Chris Watts updates: Why the world is obsessed with the terrible case

The story of Chris Watts is a morbid one which some people just cannot seem to get enough of. Lifetime even made both a dramatized movie and a documentary on the subject. Those who have been keeping tabs on the case since it first blew up nationally on social media and the news knew so much about the case, they felt as if the movie was lacking detail.

So, what is it about Chris Watts and updates to the story which send people into a frenzy? Why are people so obsessed with the case? We took a look to see if we could figure it out.

The case

Chris Watts was married to his wife Shannan, the couple had two children together and another one on the way. Shannan had concerns her husband wasn’t ready for a third child.

The two had been together through thick and thin for years, however their marriage started to crumble in 2018. Shannan even went to live with her parents shortly before she was killed because she didn’t feel as if Watts was the same man she had married. Watts also wasn’t willing to attend marriage counseling.

In August of 2018 Shannan and her two children went missing. A friend of Shannan, immediately became worried when her friend missed meetings because it was unusual behavior for Shannan. The friend reported her missing.

Watts originally pleaded on television for help in finding his missing wife and children – this is when the case went viral. However, it wasn’t long before it was discovered he had killed and buried his pregnant wife and two daughters, and Watts pleaded guilty.

Why the obsession?

The case is horrific. So why is it people seem to be so interested in it? Well, for starters, (much to the discomfort of the family) true crime lovers are fascinated by the case. It’s recent, solved, and horrifying. The perfect combination for couch detectives & true crime aficionados to get drawn in.

While the case was unsolved many people online had their theories on what had happened, and when it was solved the disgusting nature of the crime was horror porn for many. Much like how people have a hard time looking away from a car accident – sometimes true crime just draws people in to gasp at it, and perhaps feel grateful the situation didn’t happen to them.

The case was also highly publicized when it was still a missing persons case and not a triple homicide. (Quadruple if you count the unborn child.) People quickly became invested in finding Shannan and her children, which led to a large number of people following the case – everyone watching was disappointed and revolted by how the case ended up.

The public nature of the case led to the Lifetime movie and documentary, they knew people had an emotional connection to the case. So a mixture of public sympathy and people trying to monetize the situation have led to a case, despite being resolved and the man in prison for the rest of his life, which captivates a wide audience.