North Carolina law enforcement officials announced on Thursday the discovery of the body of Allisha Watts, a 39-year-old woman who vanished from Charlotte on July 16. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office revealed that her remains were found in the vicinity of the Norman Community Cemetery in Montgomery County, a location roughly two hours away from Charlotte and a short 20-minute drive from Watts’ Foxfire home.
In connection with Watts’ murder, authorities have apprehended and charged her 51-year-old boyfriend, James Dunmore. Watts was last sighted on July 16, driving away from Dunmore’s Charlotte home on Pamela Lorraine Drive in her black Mercedes. Her car was later discovered, unoccupied, in Anson County two days after she was reported missing.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Watts’ body was located near the Norman Community Cemetery in Montgomery County. The arrest warrant for Dunmore accuses him of “unlawfully, willingly and feloniously” murdering Allisha Watts.
Dunmore is currently detained at the Montgomery County Jail. Sheriff Ronnie Fields of Moore County stated that investigators believe Watts’ body had been at the Cemetery Road location since July 18. The use of a cadaver dog and cellphone pings assisted in locating her remains.
The search for Watts’ body was a collaborative effort involving the Moore County Sheriff’s Office, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and other agencies. Watts and Dunmore had plans to attend a comedy show at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte on the night she disappeared. Dunmore has a criminal history in Virginia, including convictions for abduction, assault and battery, and stalking.