A pregnant Colorado mother who was killed with her two children made a poignant Facebook post about protecting her daughter just days before they were killed.
Shanann Watts’ husband Chris Watt’s has been arrested on suspicion of allegedly killing his 34-year-old wife and their two daughters - four-year-old Bella and three-year-old Celeste.
Just a fortnight ago, Ms Watt’s posted a photo on Facebook of her daughter Celeste playing happily on the beach.
Alongside the photo she wrote: "The older she gets the more scared I am to let her out into the real world. The world of evil, the world of hate, the world of bullying!"
"I was reading a post the other day where a kid was being bullied at school because of his nut allergies and a kid put a peanut in his drink as a joke! He could of died!
"The world is a scary place. I will do everything in my power to teach her right and to protect her, advocate, stand up for her and defend her! I pray everyday that she never feels any less than the rest of the world. I pray that she’s protected when I’m not around to protect her! Nothing or no one will stop me!"
Police arrested Watts, 33, late Wednesday over the murders. His wife and children’s bodies were found on Thursday on a property owned by Andarko Petroleum, one of Colorado&apos;s largest oil and gas drillers, where Watts worked as an operator.
Court documents filed by his defence lawyer James Merson said the girls had been submerged in barrels of crude oil for four days.
Watts’ lawyer filed but was denied a request in court asking for DNA to be collected from the necks of the two girls, suggesting they may have been strangled to death.
Weld County prosecutors said Watts was jailed in protective custody and that charges were expected to be filed this week.
The Denver Post reported that the couple had suffered from financial trouble in the past, filing for bankruptcy in 2015, but had possibly begun to turn their fortunes around in recent times.
Ms Watts’ brother Frankie Rzucek, wrote in a Facebook post that his older had sister was a dedicated mother who “beat all the odds” with her pregnancies.
Ms Watts had suffered from lupus, an autoimmune disease that can cause fertility issues.
“No matter if her lupus was acting up or if she was pregnant, nothing stoped [sic] her from doing what needed to be done. She was very successful and driven,” Rzucek wrote in a Facebook post on Friday.
“I was exhausted by just watching my sister. She made being a parent look easy,” he wrote.
Ashley Bell, a friend of Ms Watts, said she had planned a party Saturday to reveal the gender of her baby. Mr Rzucek said his sister planned to name her baby boy Niko.