Blood found in Jeep where missing Apex woman was last seen, warrants say

Police discovered a large amount of blood in the Jeep Wrangler owned by a missing Apex woman’s boyfriend, shortly after she texted a friend saying, “He is going to kill me first,” search warrants said Friday.

Officers have charged Jose Carlos Jacome-Granizo, 29, of Sumter Heights Court in Raleigh with first-degree murder, a crime for which he could face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.

Emily Montgomery, 26, was reported missing after her family hadn’t seen or heard from her since Nov. 25, the night before Thanksgiving, when she was last seen in her west Apex home, The News & Observer reported. The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons issued an alert for Montgomery, a single mother, on Dec. 2.

Warrants said Jacome-Granizo picked up Montgomery on the night of Nov. 25. The next day, Montgomery texted a friend that she and her boyfriend were not getting along, warrants said. According to warrants, one text message said, “She was going to kill Jose before he killed her.”

Later that night, warrants said, Montgomery sent another which said, “It is going to happen he is going to kill me first.”

On the same night, her mother received a text telling her Montgomery would be checking into detox, warrants said. Her mother doubted Montgomery would make such a statement without more explanation, warrants said.

Her mother told police Jacome-Granizo had a history of physical violence against Montgomery and that she had picked her up in September after he had beaten her up, warrants said.

Apex police questioned Jacome-Granizo on Nov. 28, and he said he had taken Montgomery to Thanksgiving dinner at his mother’s house in Cary but she refused to go inside because she hadn’t done her hair, warrants said. When he came back outside after 30 minutes, she was gone.

Warrants said GPS reports showed both of their phones were together after being at his mother’s house, first on U.S. 540 and then on U.S. 64. After showing up near her house in Cary, warrants said, Montgomery’s phone shuts off near WakeMed in Cary.

“This disproves Jose’s story that he was not with Emily when she left his parents’ home,” the warrant said.

Because he made those statements, police searched his Jeep, and a Luminol test showed large amounts of blood in the front seat, warrants said.

Jacome-Granizo is being held without bond in the Wake County jail.

“I’m devastated and just want to know where my baby is,” her mother, Amy Montgomery, posted on Facebook Dec. 5, before Jacome-Granzio was charged. “But I am reaching out to say I am most thankful for your prayers. They are the only thing sustaining me at this time.”

Court records show Jacome-Granizo with previous 2006 charges of assault with a deadly weapon with attempt to kill in Guilford County. Morrisville police charged him in 2015 with maintaining a dwelling for controlled substances, a felony.

This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 11:02 AM.