The arrests come three weeks after a Robeson County judge legally declared Sara Graham dead earlier this month, more than 11 years after her disappearance.
Under North Carolina law, a missing person can be presumed dead if absent from their last known residence for seven or more years.
That ruling transformed the case from a missing person investigation into a homicide investigation, allowing authorities to pursue new investigative methods and resources.
During her first appearance Thursday, Connie Graham was denied bond.
All three suspects, Graham, Locklear, and McLellan, are being held in custody and have been moved out of the county for safekeeping, according to the sheriff’s office.