Five chilling details Netflix didn't show in controversial Chris Watts documentary

There are five important details Netflix left out of its chilling documentary about Chris Watts.

On August 13, 2018, Watts, 35, strangled his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, to death and then killed his two daughters, Bella, four, and Celeste, three.

Initially, the father-of-three portrayed himself as a desperate husband searching for his missing family.

"Shanann, Bella, Celeste, if you’re out there, just come back," he said on August 14 in an interview with Denver7. "If somebody has her, just bring her back. I need to see everybody."

But just one day later, Watts was arrested and eventually confessed to the killings. He pleaded guilty to nine charges, including murder and the unlawful termination of a pregnancy. He is currently serving a life sentence without parole in Wisconsin.

Watts is currently serving five life sentences. Credit: Colorado Department of Public Safety

In 2020, the streaming service released American Murder: The Family Next Door, a documentary based on the horrific case.

It covered the heinous crimes of the family annihilator, but there are five things the documentary missed...

1. Shanann's relationship with Watts’ parents was falling apart

In the months leading up to her murder, Shannan was deeply estranged from Watts’ family. She believed his mother, Cindy Watts, endangered their daughter, Celeste, by serving her ice cream with peanut chips - despite her severe nut allergy, Daily Mail reported.

“You should call your dad and tell him you did not appreciate your mom putting your daughter at risk today,” she told her husband in a furious message. “She’s evil and willing to risk your daughter’s life just to get under my skin.”

Tensions escalated to the point where Watts’ parents blocked Shanann on Facebook and skipped Celeste’s birthday party entirely. They hadn’t even attended their son's wedding.

2. Nichol Kessinger’s obsession with marriage

While the documentary confirmed Watts was having an affair with coworker Nichol Kessinger, it didn’t reveal just how intense that relationship had become.

On August 4, 2018, just nine days before the murders, Kessinger searched Google for over two hours, looking at wedding dresses. She also browsed topics related to “marrying your mistress,” per Business Insider.

After discovering Watts had lied to her, Kessinger later filed to change her name in Jefferson County, Colorado.

3. Watts had other alleged affairs before the murders

Beyond Kessinger, documents suggest Watts was involved with several people. Amanda McMahon claimed she had a one-night stand with Watts in March 2018 after meeting him on Tinder. “It got really fast and aggressive,” she said of the encounter.

She told the police that she had to physically fight Watts off of her after he turned violent, putting his hands around her throat and trying to initiate anal sex despite her reluctance. He also revealed details of his "rape fantasy" to her in extreme detail.

A male escort named Trent Bolte also alleged a 10-month affair with Watts in 2018. Bolte’s mother supported the claim, stating her son “was seeing” him long before the "horrible crime" took place, per The Mirror.

Authorities, however, questioned Bolte’s account, and Watts denied any involvement. “I’ve never been with a guy,” he told investigators.

4. Watts had a prison visitor who came more than 30 times

Even after his conviction, Watts reportedly had a steady prison visitor. According to an “Inmate Visitation History” document dated January 6, 2020, a woman named Anna Nowak was approved to see Watts and made 31 visits between March and December 2019.

She visited almost weekly and was once turned away after exceeding the maximum visits for a single day.

5. Shanann was still trying to save their marriage

Despite the crumbling relationship, Shanann had not given up on her husband. She was actively planning a romantic getaway for the two of them just before her death.

Shanann Watts, 34, her daughters Bella, 4, Celeste, 3, and unborn son Nico are at their final resting place at Bethesda Cemetery. Credit: RJ Sangosti / Getty

Per the Daily Mail, she searched for travel deals on Groupon and had arranged childcare for Bella and Celeste. The documentary hinted at cracks in their marriage, but did not fully explore Shanann’s efforts to heal the relationship.

Legal analyst Joey Jackson summed up the deep disconnect between appearances and reality on an episode of Dr. Oz: “What’s shocking most to me is the disconnect between the appearance and the reality."

“You look at a family so in love... and to think about how you can portray that in such a vile way is just totally remarkable,” he said. “It reminds us that notwithstanding what you might see on social media... perhaps there’s something amiss."

While American Murder stunned millions, the full story of Watts is even darker and more complex than the screen revealed.

Featured image credit: RJ Sangosti / Getty