Footage of Chris Watts Allegedly Being Attacked in Prison Is Circulating Online — Details

On Aug. 15, 2018, a warrantless arrest affidavit allowed members of the Frederick Police Department in Colorado to arrest 33-year-old Chris Watts. He was being charged with the murders of his wife, Shanann Watts, and their two children, Bella and Celeste. The little girls were ages 4 and 3, respectively.

As details of their deaths emerged, it painted a picture of a heartless man who had killed his entire family in the service of an affair. The evidence was overwhelming and was the motivation behind Watts's decision to plead guilty in November 2018. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without parole. Seven years later, a TikTok claiming Watts was attacked in prison has been circulating online. Is there any truth to it? Here's what we know.

A TikTok shared by a questionable account with too many numbers in its username shared footage of correctional officers responding to a lockdown in a prison. Text over the footage suggests that Watts was attacked and could be dead. The caption suspiciously reads, "Most crimes of all times."

The footage is of surveillance video from what appears to be a few different prisons. One is date-stamped and was recorded in March 2020, a little over a week before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down. The only time we see anyone resembling Watts is in the final frame when a man who looks a lot like him is seen washing his hands. This couldn't feel more fake, and yet many people in the comments believe it's real.

Despite the fact that this TikTok is excerpts from three different videos stitched together, and doesn't clearly show Watts, too many folks in the comments are convinced it's him. "Prison justice is the best," wrote one person. "Better than the judicial system. "So, what's the problem?" asked another.

Most of the comments were from people who checked to see if Watts is alive and well. One person went the extra mile and said Watts was transferred from a Colorado prison to Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wis., and is still there. "I've been to Dodge," replied someone under that comment. "I've actually seen him walking down the hallway once."

Another helpful cyber sleuth chimed in and said the first footage in the TikTok is actually from Cook County Jail in Illinois. "One of the officers is my brother," they said.

Distractify spoke with someone from Dodge Correctional Institution who said Watts has not been attacked. Had this occurred, there would be an open investigation looking into it. There was not. The correctional officer added that Watts is also not in solitary confinement. He is able to fraternize with other prisoners.