Police find body believed to be Allisha Watts and arrest boyfriend from Charlotte 

Authorities said Thursday they have found the body of a woman they believe is Allisha Watts, last seen in Charlotte and missing since mid-July.

A man previously identified as Watts’ boyfriend, seen with her before she went missing, has been arrested. James Dunmore is charged with murder, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

On July 18, police found Watts’ black Mercedes Benz at the DMV in Anson County, the Observer reported previously. Her boyfriend was inside, unconscious, according to search warrants.

The warrants said he attempted suicide, WBTV reported.

The car was discovered around 50 miles from a home in the College Downs/University City area of Charlotte, where Watts was seen leaving July 16. Her family reported her missing on July 19, according to media reports.

CMPD first asked for the public’s help to find Watts on July 24.

WSOC, the Observer’s news partner, reported Thursday that authorities were on scene investigating after the discovery of a woman’s body in an area along Cemetery Road, close to Candor, which is about two hours east of Charlotte.

According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, authorities were on a joint task force with various law enforcement agencies including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Foxfire Police Department, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, Anson County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI.

This story was originally published August 24, 2023 at 2:32 PM.

Anna Douglas

The Charlotte Observer

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Anna Douglas is The Charlotte Observer’s deputy managing editor and previously worked as an investigative reporter and news editor in the newsroom. Prior to joining the Observer, she worked as a local news reporter for The (Rock Hill) Herald and as a congressional correspondent in Washington, D.C., for McClatchy. Anna is a past recipient of the South Carolina Press Association’s Journalist of the Year award and the Charlotte Society of Professional Journalists’ Outstanding Journalism Award. She’s a South Carolina native, a graduate of Winthrop University, and a past fellow of the Dori Maynard Diversity Leadership Program, sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists. Anna has lived in Charlotte since May 2017.