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The Disappearance of Allisha Watts
● Alford Plea — Voluntary Manslaughter
Body Found After 39-Day Search
Cause of Death Undetermined
Domestic Violence History
Foxfire Village, Moore County, North Carolina
The Victim
Allisha Dene Watts
Allisha Dene Watts
| Full Name | Allisha Dene Watts |
| Age | 39 years old |
| Last Seen | July 16, 2023 |
| Hometown | Foxfire Village, Moore County, North Carolina |
| Occupation | CEO — Inspired Visions Support Services, Inc. |
| Mother | Evex Franklin (died April 2024) |
| Sister | Tammy |
| Community | Southern Pines; West Southern Pines; Moore County NAACP |
Allisha Dene Watts was a woman who had built something. She was the CEO of Inspired Visions Support Services, Inc., a Siler City-based company that provided disability services to individuals of all ages across several North Carolina counties. She attended church regularly in Charlotte. She served as corresponding secretary for the Rufus McLaughlin American Legion Auxiliary Unit 137. She sat on the board of the Southern Pines Land and Housing Trust and was a member of the Moore County branch of the NAACP. She was known and loved and active in the community she had chosen to make her life in.
She lived in Foxfire Village in Moore County, a small community within the larger landscape of North Carolina's Sandhills region. She was 39 years old and she was building toward something bigger: friends and family later shared that she had plans to open a group home for people who needed support. In the wake of her death, the Taisha Calloway family created a foundation to carry forward Allisha's advocacy work on behalf of those seeking treatment for mental health and disability services.
In the summer of 2023, Allisha had been dating James Dunmore for close to a year. She had been open with her community about the relationship and the people who knew her described her as happy. What those closest to her would later say was that they had not known the full picture of who Dunmore was; they were not aware of his background and history of domestic violence until it was too late.
Allisha Watts was a woman of faith and purpose, loved deeply by her family, her church, and her community. Her mother Evex Franklin spent the months after her daughter's death fighting for justice before passing away in April 2024 from an underlying health condition. Allisha's family carried the case forward after that loss too. They have not stopped carrying her name.
01
Background
What We Know
On July 14, 2023, Allisha Watts drove from her home in Foxfire Village, Moore County, to Charlotte to visit her boyfriend James Dunmore. The two had been in a relationship for close to a year. They had plans to attend a comedy show together at Bojangles Coliseum on the night of July 16. By July 19, Allisha had not returned home, had not shown up for work — which those who knew her described as completely out of character, and had not responded to family or friends. Her cousin called Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. A missing persons report was filed.
Two days earlier, on July 18, Allisha's black 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 SUV had been found in the parking lot of the Anson County Department of Motor Vehicles office in Polkton. James Dunmore was found inside. He initially told officers he was taking a nap. Officers returned to the parking lot three hours later and found him unresponsive. He was transported to the hospital. A search warrant later confirmed he had attempted suicide. Allisha was not in the vehicle. Cell phone data established that her phone and Dunmore's phone had both pinged at his Charlotte home on the morning of July 18, placing both of them there earlier that day.
A shell casing was found along the street in front of Dunmore's home. The Anson County Sheriff's Office, upon linking the SUV to Allisha Watts, named Dunmore a person of interest on July 20 and noted in their incident report that he had a history of domestic violence. A domestic violence protective order had been filed against Dunmore in Durham County in May 2023, two months before Allisha's disappearance. This history was not known to Allisha's family and friends at the time of her death.
The search for Allisha Watts spanned five counties and multiple agencies over 39 days. Digital evidence, repeated pinging of a cell phone, led investigators to the woods behind the Norman Community Cemetery along Cemetery Road near the Richmond/Montgomery county line, approximately twenty minutes from Allisha's Foxfire Village home. Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields believed Dunmore knew the road because it served as a back route between Charlotte and Allisha's house in Foxfire. A cadaver dog confirmed the location on August 24, 2023. Allisha's remains were found in the woods behind the cemetery. Investigators believe her body had been there since approximately July 18.
By the time her remains were found, they were severely decomposed and eventually described as skeletonized. The state medical examiner was unable to observe injuries, recover fingerprints, or collect DNA from the remains. Identity was confirmed through dental records. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released its autopsy report in March 2024, listing the cause of Allisha Watts' death as undetermined. This finding would become the central obstacle in the prosecution's case against James Dunmore.
Case Timeline
How It Unfolded
July 14–16, 2023
Allisha Travels to Charlotte — Last Seen July 16
Allisha Watts drives to Charlotte on July 14 to visit her boyfriend James Dunmore. The two have plans to attend a comedy show at Bojangles Coliseum on the night of July 16. Allisha and Dunmore do not attend the show. A friend last sees Allisha active on social media Friday night. On July 16, she is last seen leaving a residence on Pamela Lorraine Drive, Dunmore's northeast Charlotte home — driving her black 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 SUV.
July 18, 2023
Allisha's SUV Found — Dunmore Discovered Unresponsive Inside
Cell phone data places both Allisha's phone and Dunmore's phone at his Charlotte home that morning. Hours later, Allisha's black Mercedes-Benz is found in the parking lot of the Anson County DMV office in Polkton. Dunmore is inside. He initially tells officers he is taking a nap. Officers return three hours later to find him unresponsive. He is transported to the hospital. Search warrant records later confirm he attempted suicide. Allisha is not found. A shell casing is recovered from the street in front of Dunmore's Charlotte home.
July 19–20, 2023
Missing Persons Report Filed — Dunmore Named Person of Interest
Allisha's cousin contacts CMPD after Allisha fails to return home, fails to show up for work, and does not respond to family or friends — all described as completely out of character. CMPD files a missing persons report. Foxfire Village police search Allisha's Foxtail Lane home and find her dog but not Allisha. On July 20, Anson County Sheriff's Office links the Mercedes SUV to Watts and names Dunmore a person of interest in her disappearance. Their incident report notes he has a history of domestic violence.
July 24 — August 23, 2023
39-Day Search — Family Holds Vigils and Press Conferences
CMPD announces the car has been found. Dunmore's Charlotte home is searched by police. Allisha's family holds press conferences calling on law enforcement for more information and transparency. A candlelight vigil is held August 1. Multiple agencies search across five counties using digital evidence, cadaver dogs, and aerial support. The Racial Justice Network joins calls for accountability. Investigators search the Cemetery Road area near the Richmond/Montgomery county line seven to eight times, following cell phone data that repeatedly leads them back to that location.
August 24, 2023
Allisha's Remains Found — Dunmore Arrested and Charged with Murder
A task force follows digital evidence and cadaver dog confirmation to the woods behind Norman Community Cemetery on Cemetery Road near the Montgomery/Richmond county line. Allisha's remains are found approximately twenty minutes from her Foxfire Village home. Investigators believe she was placed there on or around July 18. Her remains are severely decomposed. Montgomery County Sheriff Pete Herron expresses condolences and confirms the case has transitioned to a homicide investigation. The same day, CMPD arrests James Dunmore at his Charlotte home. He is charged with first-degree murder and transferred to Montgomery County Jail, held without bond.
September–October 2023
Probable Cause Found — Bond Set at $1 Million — No Death Penalty
On September 14, a court finds probable cause that Dunmore killed Allisha Watts on or around July 18. On October 25, he is given a $1 million bond. Montgomery County District Attorney Lynn Clodfelter announces the state will not seek the death penalty. The case enters a prolonged pre-trial process.
March 2024
Autopsy Released — Cause of Death Listed as Undetermined
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner releases the autopsy report. Allisha's remains were found skeletonized with no skin remaining. The examiner was unable to identify injuries, collect fingerprints, or recover DNA. Identity was confirmed through dental records. The cause of death is listed as undetermined. Dunmore's defense attorney argues this ruling should result in his release; the judge denies the motion and maintains the $1 million bond. Allisha's family attends the courthouse hearing in force, holding signs reading "I am Allisha Watts."
April 2024
Evex Franklin, Allisha's Mother, Dies
Allisha's mother Evex Franklin dies of an underlying health condition in April 2024, nearly nine months after her daughter's death and with no resolution to the case. Before her death, Franklin told WRAL she did not want her daughter to be forgotten. Family and friends continue fighting in both women's names.
September 2024
Dismissal Denied — Constitutional Violation Found — Records Destroyed
A judge denies Dunmore's motion to dismiss the murder charge but rules the state violated his constitutional rights by wrongly obtaining confidential medical records. The judge orders every document obtained from jail medical records and phone transcripts to be destroyed. The murder case proceeds. The case is continued multiple times over subsequent months as the defense requests personnel records for two detectives and further evidence.
February 18, 2026
Alford Plea — Voluntary Manslaughter — 116 to 164 Months
James Wendell Dunmore enters an Alford plea in Montgomery County court to one count of voluntary manslaughter and one count of failure to report death by other than natural causes. The Alford plea means he does not admit guilt but acknowledges the prosecution has sufficient evidence for a likely conviction. Prosecutors explain the plea was the best available resolution given that the cause of death is undetermined and the remains were too decomposed to yield injuries, fingerprints, or DNA. Dunmore is sentenced to two consecutive prison terms of 58-82 months each, totaling 116-164 months. With credit for time served since August 2023, he may serve approximately seven more years. He apologizes in court. Allisha's family leaves devastated. Family spokesperson Dorothy Brower says: "This has been injustice for Allisha Watts."
03
Law Enforcement
The Investigation
The investigation into Allisha Watts' disappearance and death was a multi-agency effort spanning Foxfire Village, Moore County, Anson County, Richmond County, Montgomery County, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, and federal partners. The task force included the CMPD, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, the Moore County Sheriff's Office, the Anson County Sheriff's Office, the Foxfire Police Department, the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI Charlotte bureau. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office took over as the lead investigative agency.
From the earliest days of the investigation, digital evidence was the primary tool guiding the search. Investigators repeatedly pinged a cell phone signal that led them to the Cemetery Road area near the Richmond/Montgomery county line, approximately twenty minutes from Allisha's Foxfire Village home. They searched that area seven to eight times over the course of the investigation before a cadaver dog confirmed the location on August 24. Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields stated he believed Dunmore knew that back road because it was a route between his Charlotte home and Allisha's house in Foxfire, suggesting the body disposal location was deliberate rather than random.
A significant investigative failure flagged by Allisha's family was the initial delay in treating the case with urgency. When CMPD first received the missing persons report on July 19, Foxfire Village police checked Allisha's home and did not find her. It was not until July 20 that Anson County linked the Mercedes SUV to Allisha and formally named Dunmore a person of interest. The family's position throughout the investigation was that had authorities known about Dunmore's background and his documented history of domestic violence earlier, the case would have moved more quickly. Allisha's friend Learen Blue stated: "If we were aware of his background and the rap-sheet he has, there is no way it would have sat comfortable with us or Allisha."
The state's case ultimately rested on digital evidence placing both phones at Dunmore's Charlotte home on July 18; Dunmore being found in Allisha's SUV in an attempted suicide state the same day; a shell casing recovered near his home; his knowledge of the back road to the cemetery; and the location of Allisha's body in an area consistent with a drive from his residence. However, the severe decomposition of Allisha's remains, skeletonized by the time they were found, meant the medical examiner could not determine a cause of death, could not identify injuries, and could not recover fingerprints or DNA.
A constitutional violation further complicated the prosecution: the state wrongly obtained Dunmore's confidential medical records. A judge ruled in September 2024 that while this violated Dunmore's rights, it was not sufficient to dismiss the murder charge. All documents obtained from that violation were ordered destroyed. This series of evidentiary challenges ultimately led prosecutors to conclude that an Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter was the best available conviction they could secure.
04
Alford Plea — February 2026
Arrest and Charges
James Wendell Dunmore
James Wendell Dunmore
Age 51 at Time of Crime — Charlotte, North Carolina
Original Charge: First-Degree Murder — filed August 24, 2023
Alford Plea: Voluntary Manslaughter; Failure to Report Death by Other Than Natural Causes — February 18, 2026
Sentence: Two consecutive terms of 58–82 months each (116–164 months total); credit for time served since August 2023; may serve approximately 7 additional years
Court: Montgomery County, North Carolina — DA Lynn Clodfelter
Death Penalty: Not sought — announced October 2023
Prior History: Convictions for assault and communicating threats; arrests involving domestic-related offenses; domestic violence protective order filed in Durham County, May 2023
Dunmore's Account: Claims he was having a psychological episode; Allisha was trying to help him; he jumped out of the car and ran into the woods; Allisha ran after him; claims he does not remember what happened after that
Why the Plea — Prosecution's Explanation
Prosecutors told reporters after the February 2026 plea that they know Dunmore is responsible for Allisha Watts' death, but that the Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter was their best available path to any conviction. The central obstacle was the condition of Allisha's remains when found: severely decomposed, eventually skeletonized, with no skin, no fingerprints, no recoverable DNA, and no identifiable injuries. The state medical examiner was unable to determine a cause of death, check a homicide box, or establish how, when, or precisely where Allisha died.
A constitutional violation — the wrongful obtaining of Dunmore's confidential medical records — further complicated the prosecution. Those records were ordered destroyed. With the cause of death undetermined and key evidence destroyed, prosecutors concluded that proceeding to trial on a first-degree murder charge carried a serious risk of acquittal. Prosecutors stated publicly they know what Dunmore did. The plea ensures he will serve time. Allisha's family has made clear they do not accept this as justice.
In Memoriam
She Is Not Forgotten
Allisha Watts was building something. She ran a company that served people with disabilities. She sat on boards. She served her community. She had plans to open a group home. She went to church. She was someone her community counted on and loved and showed up for, and she showed up for them in return. That is who she was on July 16, 2023, the last day anyone who loved her knew she was safe.
Her mother Evex Franklin spent the months after Allisha's death fighting for justice with everything she had. She told reporters she didn't want her daughter to be forgotten. She gave interviews and attended court hearings and kept Allisha's name in front of the world. Then Evex Franklin died too, in April 2024, before there was any resolution at all. Allisha's family buried her mother without answers. They kept fighting anyway.
When James Dunmore stood in the courtroom in February 2026 and said he was sorry, Allisha's cousin Tawanna Hines said the sorry was not the sorry they needed to hear. They needed to hear what he did. Why he was sorry. What actually happened to Allisha in those woods near the Norman Community Cemetery on what investigators believe was July 18, 2023. He did not say. The Alford plea meant he never had to.
Dorothy Brower, who has been a voice for this family since the beginning, said it plainly: this has been injustice for Allisha Watts. The family leaves the courthouse knowing the man they believe killed Allisha will serve roughly seven more years before his release. Allisha was 39 years old. She had a dog and a business and a community and a future. She is not forgotten.
Allisha Dene Watts — Foxfire Village, Moore County, North Carolina
Sources
WRAL — Allisha Watts Timeline: Body Found More Than 1 Month After She Was Reported Missing | WRAL — Digital Evidence Leads Investigators to Allisha Watts' Remains, August 25, 2023 | WRAL — Docs: Investigators Looking for Evidence of Murder in Case of Missing Moore County Woman, August 4, 2023 | WRAL — Boyfriend Avoids Life Sentence with Plea in Allisha Watts Murder Case, February 19, 2026 | WRAL — James Dunmore Court Hearing Pushed Back, February 10, 2025 | WBTV — Allisha Watts' Home in Moore County's Foxfire Village Searched, August 4, 2023 | WBTV — Charlotte Man Accepts Plea Deal in 2023 Death of Ex-Girlfriend Allisha Watts, February 18, 2026 | WBTV — Allisha Was Failed: Plea Deal Upsets Family, February 19, 2026 | WCNC — A Year Since Allisha Watts Went Missing, July 16, 2024 | WCNC — James Dunmore Accepts Plea Deal in Death of Allisha Watts, February 18, 2026 | WCNC — Two Years Since Allisha Watts Disappeared, July 16, 2025 | ABC11 — James Dunmore Enters Alford Plea in 2023 Death of Girlfriend Allisha Watts, February 19, 2026 | CBS17 — Boyfriend Enters Alford Plea in NC Court for Murder of Allisha Watts, February 18, 2026 | QC News — Charlotte Man Enters Alford Plea in Montgomery County Court, February 19, 2026 | NewsOne — What Happened to Allisha Watts? | The Pilot — Foxfire Woman Missing Since July 16, July 24, 2023
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