BOCA RATON, F.L. (WKTV) - A Florida man has been charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, and authorities believe he has connections to Central New York.

Christopher Sharpe has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Pamela Powers.

According to WPTV, the NBC affiliate in West Palm Beach, records show Sharpe, before living in Florida, had at one time or another lived in Central New York at numerous addresses throughout the Utica-Rome area, including:

*Churchill Ave, Utica
*Varick Street, Utica
*Canal Street, Rome
*Steuben Street, Utica
*Washington Street, Utica
*Madison Street, Rome
*Kennedy Plaza, Utica

The police investigation began after Powers, had gone missing for more than two weeks. Powers' roommate, Luis Ospina, reported her missing, telling them Powers had left to go to a Halloween Party, and more than two weeks later, had not returned.

Ospina had told WPTV and other news organizations that Powers was a former Playboy Playmate.

A spokesperson for Playboy Enterprises has said that Powers was not a Playmate. A Playmate is described by the company as one of the featured models for a particular month (i.e. Miss January, Miss February, etc.)

A "Pamela Powers" appeared in a May 1971 pictorial in the magazine called "Bunnies of the New York Club." However, with the victim's birth year listed as 1963, this would have made her roughly 8 years old, and thus not old enough to be the model in that particular magazine.

If the victim had appeared in a pictorial at some point in the magazine's history can not be confirmed by Playboy Enterprises, as the birth dates of those appearing in pictorials are not collected like those of Playmates are.

Investigators believed she may be with her ex-boyfriend, Christopher Sharpe, and say the couple had a violent past together. Powers reportedly had even had a restraining order against Sharpe after an incident in July, when a neighbor had to stop him from beating her up in the middle of the street.

Police, having knowledge of Powers' stormy and violent relationship with Sharpe, went to Sharpe's home, where he didn't answer the door.

Obtaining a search warrant, police returned and found Christopher Sharpe inside the house, along with Pamela Powers' badly decomposed body.

Police said Powers had been dead for quite a while and that there were obvious signs of trauma, but did not elaborate any further.

Sharpe was arrested without incident on November 18 and charged with first-degree murder. He is currently being held in the Palm Beach County Jail.

Boca Raton Police said they believe that Sharpe had ties to Upstate New York.

A check of Sharpe's past addresses placed him in Utica and Rome throughout the years, and Utica Police tell us he was arrested twice in this area as recently as 2004 - once for having a suspended license and driving without insurance, and another for a domestic incident.