The relationship between Chris Watts’ parents and his family prior to their murders was non-existent according to investigation documents obtained by DaiyMail.com.
In a lengthy text message sent exactly one week before she was murdered, Shanann Watts detailed what had led to the end of her fraught relationship between Cindy and Ronnie Watts.
Shanann wrote on August 4 that Cindy and Ronnie had cut off her and the girls because of her fury when she learned that they were serving ice cream with peanut chips in to to their children, despite Cece having a nut allergy.
The couple subsequently blocked Shanann on Facebook and did not attend or even call their granddaughter on her birthday.
At the same time, Shanann’s own mother revealed that Watts’ parents did not even attend their son’s wedding to her daughter.
Family: Shanann Watts went after her in-laws in a lengthy text to husband Chris sent one week before he murdered her (Shanann above with her daughters)
Anger: She called his parents ‘evil and stupid’ for giving their allergic daughter Celeste nuts and skipping her birthday party after Shanann took them to task over it (Ronnie and Cindy Watts above)
The tension between Shanann and her in-laws reached a boiling point while she was in North Carolina for four weeks without Chris, who was working and enjoying time with his mistress back in Colorado.
Celeste and Bella were at their grandparents one evening during that vacation when Cindy served ice cream – that allegedly contained peanut chips.
‘You should call your dad and tell him you did not appreciate your mom putting your daughter at risk today, nor do you like that she teased our girls,’ wrote Shanann to her husband in a text that day.
‘You should also say you don’t appreciate her saying they have to learn they can’t always get what they want! They are 2 and 4!’
Watts sided with his wife in his response, writing: ‘l will call him and tell him what I think about this. lt’s not f***ing cool at all because it is the kids. I will set this right.’
Things later soured however when Watts arrived in North Carolina, and his parents opted not to attend Celete’s third birthday party.
It was too much for Shanann, and she went after her husband in a lengthy text.
‘Truth came out last night. l didn’t create no dagger between you and your dad. That was done by your mom and your dad and I won’t change a thing,’ wrote Shannan.
‘My daughter’s life is way more important and you better believe I wanted to say a whole lot more than I did, but I was being the bigger person and protecting Bella.
‘l didn’t tell your dad not to come to party. l didn’t tell him not to text, or call your daughter, on her birthday. I didn’t tell him to start acting like he only has two grandkids instead of 4. I didn’t block your family on [Facebook], he did. Myself and your kids have nothing to say to them. They do.
‘They owe your kids their life. Your parent’s home isn’t a safe zone. Your mom isn’t safe!
‘You can let them tell you what you want, but I didn’t tell anyone to stop loving your kids, or stop acting like it. He did that not me.
‘You can believe I created this dagger, but I didn’t do that. I stood up for our kids, I advocated and protected our children. I don’t ever want to hear “l’m sorry I killed your kid because I was stupid.” That would kill me.
‘These kids are my world and I have to protect them from the evil of the world. I shouldn’t have to protect them from evil family. Our kids deserve the same love and attention the other kids get, nothing less.
‘l’m not accepting l’m sorry from your mom, because she doesn’t mean it and she knew what she was doing. I made it very clear not to eat it around Celeste, because she doesn’t understand, way before that happened.
‘She’s evil and willing to risk your daughter’s life just to get under my skin. You and your dad are no different if you are ok with her behavior.
‘There’s nothing wrong with me and l’m not crazy. I just love my kids way too much.’
No-show: It was also revealed by Shanann’s mother that Watts’ parents did not attend their son’s wedding (Watts above on November 19)
That was just the first half of the message, with Shanann then going into the issues in their own relationship.
‘From the day I left you never said I missed you before I said it. Something changed when I left. You may be happier alone and that’s fine. You can be alone!
‘This pregnancy, you have failed to acknowledge it, or to acknowledge how l’m feeling. The first trimester is the scariest and most dangerous yet we can lose this baby at any point till delivery.
‘l’m not going to be treated this way for having the balls to protect our family and kids. I should get a gold f***ing medal for handling it the way I did, because I had a lot of choice words l wanted to say to her and your dad for his stupidity
‘No one stands up to your mom and your dad for that. He’s just as guilty by not doing anything. I have nothing to do with him stop sharing memories of his grandkids. What does that have to do with me?
‘They are f***ing with our kids feelings and that l’m not ok with. I am their mother and I will protect them. I have enough to worry about with the world out there, l’m not going to worry about family. l will just remove it.’
The report notes that this was the end of the first message, which was sent at 3:30 in the morning.
There was soon another message from Shanann soon after that read: ‘l also don’t control what you do. lf you want to go hang out with your parents today, by all means do so, but without us. Don’t put it on me why you can’t go. You are your own person.’
Watts in his initial response seem to be in agreement with his wife.
‘These kids mean the world to me and always will. Yes, my mom truly screwed up in a huge way, more than a huge way. I don’t know what I would’ve done if something happened to CeCe,’ he wrote.
‘These kiddos are the light of my life and seeing their sweet, incredible smiles and playfulness makes me smile every day. l’m sorry for the way l’ve been acting, it’s just been in my head and I haven’t been right at all.’
Shanann continued on in her attack in a subsequent message, writing: ‘I protected our daughter from their stupidity. They created that and you belong with them thinking otherwise. I didn’t tell your dad to remove himself from the kid’s life… I did and do not deserve to be treated the way you have. l defended our daughter.’
Watts again tried to console his wife and defend his parents.
‘Yes you protected our daughter and l thank you for that a million times a million. I don’t think they are innocent in any of this. They do want to be in the kids’ life and l’m not sure they even know how to right now,’ wrote Watts.
‘They should’ve swallowed whatever they needed to and came to Cece’s Birthday Party and called her and shouldn’t have blocked all social media contact with them. I don’t care what they do with us, just as long as they love and respect the kids. l’m not use to not having a relationship with my dad. I should’ve just called him before it got to this point where it got in my head I didn’t and that’s my fault.’
There was a different version of events however from what one Watts’ friends told investiugators.
He said that Cindy called him crying after her fight with Shanann and that Watts told him not to worrt because he was done with Shanann.
That friend also said that Watts and his mother were ‘sweet hearted people.’