Charlotte police say they suspect foul play in the disappearance of Nikki McPhatter, a 30-year-old US Airways ticket agent last seen May 4.
A surveillance camera at a Wachovia bank branch on Farrow Road in Columbia showed two men trying to use McPhatter’s bankcard on May 6, the same day Police say she called a friend on her cell phone saying she was out of gas.
The friend told police McPhatter didn’t answer her phone a short time later.
Because of new evidence, police say they’ve assigned more resources to the case. The homicide unit is now working with missing person detectives, the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team and the FBI.
McPhatter was last seen leaving her northwest Charlotte home. Police issued a missing person alert one week later.
Police described the two men as “subjects of interest,” according to the Charlotte Observer. They were in a gold Buick.
Police say investigators have received several reported sightings of McPhatter’s car – a 2003 black Honda Accord, N.C. license plate “PHATTAH” – in the Charlotte area in recent days.
Several of McPhatter’s friends were guests on WBT’s Keith Larson radio show Wednesday. They said McPhatter was close to her grandmother, who lives in the Charlotte area, and would not have left her without notice.
Police say all leads are being followed, including numerous interviews with family members and co-workers, multiple Crime-Stopper tips and the “extensive processing” of McPhatter’s home and property.
Anyone with information about McPhatter or the location of her car is asked to call a 24-hour hotline police established for the case: 704-336-6034. Callers will speak with a detective.
McPhatter is African American, 5 feet 5 and 150 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.
