The murdered Colorado mom and her two young daughters whose shocking deaths made international headlines were laid to rest Saturday in North Carolina, nearly two weeks after their bodies were found dumped at an oil worksite.
About 200 mourners filled the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Pinehurst, to remember North Carolina-native Shanann Watts, 34, and her daughters Bella Marie, 4, and Celeste, 3.
Chris Watts, Shannan’s husband and the girls’ father, has been charged with killing all three in their home in Frederick, a small town north of Denver.
“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these,” the Rev. John Forbes read in a short passage from the Gospel of Matthew during the somber service, where the tragic mom–who was 15 weeks pregnant when she was killed– was remembered as a “fireball” filled with “pure love.”
“She had dreams to be fulfilled” and “wanted to be an exceptional wife and mother,” the pastor said.
Her girls, Forbes said, ” were light for all around them. They were filled with love and joy for all those they encountered.”
His homily assured mourners that the murdered family, including the unborn son Watts named Nico Lee– were with them as they prayed.
“Shanann, Bella Marie, Celeste and Nico are present with us here today,” Forbes said. “Not just their physical bodies, but their souls as well. Their prayers will help sustain us in the days to come.”
“She was our pride and joy, a true gift from God,” Shanann’s parents, Frank Rzucek and Sandra Onorati Rzucek, wrote in her obituary. “We were so blessed to have such a joyful and wonderful daughter whose beauty was that of a doll.”
Rzucek described his daughter as “nothing but pure love” in a letter read by the priest at the close of the Mass. “You are always Daddy’s little girl,” the note ended.
Her brother, Frankie Rzucek, wrote that he was always worried about not being able to protect his sister and nieces because they were so far away in Colorado. “From a young age I always knew my sister was going to be successful and nothing would stand in her way,” his note said. “She was ready to take on the world and we know she did.”
Her mother’s note thanked all of the people who reached out to the family during the ordeal, and said to her daughter and grandchildren, “Nonna loves you with all of her soul.”
At no point during the hour-long service did anyone refer to Christopher Watts, 33, who authorities said dumped their bodies on his former employer’s property.
Shanann Watts’ body was recovered Aug. 16 in a shallow grave near an oil tank on land owned by Anadarko Petroleum. Officials said they found the bodies of the girls in oil drums near their mother’s body.
Cops said that Chris Watts was “actively involved in an affair with a coworker,” and a man who claimed to be his secret former gay lover came forward after his arrest.
Watts has been charged with murder in the three deaths, as well as unlawful termination of a pregnancy, and has yet to enter a plea, He is being held in protective custody in a Colorado jail because of the publicity the crime received.
