KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WXMI) — The boyfriend of a missing Portage mother has changed his plea in a case involving his alleged escape from a halfway house in Kalamazoo late last year.
Court documents say Carlos Vance Watts Jr. was staying at Kalamazoo Probation Enhancement Program on drug charges until he escaped Dec. 12, 2022, two days after 35-year-old Heather Kelley went missing.
Watts changed his plea to "guilty," according to court staff.
Deputies say Kelley told her eight children she would return home soon but never did. Her car was found abandoned in Comstock Township on Dec. 11. Kelley’s whereabouts remain unknown, and her disappearance is being investigated as a homicide.
Recent filings say Watts may have been involved in Kelley's disappearance. He has not been charged in that case, but federal attorneys say he met with his brother one day after Kelley went missing.
Watts is scheduled to be sentenced Friday, Nov. 3.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a $20,000 reward in exchange for information on Kelley’s location.
Kelley is 5-foot-8 with blond hair and brown eyes. She usually wears a silver heart-shaped necklace.
Those with information related to Kelley’s disappearance are urged to connect with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office at 269-383-8748 or the Portage Department of Public Safety at 269-329-4567.
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