IN 2003 HE REPORTED HIS GIRLFRIEND'S DEATH ON CHRISTMAS EVE. 17 YEARS LATER, HE IS NOW CHARGED WITH HER MURDER.

A man who reported his girlfriend’s death on Christmas Eve 2003, now faces accusations of her murder 17 years later. 

The Columbus County (North Carolina) Sheriff’s Office announced the arrested of Curtis Tyrone Watson this week. He is from New York and charged with murder in North Carolina. 

On Christmas Eve 2003, 46-year-old Kathy Jean Jones was found dead in her Chadbourn, North Carolina, home. Watson was her boyfriend at the time and he found Jones inside the home, according to the sheriff’s office. He then drove to a police department and reported the discovery. 

Various police agencies investigated the case, but exhausted all leads. 

In 2016, the case was revisited and the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office featured the killing on its Facebook page. Additional tips came in and police identified Watson as a suspect. 

In recent years, Watson lived in New York and was indicted for Jones’ murder in January 2021. Investigators went to New York to try and find Watson. Officers determined he was living in a homeless shelter. 

Watson spoke to police in New York and then was taken to North Carolina to face the murder charge. He was given no bond during a court appearance. 

“Many investigators have spent countless hours reviewing this case, searching for Kathy’s killer. Columbus County Sheriff’s Office is proud to announce that this case is closed. The closure process can finally begin for Kathy’s family and loved ones,” the agency wrote in announcing the arrest.