Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police speak out for first time since disappearance of Moore County woman
MOORE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is speaking out about its investigation for the first time since Allisha Watts' disappeared more than three weeks ago.
Watts went missing from her Charlotte home on July 16. Two days later, police said they found Watts' boyfriend, James Dunmore, passed out in Watts' car after he attempted suicide.
In an interview, CMPD captain Joel McNelly told ABC affiliate WSOC that investigators had some evidence that at some point between July 16 when Watts was last seen and when her car was found, she left on her own.
"Yeah, yeah. There's evidence to suggest at some point, yeah, that she left on her own," McNelly said. "I can't get into the details, so that's kind of difficult. It's kind of a difficult question to answer. But I can say that at some point when we know her movements, yes, she's moving on her own."
ALSO SEE: Frustrations grow as search for Allisha Watts pushes into third week
CMPD said it believes she was on her way to Moore County at the time she went missing.
Following a search of Dunmore's home, investigators stopped short of calling him a suspect in the case. Previous police reports say Dunmore has a history of domestic violence and identified him as a person of interest in the case.
"You know, person of interest is kind of a -- it's a loose term show to somebody you're interested in. Mr. Dunmore is someone that we are interested in and have tried to talk to," Capt. McNelly said. "I think it's been widely reported that he was transported for a medical issue. I'm not allowed to say what I know about anybody's medical issues. But I can say emphatically that that has been a piece of this puzzle that we have considered very, very deeply."
According to McNelly, investigators do not know where Dunmore is located.
McNelly acknowledge the frustrations of family members and community members about the investigation.
"I'm sorry to those people that feel like that we haven't communicated directly or that clearly," McNelly told WSOC. "But I can rest well knowing -- and our entire chain of command can rest well -- knowing that quite literally every single thing if you can think of it, we've been doing it."
At this point, Watts' whereabouts remain a mystery and there have been no arrests or charges filed in the case.
CMPD also told WSOC in a statement that it does not believe Watts was abducted and is the reason a statewide alert was not issued.
SEE ALSO | Family of missing Moore County woman speaks about disappearance
