A missing North Carolina woman has been found dead, and a man found in her SUV has been arrested, police say

By Jason Hanna and Amy Simonson, CNN

(CNN) — Investigators have found the remains of a North Carolina woman reported missing last month, and a man who’d been found unresponsive in her vehicle has been arrested on a preliminary charge of murder, authorities said Thursday.

The remains of Allisha Dene Watts, 39, have been found, and Charlotte-area police on Thursday arrested James Dunmore on suspicion of killing her, Montgomery County Sheriff Pete Herron told reporters on the grounds of a cemetery near the towns of Candor and Norman.

Watts’ remains were found in a wooded area near the cemetery, CNN affiliate WRAL reported, citing investigators.

Watts, who lived in adjacent Moore County, was reported missing July 19 after last being seen leaving a Charlotte residence three days earlier, authorities had said. The area where Watts’ remains were found is about 70 miles east of Charlotte.

Herron declined to take questions and did not say how Watts died, how her remains were found or what prompted authorities to suspect that Dunmore killed her.

“This was not the outcome that we had been hoping for. But by finding Allisha today, it can bring some closure – I hope and I pray it brings some closure – to family and friends moving forward,” Herron said.

Dunmore, 51, of Charlotte, was being held Thursday at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office after his arrest in the Charlotte area, Herron said. CNN was not immediately able to determine whether Dunmore had legal representation.

An arrest warrant filed for Dunmore in Montgomery County alleges he “unlawfully, willfully and feloniously did of malice aforethought kill and murder Allisha Watts” on or about July 16. The warrant does not elaborate.

Watts was visiting a Charlotte residence when she was last seen on July 16, police had said.

Her SUV was found July 18 in North Carolina’s Anson County, parked at a state Department of Motor Vehicles location, and Dunmore was inside the vehicle and unresponsive, the county sheriff’s office said.

Dunmore was taken to a nearby hospital that day, the Anson County Sheriff’s Office said without providing details on his condition.

Anson County is a few dozen miles east of Charlotte and is southwest of Montgomery County, where Watts’ remains were found.

The Anson County Sheriff’s Office learned a day after Watts was reported missing that the vehicle was connected to Watts, it said.

Dunmore is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday, the Montgomery County court clerk’s office said.

“This is an ongoing and active case and investigation, and there’s still much work to be done,” Herron said.

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CNN’s Fabiana Chaparro and Alta Spells contributed to this report.