Missing Mom Found Dead After Going to North Carolina for Her Birthday, Family Claims Boyfriend Left Her There Alone
Ta-Haley Payton, 22, was last seen on Nov. 20, according to police
Kelanie Davis/GoFundMe
Ta-Haley PaytonAuthorities confirmed the body of a missing woman who visited North Carolina for her birthday last month has been found.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said in a news release that authorities on Monday, Dec. 9. found Ta-Haley Payton, 22, dead at the 1100 block of Baxter Street.
“This case is now being investigated as a death investigation,” said the CMPD, which added the investigation in the case is active and ongoing. The department tells PEOPLE on Thursday, Dec. 12, that there is no additional information to share at this time.
Her cause of death remains unknown.
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Previously, police said on Nov. 28 that Payton was last seen in the 700 block of Charlottetowne Avenue on Nov. 20, and that family members were concerned for her "well-being and are seeking information on her whereabouts."
Family members said Payton, who was from Greenville, S.C., was visiting Charlotte with her boyfriend to celebrate her birthday, which was on Nov. 19, ABC affiliate WSOC and The Charlotte Observer reported.
According to family and friends, Payton and her boyfriend allegedly got into an argument at a hotel and the boyfriend drove back to Greenville without her, according to WSOC and CBS affiliate WBTV.
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Karlotta Payton, Ta-Haley’s younger sister, told WBTV that Payton was admitted to the emergency room for postpartum depression sometime after the argument but was then released. Eventually, she disappeared.
“Police somehow got involved with her, and basically said they wanted her to go to the hospital,” Karlotta said.
The sister described Ta-Haley as a dedicated mother. “She wouldn’t leave her daughter,” she told the station.
Emily Stewart, an employee at a Crumbl Cookies shop, told WSOC that Payton walked into her store asking for help on Nov. 20.
“She just asked to use my phone and I just handed it to her,” Stewart recalled. “She said her boyfriend kicked her out of the car. He was found with some other girl and she needed a ride.”
She added that Payton called her mother and then came back to the store two more times to use the phone, According to Stewart, Payton used the phone to also message her boyfriend.
"I guess she said I’ll sleep outside tonight and I’m sorry for everything,” the employee told WSOC.
Employees from a nearby Arby's and Trader Joe’s said they saw Payton that night, according to the station.
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A GoFundMe created by Kelanie Davis, who described Payton as a best friend, on behalf of the late woman’s family.
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“Her family is now facing the heartbreaking task of arranging her funeral, and we also need to cover the costs of bringing her back home from Charlotte,” Davis wrote in the fundraiser description.
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