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Murder Suspect Chris Watts Denied Bail, Prosecutors Believe Wife, Daughters Murdered In Home

By Dillon Thomas

WELD COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- Shackled and cuffed, Chris Watts was escorted to his first court appearance in Greeley on Thursday afternoon. Watts, wearing an orange jumpsuit to court, was identified as the sole suspect in a triple homicide investigation, involving his pregnant wife and two young daughters.

Frederick Police, the FBI, and CBI joined other agencies in the three-day search for Shanann Watts, and her daughters Bella and Celeste.

Shanann Watts
(credit: CBS)

Chris Watts reported them as missing after suggesting they went to visit a friend and never returned.

chris watts in court
Chris Watts (credit: CBS)

Wednesday night, Chris was arrested on suspicion of three counts of murder, and three counts of tampering with deceased bodies.

Sources told CBS4 Watts admitted to murdering his family, though law enforcement would not confirm nor deny those allegations.

christopher watts
Chris Watts (credit: Weld County)

"We just can't get in to any comments that may or may not have been made by an individual," said John Camper, director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

"The suspect at this point is presumed innocent," said Michael Rourke, Weld County District Attorney.

chris watts
Chris Watts (credit: CBS)

Shortly after his arrest, law enforcement located Shanann's body. Law enforcement officials said they located her body on Anadarko property. Chris Watts was an employee with the oil and gas company. Once word of his arrest was released, Anadarko issued a statement saying they were working with law enforcement and Watts was no longer an employee as of Wednesday, Aug. 15.

watts home 1
(credit: CBS)

The bodies of the two young girls were located in close proximity to their mother's.

"(The) recovery processes are in process with that," Camper said.

Law enforcement officials said they still had more interviews to complete, and asked the public to come forward if they had any information.

frederick family (all pics from Shanann Watts Facebook
(credit: Facebook/Shanann Watts)

Prosecution believes Watts murdered his family in their home.

Watts is scheduled to appear in Weld County District Court on Tuesday at 10 a.m.

There is a fundraiser for the family on Facebook so Shanann's family can give her and her two girls a proper burial.

Dillon Thomas is a reporter at CBS4 and a Colorado native. He believes everyone has a story, and would love to share yours! You can find more of his stories by following him on Twitter, @DillonMThomas.

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