Police say they believe they’ve found the remains of missing North Carolina woman Allisha Watts, who was reported missing by family members last month.
Following the discovery of the remains, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Watts’ boyfriend, James Dunmore, on Thursday.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to Allisha Watts’ family,” Sheriff Pete Herron said during a news conference Thursday.”This is not the outcome that we had been hoping for, but by finding Allisha today, it can bring some closure — I hope and I pray, bring some closure to family and friends moving forward.”
The Charlotte Observer reports that police were spotted searching along Cemetery Road, around “two hours east of Charlotte,” hear the Richmond-Montgomery County line, although police have not yet disclosed where they found the remains.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Watts was last seen at Dunmore’s home in Charlotte, on Pamala Lorraine Drive. Her family reported her missing on July 16. 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.
“Cellular data records that have been obtained show that Allisha’s phone, her boyfriend’s phone, and the vehicle all return to the home at 1633 Pamela Lorraine Drive at around 3 p.m. on 7/16/2023,” the search warrant read. “All three remain at that location until around 6 a.m. on 7/18/2023.”
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.
After his hospital release, Dunmore remained elusive until the arrest. WSOC-TV reports that Dunmore arrived in handcuffs at the Montgomery County jail at around 4:30 p.m. Thursday. He didn’t reply when reporters questioned him about Watts.
Police previously said they found shell casings from a 9mm gun outside of Dunmore’s home. They’re now looking for “any evidence of the crime of murder” and “materials that may be used to clean or cover up evidence of a homicide or assaults.”
Dunmore remains behind bars without bail.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode:
[Feature Photo: Handout]
