CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department incident report recently acquired by WCNC Charlotte reveals a shell casing was found in the street near the northeast Charlotte home of Allisha Watts' boyfriend James Dunmore on July 20, just one day after she was reported missing.
According to CMPD, the shell casing is for a 9mm handgun.
Watts, 39, was reported missing on July 19. A cousin who spoke with CMPD said Watts and Dunmore were supposed to go to a comedy show at Bojangles Coliseum on July 16, and that the pair were seen getting into Watts' car. The cousin eventually called CMPD on July 19, saying Watts had not been heard from and had not shown up for work, which was out of character for her.
According to warrants from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department obtained by WCNC Charlotte on Tuesday, Watts' car was found in Anson County during the evening of July 18. Her boyfriend was found inside, with CMPD detectives reporting he was the victim of an apparent attempted suicide.
If you or a loved one are facing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, there is help readily available. You can call Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat with them online. There are also resources in North Carolina available here and in South Carolina available here.
While CMPD did not name Watts' boyfriend in the documents, NBC affiliate WRAL-TV in Raleigh identified him as James Dunmore. The television station reports that Dunmore had a previous criminal history in neighboring Virginia, with convictions for abduction, stalking, and assault & battery per court documents.
The woman, who is not being named by WCNC Charlotte, requested a protective order back in March of 2023. It was then filed in Durham County on April 9.
In the complaint and motion, the woman checked the box for "spouse" and complained of a domestically violent relationship.
"Defendant has previously been physically violent toward me on multiple occasions," she wrote. "Holding me down so I couldn't breathe and driving essentially like he would kill us both, among others. Defendant has made threatening statements that make me fear for my life."
Dunmore was served on May 13, with the Durham court decision granting the order effective May 23. It says Dunmore shall not commit any further acts of domestic violence or make any threats of domestic violence.
Dunmore's University City-area home was searched on July 26. The search warrants indicate CMPD detectives were looking for a swath of evidence, ranging from firearms and other weapons to cell phones and DNA evidence. Police also said in the warrants they were looking for anything that could be used to try and cover up a homicide along with any weapons or tools that could have been used for committing one.
CMPD seized clothing, cell phones, a camera, a tablet, a laptop, a memory card, swabs, and photos from the house.
Watts' sister issued a letter to Watts' boyfriend, James Dunmore, saying her family is hurt from not knowing what happened to their loved one.
"We have been devastated ever since the horrific news broke about her disappearance," Tammy Utley, Watts' younger sister, wrote. "So many questions that we will never get answered, however, we can't seem to get past the most prevalent question of them all. What happened to Allisha Watts? Our hearts hurt daily from not knowing the answers our family, friends, and our devoted community deserve to know."
CMPD said Wednesday that there is an "active and ongoing" missing persons case related to Watts but there are no new developments at this time regarding her whereabouts. Multiple agencies are working alongside CMPD, the department said, urging anyone with information to call 911 immediately.
As of Friday, Dunmore has not been named a person of interest in Watts' disappearance by CMPD.
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