Records show 54-year-old Stephen Owen Schrader is in the Wake County jail charged with first-degree murder.
Carolyn Sue Fox, 74, was last seen at her home in the 6500 block of Turnipseed Road near Wendell.
Her remains were discovered in a shallow grave behind the home earlier this year.
Schrader allegedly told investigators his mom moved to the Philippines, but investigators determined she never traveled out of country or even applied for a passport.