A new report claims that Nichol Kessinger, the woman who was having an affair with Chris Watts when he murdered his pregnant wife and two young daughters, had enrolled in the witness protection program and assumed a new identity hundreds of miles from her Colorado home.

According to RadarOnline, a source close to the investigation revealed that federal authorities had placed Kessinger, 30, into witness protection for her safety.

“She has received several threats, public shaming and could be considered one of the ‘most hated women’ in America,” the source said. “She plans to start fresh with a new name, new town and ultimately a new identity.”

Kessinger met Watts at Anadarko Petroluem, where they both worked at the time, and began an intimate relationship with him in June. In interviews with federal investigators obtained by CrimeOnline through the Colorado Open Records Act, Kessinger claimed that she believed Chris and Shanann Watts were planning to divorce, and had no idea Shanann was pregnant until she saw the news coverage of her disappearance on August 13.

Two days later, Kessinger approached authorities and revealed her relationship with Watts. Investigative records show that Kessinger gave authorities multiple, detailed interviews in August, both in person and on the phone. During these interviews, Kessinger suggested that Watts was more invested in the relationship than she was, and claimed that she encouraged him to try and save his marriage. But records of a forensic analysis of her phone show that Kessinger did internet searches for wedding dresses and “marrying your mistress” in the days leading up to the murders. Further, these documents also show that Kessinger searched for both Shanann Watts and Chris Watts’ names several months before she is believed to have met Chris.

The Weld County District Attorney told CrimeOnline he could not explain Kessinger’s apparent search activity, and said that authorities did not further investigate, as Watts pleaded guilty to murdering his wife and children. The District Attorney said that he does not believe there is “any other criminal defendant” connected to the murder case.

The Weld County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of the information reported by RadarOnline.