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Allisha Watts

Source: screenshot / facebook

UPDATED: 2 p.m. ET, April 16

The North Carolina man who allegedly killed Allisha Watts is set to make his second court appearance since he was charged with murder in connection with her death.

According to WCNC, James Dunmore is set to appear in court on Tuesday. Dunmore’s request to reduce his $1 million secured bond was rejected by a judge last month.

In August, he was charged with murder in connection to Allisha Watts’s death, who was his then-girlfriend. 

After a long investigation, the remains of Allisha Watts were found by police in a wooden area on the grounds of a cemetery near the towns of Candor and Norman.

Dunmore was arrested and charged shortly after authorities found Watt’s remains.

“We believe the remains of Allisha Watts have been located,” the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post. “A Task Force was formed consisting of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation. James Dunmore has been taken into custody and arrested for murder. This is an ongoing and active investigation and we will continue to follow up on leads.”

On the night she went missing, family members said Watts drove down to Charlotte, North Carolina, where she planned to meet up with her boyfriend, James Dunmore. The duo had plans to attend a comedy show at Bojangles Coliseum. It’s unclear if she ever made it to the event. 

At a press conference on July 26, relatives of the 39-year-old said Charlotte authorities have not given any updates about the Moore County native’s whereabouts. “We don’t know nothing,” Cortilous Hill, a cousin of Watts, said. “That’s the problem…What we know is when the public finds out. That’s why we’re here.”

At Wednesday’s conference, Watt’s family was joined by members of the Racial Justice Network, a civil rights organization dedicated to eradicating racial disparities across America. They vowed to fight for her safe return home. The organization is working on organizing a search party for Watts. “They are not telling us anything,” a rep for the organization said.“We want to be able to put a team together to look for her. She’s well-loved in her hometown as you can see. We want to know where Allisha is. We need answers now.”

 

What do we about her death?

Allisha Watts had been missing for over 10 days. She was last seen on July 16, leaving a residence on Pamela Lorraine Drive, according to a press release. She was seen driving in her black 2023 Mercedes Benz GLC 300 SUV. Two days later, on July 18, the North Carolina native’s Mercedes-Benz SUV was found at a Department of Motor Vehicles office in Anson County. Dunmore was found unresponsive inside the vehicle by state troopers, according to officials. Watt’s was nowhere to be found. 

According to WRAL, when officers found Dunmore in the vehicle “he initially told authorities he was taking a nap.” Officers returned to the parking lot three hours later to find him unresponsive.

The SUV was towed back to Charlotte for processing at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Watts’ location still remains unknown and authorities have not released details about the ongoing investigation. Authorities have not issued updates about Dunmore’s condition or if he knows information about the mysterious disappearance.

Relatives told WCNC-Charlotte that they saw “red flags” shortly after meeting Dunmore. 

“There were several things he would say or do — to us, that were controlling — but to her, it was, ‘He loves me,'” Learen Blue, Watts’ longtime friend, told the outlet. Hill echoed a similar statement. “He came off as a weird individual to me.” Hill said, noting how Dunmore had “sneaky eyes.”

A video obtained by WCNC-Charlotte from one of Watt’s relatives shows police searching Dunmore’s home in University City. It’s unclear when the video was taken. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department hasn’t revealed why they were searching the home or if they found anything related to the case inside.

Allisha Watts went missing around the same time 25-year-old Carlee Russell’s disappearance exploded across the internet. On the X app, formerly known as Twitter, some people were worried that Russell’s kidnapping “hoax” may deter officials from pursuing Watt’s case and other missing Black women that have been reported.

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