Is Chris Watts’s former house haunted by his wife and children?
If you caught the Netflix documentary American Murder: the Family Next Door, now you caught a bunch of disturbing, frightening footage. A seemingly normal American dad killing his wife and kids will send chills down anyone’s spine. While the facts themselves are gruesome enough, a Youtuber claims there’s some supernatural creepiness at play, too.
American Murder: The Family Next Door covers the gruesome Watts murders. In the early hours of August 13, Chris Watts strangled his wife Shanann Watts in their home, and then murdered their two daughters. He’s currently serving life in prison without parole.
Chris Watts’s wife was fifteen weeks pregnant with their unborn son, Nico. Chris Watts drove Shanann’s body, and his two daughters, Bella & Celeste to an oil site, where he strangled his children. He dumped the bodies and pretended they were missing, lying to authorities before being caught.
In American Murder: The Family Next Door, dashcam footage, social media videos, and security camera footage are exclusively used to weave the narrative of the Chris Watts murders. In dashcam footage from Frederick Police’s first welfare check after Shannan Watts went missing, one attentive viewer thought he saw a ghost.
The ghost in the bedroom
Arthur Cant, the YouTuber who posted this clip, captioned it: “This is from the Netlflix series American Murder: The family Next door. This is captured directly from Netflix around the 6:57 mark into the film.” Although Cant has four subscribers, the video garnered over 22,000 views and a lot of buzz in the comments section.
The dashcam footage captures Chris Watts & his neighbors exploring the house, looking for clues about Shanann Watts’s disappearance. After Chris Watts finds his wife’s phone upstairs, the documentary adds pop ups of texts to Shanann, wondering about her whereabouts. After that, the camera pans to a little girl’s room, either Bella’s or Celeste’s.
In this clip you can see in the left corner you can clearly see a little girl,” Cant wrote in his caption. “You can start seeing stuff around the 0:33 mark.” It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. In fact, we had to pause the video twice to even see what Cant was talking about. In the room, you can barely see a child playing by a dresser through the doorway.
Is it really a ghost?
While many were quick to say the little girl playing the room was the ghost of either Bella or Celeste, others pointed out facts. Nickole Atkinson, Shanann’s friend who reported her missing, was there with her son & small daughter in tow. Atkinson’s daughter was the same age as the Watts girls. Although she isn’t on the dashcam footage, she was in the house when the welfare check was conducted.
Since it’s the internet, people in the comments section weren’t going to let that fact slide. “Isn’t that the (very living) daughter of the neighbor woman talking with the cop?” one commenter asked. “Those are not ghosts. His daughters didn’t have long hair like the “ghost” in the video,” another noted.
Other commenters pointed out the “ghost” had different hair than Bella & Celeste Watts – the little girl’s hair was much darker.
Or was it?
Although most of the comments were skeptical, one commenter claimed that Atkinson’s daughter wasn’t at the welfare check, only her son was. “There’s also footage from 2 women police officers with a dog in a closet in which the officers clearly heard a little girl’s giggle. One of the officers said “oh my gosh, what was that?”
In this video, a K9 unit sniffs through Shanann Watts’s closet to try and pick up her scent. Ten second in, one of the officers hears a giggle. She asks her partner to stand in the closet and see where the sound came from about twenty seconds into the video.
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Do you believe Shanann Watts & her children still haunt her house? Due to the gruesome events, no one has bought it, so the house in Frederick, CO, remains empty – unless there are ghosts. Let us know if you think the Watts house is haunted in the comments!
Amy
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I believe it could be haunted. He killed them so horrible and fast that those spirits would go back to wear they happyest.
October 12, 2020Jeannette Corona
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There’s a figure in the mirror. Something moving there and then it disappears
October 12, 2020A
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Plot twist: shannan was the only one killed in the house. What if her ghost turned back into a little girl
October 13, 2020Christina E
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When the video pans to the hallway a white door opens as well
October 14, 2020Alisa
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Does anyone else notice the light that shut off on its own????? I’ve been searching the internet and I can’t find one person who noticed it as well. Does anyone see what I’m talking about when Shannon’s best friends son was standing near their bedroom door you can see the light is on then shuts off on its own!
October 16, 2020jbw3811
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same!!!! i kept waiting for a cop to walk out but nothing!!
October 20, 2020Roberta
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I did see the light go off look like a closet., I also saw shanann in the mirror, I believe there’s a dark spirit in there. Could have something to do with why he murdered his kids & wife. Don’t get me wrong he’s guilty as hell but he’s weak and mean-spirited thrive on weak people
October 30, 2020I’d like to see Ghost Adventures or some team go in there put it on TV.
NotIdentified
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Thank you! Yes, I couldn’t NOT notice it! My only thought is that if they were set up with door bell cams and such, they may have had indoor lights installed with sensors that automatically turn off after a period of time with inactivity.
October 31, 2020If that is not the case, we have a supernatural phenomena happening there!
Osvaldo Garcia
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I noticed it at first I thought the friends son shut the light. Could be Motion activated.
November 9, 2020Yamell Griego
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I noticed that too
January 4, 2021Madeleine
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Thank you!!!!! I noticed that to! It was either when Chris came out of the bedroom with Shanann’s wedding ring, or when he found her phone and Nickole came over to look, the light in what looked like to be a bedroom or bathroom turned off! Everyone was in the upstairs hallway, looking at Shanann’s phone! I hope Shanann, Bella, Celeste, and Baby Nico rest in peace!
February 4, 2021Caggyblue
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The small child in the bedroom is actually Nikole Atkinson’s daughter. She can be seen in full, on the show “Snapped”. It’s NOT a ghost!
October 17, 2020Lynda
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The little girl is Nicole’s, because you see later Nicoles son holding her in Nat’s house and Nicole clearly says “Madison we are going home now”
October 17, 2020One thing I found strange was to be in the children’s bathroom. The light was on and then it turned off. This is when they discover Shannann’s cell phone. However, Nicole’s son did walk over towards a switch, presumably could be for the above bathroom. You could think he lent on the switch to make it turn off. But if you frame and pause the video, Im unable to see him actually touching this switch hard enough to turn it off. I could be wrong
BlackDahlia
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I think it would be safe to say that “something” is going on. A woman shows up to the home the garage light comes on and she is seen entering the home.
October 18, 2020Police arrive search the home, and pick up EVP’s and possible shadows/ spirits, and nobody is in the home.
It very could be a time loop, as she may be stuck as an Earth bounder. Living that moment of coming home, each time. It is a very confusing concept to accept when it happens the way it did and has for many others like her. She’s got unfinished business, she’s searching, and that’s the last place she knew where her children were, Home.
bb
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Why would a ‘ghost’ be searching for her children? The children are ‘ghosts’ too.
November 27, 2020Samantha starr
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Because she was murder in her home,her children where not,so therefore her spirit stayed behind.she has unfinished buissness and she is stuck in the home,she was murder there,her spirit stayed in the home and her children were murder else where so she is confused and in search of where her girls went!their little spirits didn’t stay in that house as Shan’ann did!she is lost and probably has not crossed over because she has work to do yet!But i also believe,even if she was there,her spirit/ ghost is not evil!she was not a bad person in life so she is not a bad person on the other side!
December 3, 2020Krenee
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I’ve recently become interested in this case and it’s details, the paranormal aspect of it is incredible. The incident when they went back at night to check on the house, the garage light was on and there was definitely something moving around that house. This all took my by surprise because of how well video filmed this whole case seems to be
May 29, 2022Brian
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I think the person in the red shirt walks over to the wall with their arms crossed and turns it off. I think it might be a swith thats on the outside of a room. I noticed it, but im not 100 percent sure.
October 23, 2020Nash
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The lights were on timers or had Sensors I believe the other cop stated it when the k-9 was entering the master bedroom
October 24, 2020jackie hammack
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i think shanann is haunting her house she was killed there
October 27, 2020Rachelle
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My bathroom has timer lights I’m sure that’s what it was too considering it’s a new hone.
November 1, 2020Mia
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The little girl in the bedroom is Nicole’s daughter… She was with them and that’s why Nicole goes in the room to check on her.
November 15, 2020Mia
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Now the closet thing with the investigator is weird and unexplainable. The rest can be explained.
November 15, 2020bb
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It’s been proven it was a giggle coming from doll.
November 27, 2020Samantha starr
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Shan’ Ann was full of life!She would never harm a person even if her ghost is there!most people who pass and are not ready will linger and in search of where they should be!Her and baby Nico lost their lives there in that bedroom so it’d only make sense she stayed in the home!The girls were made red at the oil tanks and so their little spirits are probably wondering out there lost due to where it all took place!Bella understood what was going on and even ask Chris,are you going to do to me what you did to cede!I wonder what the hell went through his crazy mind,even if he would of gotten off,it would have haunted him for life,he will never be set free!he was a loner,never hung out with friends etc as a you d adult so therefore may have some mental issues as well that somehow he managed to keep Biden but I hurt so much for Shan’ Ann and her girls and baby nico!how the hell can you have sex with somebody one minute and turn to a murder then next and I think Nicole helped him!most people will fight for their lives and she loved life so much,and she was so excited about that baby boy,she would not have just laid there!and another thing,if Shan’ Ann always handle the girls schooling,why did nobody question why he was the one calling the school that day and not their mom?that really puzzled me.Nicole played a big part in the families death,she had been searching Shan’ann,and wedding dresses,and was just a freak!
December 3, 2020C presley
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Why do some people think that this child is the ghost of one of the watts children. Of course not, none of the girls has long hair like that……come on fokes….wake-up people, smell the coffee!!! Yes…..I new that this child was Nicole’s youngest daughter…..end of story!!!!
December 28, 2020Ang
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I Believe all are in Heaven and with the Lord!!!
June 21, 2021Synclaire Sibella
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All police let little kids run around in a house they know might possibly be a crime scene. Especially when they are in the home looking for evidence. Hell, they even have a kindergarten course, teaching kids how to contaminate evidence. No kids are running around unsupervised in that house.
May 2, 2022