CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- An Indian Trail man is charged with murder in connection to the disappearance of a Raleigh area woman.

Early Monday, police arrested 40-year-old insurance agent Michael Arthur Howell. Homicide Detective Sgt. Ricky Robbins said authorities have not recovered insurance investigator Sallie Rohrbach’s body.

Rohrbach, 44, of Angier, hasn't been heard from since Wednesday, the day she arrived in Charlotte. She was in Charlotte to investigate an administrative complaint filed against Howell at the Dilworth Insurance Agency. The North Carolina Department of Insurance, which employed Rohrbach, said it is not uncommon for such investigations to lead to criminal charges. It would not elaborate on the complaint under investigation.

Authorities said they believe Rohrbach’s slaying was “connected to her professional duties.”

Investigators said they decided to charge Howell because of evidence found at the South Boulevard insurance office, inside Howell’s car and inside Rohrbach’s car. They won’t say why they believe Rohrbach is dead.

Some of Howell's clients said the Department of Motor Vehicles sent them letters saying their auto insurance lapsed.

Christine Berry said, "I was very surprised."

Priscilla Marshall said, "Something didn't smell right. I just couldn't pinpoint it."

They said they called Howell and that he promised to deal with DMV for them. They never filed formal complaints against him, but they think other customers might have.

Eyewitness News spoke with one client who never had a problem with Howell. Damien Bailey said, "I never heard of any, any complaints. Anything wrong with him or with the place at all."

Police and the state Department of Insurance have not said why Rohrbach was investigating Howell's business.

Investigators were at the office until 3:30 a.m. Monday collecting evidence. They also spent hours collecting evidence from Rohrbach's state-owned Chevrolet Malibu, which was found Sunday morning at a Bojangles' restaurant at the corner of South Tryon Street and West Boulevard, less than a mile from the agency.

Shortly after the car was discovered, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department set up a mobile command center nearby and sent officers and Charlotte firefighters to neighborhoods to look for the missing woman. They also put the police helicopter in the air and brought out police dogs.

Ten investigators with the North Carolina Insurance Department, all of them licensed officers, also arrived in Charlotte late Sunday to help police go door-to-door searching for Rohrbach.

While investigators are still looking for the woman’s remains, the organized search effort has been called off.

Department spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson said Rohrbach was covering for another investigator when she went to Charlotte. She planned to return on Friday. Pearson said the department would have known if Rohrbach's plans had changed.

"(This is) the last thing we expected," Pearson said. "We just don't expect our people in the field to be put in this kind of danger. It been very hard on everyone."

"She was going down there for a very routine sort of examination of the agency, looking at their files. There was nothing whatsoever to give us any indication that she would be in any danger." Pearson said. "She did know that if at any point she felt uncomfortable, she could call in our law enforcement guys and she has done that in the past.

"But she gave us no calls. Nothing to lead us to believe she was uncomfortable in any way."

Rohrback's husband received an e-mail from her Tuesday, but no one had seen her since Wednesday, Pearson said. She missed an appointment with a field supervisor on Thursday. When no one had heard from her by Friday, police were called. Howell was the last person who reported seeing her alive.

Pearson said Rohrback's death has hit the agency hard.

"As far as the department goes, the first thing we're going to do is try to come together to ... get through it on an emotional level," Pearson said. "Secondly, we're going to continue her case. Sallie was a dedicated employee. She would have wanted us to finish what she started."

She noted the complaint was the first against Howell since he opened his business more than 20 years ago.

Those who know Howell said they’re shocked by the murder charge. Many people inside a coffee shop a few doors down from his business described him as nice, quiet and low-key.

“I used to go in there and talk to him all the time,” said former customer Lisha Barger.

They said they found the idea that he'd killed a woman hard to understand.

“I can't believe it. I'm really, really surprised,” said coffee shop owner Sandy Courtney. “I mean, he's reserved and quite. But, I mean, also seemed very nice and harmless.”

Among customers who found Howell's office closed Monday morning, they all said they didn’t see this coming.

“I talked to him last Friday. The guy, he told me to bring my paperwork up, and that's what I was doing (today),” said customer Nikki Robinson.

“And now you've heard he's been charged with murder?” asked Eyewitness News reporter Jim Bradley.

“Oh yeah, amazing. Like, wow,” Robinson said.

Howell will make his first appearance before a judge on Tuesday afternoon.