Missing Mom Found Dead After Going to North Carolina for Her Birthday, Family Claims Boyfriend Left Her There Alone

Mar. 15, 2025

Ta-Haley Payton.Photo:Kelanie Davis/GoFundMe

Kelanie Davis/GoFundMe

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Departmentsaid in a news releasethat 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.

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 affiliateWSOCandThe Charlotte Observerreported.

“Police somehow got involved with her, and basically said they wanted her to go to the hospital,” Karlotta said. According to the report, she was released from the hospital but eventually disappeared.

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.

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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.

source: people.com