Man Charged With Murder Of Missing Single Mom Who Had A ‘Laugh That Lit Up The Room’

A man has been charged for the murder of a missing North Carolina mother, who is now presumed dead after vanishing around Thanksgiving.

Emily Montgomery, 26, was last seen the night before Thanksgiving at her home in Apex, near Raleigh, according to a Dec. 1 release from the Apex Police Department. After her disappearance authorities issued a Silver Alert, which indicates a person may have a cognitive impairment.

The hope of finding Montgomery alive ended on Wednesday when Jose Carlos Jacome-Granizo, 29 was arrested in connection with her death, local outlet WNCN reports. The Raleigh, North Carolina man has been charged with first-degree murder.

Investigators believe that Montgomery, a single mother, was murdered on Thanksgiving or the day after. Her body has not been found. An arrest warrant obtained by WNCN alleges that Jacome-Granizo planned to kill her in advance. While investigators have not established their relationship, friends and family have told news outlets that the two dated casually. 

Montgomery’s presumed death leaves her 5-year-old son without a mother. The missing mom's friend Courtney Pearson told WNCN that her “pure and honest” pal adored her son.

“If you knew Emily, you would see beauty, strength, light, love, compassion,” her mother Amy Montgomery told WNCN in a statement. "She was fierce. She was sassy. She was honest, sometimes to a fault. She was loyal. She had a smile and laugh that lit up the room.”

Jacome-Granizo has previously been charged with assault with a deadly weapon, intent to kill, and assault on a woman in 2016. It is not clear if he has a lawyer. He faces life in prison or possibly the death penalty if he is convicted of first-degree murder for Montgomery’s death.