CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The sister of missing Moore County woman Allisha Watts issued a letter to Watts' boyfriend, James Dunmore, saying her family is hurt from not knowing what happened to their loved one.
In newly obtained documents from NBC affiliate WRAL in Raleigh, a Durham courthouse granted a protective order to a woman claiming to be Dunmore's wife.
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.
Other recent documents showed that Charlotte-Mecklenburg police investigators were looking for evidence of murder when they searched Dunmore's home last week. The 39-year-old woman was last seen in Charlotte with Dunmore on July 16 leaving his home. They had tickets to go to a comedy show at Bojangles Coliseum that night, but Watts' family members said they never made it to the show. Dunmore was later found unresponsive inside Watts' Mercedes-Benz SUV at a Department of Motor Vehicles office in Anson County on July 18. Watts' family reported her missing on July 19.
Dr. Alex del Carmen, a criminologist with 25 years of experience, told WCNC Charlotte a change in classification from a missing person's case would allow for various other resources.
"That doesn't mean that the person has died. It doesn't mean that we couldn't be pleasantly surprised, that the victim is found alive somewhere," del Carmen said. "Once they found him inside the car, all bets are off in terms of having to wait. At that point, you have got someone that attempted to kill himself inside the vehicle of a missing woman that was reported missing a few days ago. So all hands on deck at that point."
"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.
Utley shared a copy of her letter with WCNC Charlotte Wednesday. In the first part, she shared she's thankful for everyone's prayers and support during this difficult time. The rest of her letter is directed toward Dunmore.
"My sister loved you unconditionally," the letter reads. "Your lies and the deceit have a funny way of catching up with you, and just when the veil had been removed from my sister's eyes ... she started to see the real you! Is that what made you snap?"
Dunmore has not been charged with anything at this time. Utley ended her message to him by saying it all could've been prevented.
"You could've just simply walked away and we would still have our beloved sister, daughter, friend, and devoted activist for our community! You reap what you sow and so shall you reap!"
She signed the letter as her sister's keeper. Utley also wanted to point out that the family doesn't have a GoFundMe page set up for Watts, nor do they plan to start one. She says while other organizations have solicited donations, Utley warned none of those have been organized by the family of Allisha Watts.
Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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