during sex.
In police interview footage, McMahon reportedly said: "He just followed me to my place." She also claimed Watts was extremely "rough" and "aggressive," alleging that he pulled her hair, put his hands around her neck and acted out what she described as a "rape fantasy".
According to her account, the situation became so intense that she had to physically push him away.
McMahon told investigators she was "99 per cent certain" the man she met was Chris Watts and was reportedly able to accurately describe his tattoos and workplace.
However, she acknowledged she could not identify him with enough certainty to testify in court. Watts later denied ever meeting her and maintained that Kessinger was his only affair.
Investigators also reportedly uncovered evidence suggesting the possibility of another woman.
Emails sent from an anonymous account referred to a woman named Heidi, who allegedly had an on-and-off relationship with "a guy named Chris" who was married with two children.
The anonymous source claimed the pair communicated through a secret messaging application disguised as a calculator. According to the email, entering a code would transform the app into a hidden messaging platform.
The tipster wrote: "She may by now have erased any messages," adding: "But if you have his phone I'd check for that app."
While no affair involving Heidi was ever confirmed, investigators reportedly found a calculator-style app on Watts' phone that concealed intimate content.
The murders and subsequent investigation were later explored in the 2020 Netflix documentary, American Murder: The Family Next Door, which detailed the events leading up to one of America's most shocking family murder cases.
