After being reported missing for several weeks, a South Carolina woman was discovered dead in North Carolina.
According to WSOC-TV, the body of 22-year-old Ta’haley Payton was found near a park on Monday, Dec. 16. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department confirmed that the body was found in a park near Uptown Charlotte. She was last seen on Nov. 20.
Payton’s family told the media outlet that she went to Charlotte to be with her boyfriend to celebrate her birthday. The couple reportedly argued at the Microtel Inn & Suites in North Charlotte, and he drove away without her the next day. Several local workers stated that they saw her that night.
An employee from a cookie store, Emily Stewart, witnessed the interaction. She said Payton went into the store around 5 or 6 that evening looking for help.
“I don’t know, it’s just wild, it’s wild. It was very weird how she came in multiple times,” said Stewart. “She just asked to use my phone and I just handed it to her. She said her boyfriend kicked her out of the car. He was found with some other girl, and she needed a ride.”
She said Payton called her mother and returned to the store twice to use the phone.
“It turns out she also messaged her boyfriend from my phone. I guess she said, ‘I’ll sleep outside tonight, and I’m sorry for everything,’” Stewart said.
Employees at a nearby Arby’s and Trader Joe’s saw Payton; according to her family and friends, they never heard from her after that night.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said no cause of death has been determined yet, but the case is classified as a homicide investigation.
The NC Beat reported last month that Payton’s boyfriend, 25-year-old Setoby Armstrong, was arrested for DUI and for failing to stop for blue lights after fleeing police officers who tried to stop him.
One of Payton’s friends has set up a fundraiser, “Ta’haley Payton: In Memory and Support,” to help bring the body home and cover funeral expenses.
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