A man has been charged with the murder of a missing 40-year-old Tamworth woman, even though her body has not been found.

Johann Morgan, 40, vanished from her Tamworth home on August 8, with her distressed family making emotional pleas for information on the “loving” grandmother’s whereabouts shortly after her disappearance.

They said it was unlike her to leave without contacting her loved ones.

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On Monday night, police arrested a 45-year-old man in Dubbo, more than 300km from where Ms Morgan was last seen.

Ms Morgan’s family exhausted all avenues to locate her before reporting her missing to police on August 16.

Police had said Ms Morgan left home without her wallet and mobile phone, and hadn’t accessed her bank accounts since her disappearance.

Two weeks after Ms Morgan went missing, police found a scorched Mitsubishi wagon, which Ms Morgan had access to, on the side of the Oxley Highway, 17km west of Tamworth.

Police investigating the case said in September they believed Ms Morgan may have met with foul play.

The 45-year-old man was charged with murder on Monday night.

He was refused bail and will face Dubbo Local Court on Tuesday.