Missing woman’s remains discovered after a month. Her boyfriend has been arrested for murder

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Investigators and family members of a North Carolina woman had not expected to find her remains after she went missing more than a month ago.

On Thursday, the police said they found the remains of Allisha Watts, 39, who was last seen on 16 July.

Her boyfriend of one year, James Dunmore, was arrested on the same day on suspicion of Watts’ murder, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

Watts’ remains were found in a wooded area of a cemetery near the towns of Candor and Norman, sheriff Pete Herron said.

“This is not the outcome that we had been hoping for, but by finding Allisha today... I hope and I pray it brings some closure to family and friends moving forward,” Mr Herron said at a news conference.

Watts, who worked in the mental health field, was last seen in Charlotte, North Carolina on 16 July and her Mercedes was found in Anson County, southeast of Charlotte two days later.

Mr Dunmore was found unresponsive inside the car, the county sheriff’s office said, according to CNN.

It is not yet clear how her remains were found and how she died.

Mr Dunmore, 51, who lives in Charlotte, was being held by police. The arrest warrant alleges he “unlawfully, willfully and feloniously did of malice aforethought kill and murder Allisha Watts”.

He was arrested in the Charlotte area where Watts was visiting a residence on the day she went missing, police had said.

Watts’ sister, Stephanie Johnson, told ABC News that her sister was with Mr Dunmore when she went missing. The two met when Watts drove to Charlotte to visit her cousin, Ms Johnson said.

Talking about her sister, she said Watts was a “hard-working, independent, reliable, resourceful, loving, kind, attentive person”.

The police said the case “is no longer considered a missing person investigation”.

“This is not what we prayed for,” Watts’ friend, Dorothy Brower, told reporters after her body was recovered.

“She was found, but it was not how we wanted to find her. She doesn’t deserve what her fate became. Just to dispose of someone who is just one of the best persons you could meet,” she said.

Mr Dunmore is being held in the Montgomery County jail without bond. He is expected to appear in court on Monday.

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