The Disappearance of Allisha Watts
Allisha Watts was reported missing on July 16, 2023, from the Charlotte, North Carolina area. Investigators continue to actively search for the missing 39-year-old. They are asking for help with any additional information about her disappearance.
The Disappearance of Allisha Watts
Friends and co-workers described Allisha Watts as a driven woman. Watts is the CEO of Inspired Visions Support Services, Inc. According to her friends and family, Allisha Watts was last seen while on her way to spend the weekend with her boyfriend, James W. Dunmore, in University City, North Carolina. At the close of the weekend, Watts had made plans with friends for Sunday night to attend a comedy show at Bojangles Coliseum but did not show up. They repeatedly attempted to text and call Watts’ cell phone with no answer.
On July 17, 2023, North Carolina State Troopers were dispatched to the Anson County Department of Motor Vehicles in Polkton, NC, for a report of an unresponsive man in their parking lot. A Samaritan reported a man unconscious in a black Mercedes. When officers ran the registration, the car was in Allisha Watt’s name. Police transported the man, later identified as Dunmore, to an area hospital. Police arranged for the vehicle to stay in a DMV parking lot overnight.
The next day, July 18, 2023, a welfare check was requested for Watts, which subsequently initiated a missing person’s report.
Searching for Allisha Watts
Investigators immediately began interviewing Watt’s friends and family. They learned that Watt’s was last seen on July 16, 2023, in her black Mercedes, leaving Dunmore’s home on Pamela Lorraine Drive, University City, NC. Detectives began their search at the home of James W. Dunmore hoping to find clues to Allisha’s whereabouts. Investigators found a shell casing in the street in front of Dunmore’s house, but there is no solid evidence linking the shell casing to anything that may or may not have happened to Watts.
A still image taken from a surveillance camera at the North Lake Mall in Charlotte appears to show Watts leaving the parking lot on July 16, 2023, but no further information was able to be determined from the photo.
A private citizen entered Allisha Watt’s name into the NameUs National Missing Persons Database. The database is primarily used for missing, unidentified, or unclaimed victims of at least 180 days. Investigators did their own entry into the database to ensure that the correct information was sited. On July 10, 2023, just 6-days prior to Watt’s going missing, the missing timeframe requirement changed from 30-days to 90-days.
Additional Information Uncovered on James Dunmore
Police discovered that James Dunmore has a violent past. They reported details he had a kidnapping conviction in May 2023 in Durham County, NC. It was also reported that a previous girlfriend had been kidnapped and Dunmore had threatened to kill her. These facts enabled the victim to petition for a domestic violence protection order against Dunmore. His criminal history includes convictions for assault, battery, and kidnapping in Virginia in 2003. He spent five years in prison plus an additional 15 years probation for abduction. Dunmore also has a history of suicide attempts.
Currently, investigators have said that James Dunmore is a person of interest, but they have not yet interviewed him due to his unnamed medical issues.
The Watt’s Investigation Continues
Many vigils and the outpouring of community support for Watt’s family have been abundant. The family has announced they plan to have additional gatherings in honor of Watts are planned for the future.
The disappearance of Allisha Watts remains an open, and very active missing person’s investigation by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Investigators are asking for anyone with any information to contact Detective Childers at Keelan.Childers@cmpd.org or call the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department at (704) 336-7600.
One Comment
L M Allen
Yet another vibrant woman has her whole life cruelly stolen, by the pitiful excuse-for-a-man she mistakenly believed was good enough for her. Any male with a history of domestic abuse is a No No. Run for the hills, ladies! Ditto at the first sign of any kind of possessive/controlling behaviour. This is not any kind of potential partner – he’s an abuser, and your potential killer. Get out without delay. Stay, and you might not live to tell the tale. Rest in peace, much-loved Allisha. Rot in Hell cowardly, worthless James Dunmore.