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Ex-Boyfriend Arrested For Murder After North Carolina Mother's Body Is Found Across State Lines
Charles William Combs was arrested over the weekend following the slaying of LaPorscha Chantal Baldwin, whose body was discovered in a field over state lines earlier this month.
The ex-boyfriend of a North Carolina mother whose remains were recovered in South Carolina was arrested and charged with her murder late last week.
Charles William Combs, 35, was arrested over the weekend following the slaying of 30-year-old LaPorscha Chantal Baldwin, whose body was discovered in a field over state lines earlier this month. Combs was taken into custody by police on Saturday in Myrtle Beach.
Six days earlier, Baldwin had been reported missing from Gastonia by her family. Detectives later learned Baldwin had last been seen alive in Mecklenburg County; her abandoned vehicle was found on an interstate highway, according to local station WBTV.
On Oct. 14, Baldwin’s body was discovered by law enforcement in a field in Fairfield county, police said. A first-degree murder warrant was soon issued for Combs in connection with her death.
Officials said they suspect Baldwin was killed in North Carolina prior to her body being dumped in Fairfield county; the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has overtaken the investigation. The FBI, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office also assisted local authorities with the case.
The investigation remains open and ongoing and officials have not released any additional information this week.
Prior to the discovery of Baldwin’s body, the woman's family had desperately pleaded for her safe return.
“That’s all we want is her home safe and unharmed, that’s all we want is for her to come home to her family, especially to her daughter,” Baldwin’s aunt, Darlene June, told WBTV. “Whatever happened, she never made it to work.”
Baldwin mom said she had appeared in good spirits when they'd spoken to her shortly before she vanished.
“She wanted to know if I wanted her to DoorDash me and her daughter some food and I said no baby, we’ll be fine, you get off at six, we’ll be fine,” Baldwin’s mother told WBTV. “I said, 'I’m tired, I’m just going to go home, get some rest and I’ll see you when you get off.'”
Baldwin’s loved ones have since started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help cover funeral expenses.
“A mother and father who now has to bury their child at the age of 30 because of senseless violence,” the page states. Balwin leaves behind an 18-month old child, the page indicates, and it goes on to describe her as someone who “knew how to light up a room with her presence.”
“She was funny, she loved life and wanted to help those around her,” the page's author wrote.
Combs was booked into a Mecklenburg County detention center on Oct. 19, according to online jail records, and is being held without bond. He was previously transferred from J. Reuben Long Detention Center in South Carolina. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. It’s unclear as of Tuesday if he has obtained legal representation to speak on his behalf.
Anyone with additional information related to the open case is urged to contact Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Homicide Unit detectives at 704-432-TIPS or by submitting an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers by calling 704-334-1600
