The family of North Carolina woman Allisha Watts say they need answers and want her home after not hearing from her in almost a week.
During a Wednesday morning vigil and press conference, family members said they haven’t heard from Watts, a mental health care worker who owns the “Inspired Visions” mental health care business, since July 16.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, 39-year-old Watts was last seen at her boyfriend James Dunmore’s home in Charlotte, on Pamala Lorraine Drive. Two days later, police found Watts’ Mercedes SUV in the parking lot of the Anson County Department of Motor Vehicles office in Polkton, around 45 miles from Charlotte.
The Anson County Sheriff’s Office said North Carolina state troopers saw the vehicle with a man later identified as Dunmore inside; he told the deputies he was taking a nap, but when the troopers returned to the lot three hours later, he was unresponsive.
He was taken to a hospital, but his current location and condition are unknown. The Anson County Sheriff’s Office said their last update came on July 20, and he was still alive at that time. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police did not provide an answer to a request about his status.
Now, family and friends are pushing for answers.
Leaders from the Racial Justice Network helped lead the press conference and vigil Wednesday, after chartering a bus from Watts’ hometown, Southern Pines.
The vigil aimed to recognize her for the “sweet and lively person” Watts is, according to ABC 11. One of her relatives, Nora Bowman, said that the community appreciates Watts for actively helping others, despite her busy life as a business owner.
“Anything we asked her to do, she’d try to carve out time in her busy day, you know to get things done. And she really was just an asset wherever she went,” Nora Bowman said.
“She would almost pull out the best in you. You didn’t really have to do a lot and that smile of hers was bright. She always was a giver, and you know, we need that back in our community, and we miss that smile.”
Police said they believe that Watts may have been traveling to Moore County when she vanished.
“There’s too many loopholes, too many unanswered questions we have,” Watts’ friend, Learen Blue, said. “We just need to know the last place she was at. We now know where they found her car and the unresponsive man in the car. Where is he? Where is Allisha? They’re not telling us anything.”
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact the Moore County Sheriff’s Office, the Anson County Sheriff’s Office, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, or dial 911.
This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information becomes available. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Handout]
