The boyfriend of a North Carolina woman who was missing for over a month — until her remains were found Thursday — has been arrested for her m*urder.
Video shows that on Thursday afternoon, James Dunmore was handcuffed outside of his home in University City as multiple police officers observed.
Later, authorities confirmed that he has been charged with the mu*rder of Allisha Watts, 39, who was last seen leaving his home on July 16.
Her skeletal remains were discovered earlier in the day near the county line between Richmond and Montgomery in Norman, a small town along Interstate 74.
“As a result of the continued investigation in the search for Moore County resident Allisha Watts, along with the collaborative effort of multiple law enforcement agencies, this case is no longer considered a missing person investigation and has transitioned into a homicide investigation,” Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields said at the time.
Watts, an advocate for people with mental health issues and the elderly, was scheduled to attend a comedy show at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte on July 16 following her meeting with Dunmore, but according to her family, she never showed up.
“It was simply not normal. Gwendolyn Utley, Watts’s cousin, told WSOC, “This is not typical of her.”
She said she decided to return home and saw that Watts’ car was still parked at Dunmore’s house.
WCNC reports that a few hours later, the vehicle was gone.
Two days later, Dunmore was discovered unresponsive in Watts’ Mercedes-Benz SUV in front of the Anson County Department of Motor Vehicles, and Watts was reported missing the following day.
On 20 July, investigators discovered a shell casing near the residence of Dunmore. According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, it was a 9mm handgun.
As part of their investigation into Watts’ disappearance, police returned to Dunmore’s residence on July 26 and seized clothing, cellphones, a camera, a laptop, a memory card, and photographs.
A search warrant for the items indicated that Dunmore attempted suicide prior to being discovered in Watts’ vehicle, and officials announced that he was a person of interest in the case.
According to WRAL, Dunmore’s criminal history in Virginia included convictions for ab*duction, assault and battery, and stalking.
A woman who claimed to be in a relationship with him also filed a domestic violence protection order against him in Durham County, North Carolina.
The woman alleges she was kidnapped and threatened with dea*th by Dunmore, according to documents obtained by the local news station.
Utley stated, “We were not aware of any of that.” If we had known about his history and criminal record, neither Allisha nor we would have been comfortable with him.
She remembers her cousin for her generosity and said Watts was set to open a group home for those with mental disabilities.
“She always spoke up for people that weren’t able to speak for themselves.”
