A Florida woman has been arrested in connection with the alleged murder of her on-again/off-again boyfriend, who went missing earlier this month.
On Thursday, authorities issued arrest warrants for Caylen Deller, 30, and Tina Marie Lee-Ellis, 56.
According to Putnam County Police, Chad Mullen, 53, was last seen alive on September 9 and was on his way to a location near Deller’s business with whom he had an on-again/off-again relationship.
The women were arrested after Mullen’s body was found in Florida following a tip.
Mullen was reported missing by his family on September 15th, after missing his brother’s wedding in Texas.
“We were supposed to travel to Texas to be with family. That’s when I realized, ‘Okay, this is for real,'” Chad’s daughter, Hollie Mullen, told News4JAX. “At first, it seemed unbelievable. I was like, ‘He’ll just come back.'”
The body was discovered off the side of a rural road by a mechanic/equipment operator on a property about a quarter of a mile from the Putnam County line. The man said he noticed an unusual dirt pile which led to the discovery.
“We found him probably no more than 20 to 25 feet off of the side of the road into the front yard of the property,” Robert Rash told Action News Jax.
“It was just the location of the pile that made no sense because there’s no road going through there. There’s no drainage going through there,” said Rash.
Lee-Ellis turned herself in Thursday evening and was later charged with accessory to first-degree murder.
Deller was arrested in Volusia County and charged with first-degree premeditated murder using a firearm.
The investigation is still ongoing. Authorities say it’s unclear how long the women have known each other.
