A woman went missing since she allegedly was last seen visiting her boyfriend in North Carolina over a week ago, ABC News reported Wednesday.
Allisha Dene Watts, 39, was last seen on July 16 with her boyfriend of one year, who lived in Charlotte, Watts’ sister Stephanie Johnson said, according to the ABC News report. Watts, who lived in Moore County, was reportedly planning to see a comedy show at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte in the company of her cousin Gwendolyn Utley but did not show up, prompting Utley to report Watts’ disappearance to the police, per ABC.
Watts’ boyfriend was reportedly Utley’s neighbor, and the couple met when Watts visited Utley in Charlotte, the outlet noted.
Watts was last seen on July 16 in her black 2023 Mercedes Benz GLC 300, leaving a residence in Charlotte and possibly heading towards Moore County, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) said in a statement Monday. (RELATED: Police Find Remains Of Missing Ohio State University Student One Month After Disappearance)
Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Missing Person Unit continue to conduct an investigation into the disappearance of 39-year-old Allisha Dene Watts. This is an active and ongoing investigation. (1/3) https://t.co/7TEj46aSGC pic.twitter.com/UKB0xloJTq
— CMPD News (@CMPD) July 26, 2023
Utley said Watts’ boyfriend lived in that residence, per the news report. Utley was returning with her family from church when she saw Watts and her boyfriend emerging from the home and entering the car, according to ABC News footage of Utley’s interview with the outlet. Utley added that she expected Watts to show up later for the comedy show, but she never did.
“My cousin was a dedicated person. She would never not show up to her job. So when Monday approached and she never showed up to her job and her employer started calling, we knew for a fact it was something wrong,” Utley added in the ABC interview.
Watts’ vehicle was located on July 18 in Anson County, according to the police statement. Anson County is about 50 miles southeast of Charlotte.
Watts’ purse was found in her car, and her phone was found at her boyfriend’s house, Johnson said, per ABC. “She’s out there somewhere. Every day that passes by, we are less likely to bring her home safe,” Johnson reportedly said.
“Somebody knows something, and we want them to come forward,” James Johnson, CEO of the Racial Justice Network, said, while also criticizing the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police’s handling of the case.
The police are conducting “an active and ongoing investigation” and soliciting the public’s assistance, according to the CMPD’s tweets on the matter.