Police in Oakland, California, have arrested 30-year-old Michelle McMullen, who disappeared from Harrisburg in September 2008 while police were investigating the theft of more than $2,000 from a Susquehanna Township church where she worked.
Investigators believed she took off — leaving her son behind — to avoid prosecution, while her parents said she was abducted.
McMullen's story was the feature of Investigation Discovery’s “Disappeared” in February 2010 that was shown in multiple reruns, and police say they received a tip from a person who had seen the show. The episode, titled “The Long Drive Home,” led the Oakland Police Department's Fugitive Task Force to McMullen's job at a beauty supply store.
She is being held in the Almeda County Jail awaiting extradition to Harrisburg to face charges of theft and forgery.
McMullen knew of the church-theft investigation weeks before she disappeared, Susquehanna Township police said. In September 2008, she drove her 6-year-old son from Louisiana, where she was attending school, to stay with her parents in Harrisburg while she finished her schooling. Her family reported her missing after she didn't return to school. McMullen's car was found in Hagerstown, Md., a little more than a week after she disappeared.
McMullen's mother, the Rev. Lillie McMullen, said that her family has remained "prayerful" during the time her daughter was missing.
After hearing the news that her daughter had been located, she said, "We're excited and we're thanking God that's she's been found alive."
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/01/police_in_california_arrest_mi.html
37 comments:
Well my friend took her in and believed in her out here in Cali, she lied as to who she was and my friend employed her @ her shop. She has done my hair many times, I don't like this at all and I am happy she has been captured!
I have seen the show several times on ID about her disappearance...how could she do this to her son and parents?
For a petty theft she left her child and parents to think she may be dead? Awful.
michelle had everything planned out from stealing the money down to her own disappearance for just $2,000. shes sick and doesnt realize her son needs her. i seen the show plenty of times and im glad shes captured.
She was actually charged with stealing $19,000, not $2,000 (per online news site Pennlive). As a first time offender and full time student she most likely could have plea bargained down to a lesser offense, made a repayment plan and gotten only probation (no jail time). She should not be on any missing person website, only fugitive websites. She is the type of person that makes it that much more difficult to get police and public help finding genuine missing persons. Everyone will remember the scam she pulled on her family, child, and the public. That is what makes the public skeptical about missing adults, and to me that kind fraud should be a chargeable offense. She should be very ashamed of herself, but I'm sure she is not. She is too selfish to feel shame or remorse.
Sick Ass Woman ! I knew watching that episode she had deserted her son, made me sick. There are REAL missing people. They should also bill her for the poilce hours spent looking for her no good lousy ass
Let me start by saying that I'm glad she was found alive. If you're feeling sorry for her, you might not want to read the remainder of what I'm going to write. This chick is a criminal...and the worst kind, one with no conscience who uses ANYONE in her path to further her cause. First of all, she's a thief. Secondly, she ABANDONED her child. She's led the police on a cross-country chase, which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars; and someone has to make restitution, one way or another. She committed fraud; she's had some aliases, she had to have duped folks out of money in order to live, and she hasn't paid the IRS a dime for those "under-the-table" jobs she had during her time on the run. ALL THAT for what was initially $10,000; which would have been a slap on the wrist! It doesn't make sense and I'd be interested to know what else was behind this stunt. Either way, I would love to see her prosecuted to the FULLEST extent of the law and doing some major time. She has set women, black women back MANY years with her foolishness. I feel for her son and the damage she's done to/caused him!
I had suspicions when I watched the show in 2010 and I never thought she was truly "missing." The parents seemed to be making lots of excuses and even they weren't believable. They seemed to be in denial. The police especially seemed to be on to her and never believed she was in danger. Silly girl. Her parents were like "oh, she's such a caring mother. she'd never leave her child..." That's exactly what she did. Plus, when she fled the hotel after being spotted they thought people were after her or something. Who'd want her and for what?! She was a criminal on the run. End of story.
I THINK THE FAMILY KNEW SOMETHING!!! THEY ALL WERE JUST TOO FAKE. SHE WALKED OUT THE SALON LOOKING LIKE MS. SUM DUMB FUM.
I knew it!! about 30 minutes in I said to my mom, "she's on the lamb!!!" The biggest clues were: What abducted person/case you ever heard of: 1. the victim parks their car in a low traffic area(what the heck was she doing out there, eRRRummm, madame, Louisiana is the other way west) who would stop her, much less drag or take her unwillingly, she looks a little too burley to go without a good struggle. 2. Who in the world drives alone with thier wallet resting on the front seat????3. 3. Doors were locked?? "Wait Mr.Kidnapper, Let's lock the doors please!!" 4. Scent goes cold after 30ft? 5. Sighting in WV!!! Come on I don't think all those ppl are confused. I believe likewise what some poster said above me; there is simply a little more to this story than what meets the eye....1st clue...Who in the heck bypasses all those decent/better/above quality HBCU's and Ivey Leagues to travel 1500 miles away to go to Grambling?? Full-ride scholors or fellows would skip that offer, especially with a kid?? The gas alone will exceed tuition. Have you seen Ruston, LA or Grambling...I have passed it at least twice a month on I-20 when i lived in Dallas and traveled home...I smell a rat!
She should get an episode on "I Almost Got Away with It"
So true Malcolm I said the same thing she had me feeling bad for her I wonder when was she gone. Bk I just wanna know what she was thinkn
LOL @Malcolm! Yes! & I agree that she's messing things up for people who are legitimately missing. What a shame that she would be so stupid & selfish. She has to be some sort of sociopath. I kinda believed she was really missing (because what normal person would leave their child for so long) but thought it was strange how the Dad was so defensive on Disappeared. & he said something like "people ask how can I be so calm in such circumstances.." Well now we know why! Shame on you Michelle & your crazy parents!
BTW I do remember the show Disappeared stating she stole $20k! I liar is also a cheater..is also a theif..!
How could she just leave her son he should have been her nimber one priority but guess not. She should loose all her visitation rights
I watched the piecce on her on the disapperance show; I was floored. I sat there in shock, listening to her parents adamantly believing and swearing up and down that their daughter must have been abducted. Even after the truth came out, they were trying to justify their daughter's wacky behavior. Something is wrong with her mentally. She made a mountain out of a mole hill by going on the lame for stealing $2000. I think she ran b/c she was ashamed and scared about what her parents were going to think. Crazy events, just plain old crazy!
You know, this is just sad! Some1 said it right in a previous comment! She is a selfish person who needs a psych eval. Cause she is clearly mentally ill! I have no respect for her! She is a thief and a liar! Can't get any lower! Wow! O stupid bitch! (Excuse me for my language but the more I think about wht she's done to her fam, friends, and BABY, I'm disgusted!)
Everyone's comments had me crying, tickled :) I love to hear what different people think. Letting her and the parents have it. Oh, it was not $2000 but $10,000-19,000; oh yeah, she was scared of getting locked up and becoming big bertha's b@#ch!
Typical @ Anon
(June 11, 2011 11:06 p.m.)
She is a sick and twisted individual. To leave her child? That's not a mother! Also my husband is a police officer, they have enough things to worry about...not some idiot who made it seem like she went missing! Also to say she lost her id in Hurricane Katrina really pisses me off...people lost their lives, homes, everything they've known and for some dumb bitch to make people feel bad for her to give her a job at that hotel...wow!
Maybe they'll let her do hair in jail!
I just seen the show for the first time last night. This story really hit close to home. I attended LA Tech University which is neighboring school to Grambling. I graduated in May of 08. You know how many times I've been on a road trip, while were on breaks....weekends. I-20 is a long dark highway...just the thought that something bad happened to this young black mother. While she was driving back to Ruston, leaving her young son behind. To later find out that this girl took her ass all the way to Oakland....I'm sure she had help planning this out.
What a selfish calculating individual. Wonder if she ever considered the shame her son might feel someday. Outrageous. Abandoned for a few bucks.
As heinous as her actions are, to bring race into it as an issue? Ignorant generalization of ONE persons act! Typical stupidity.
This was a waste of a tv show it is plenty of real missing mom not missing thieves I mean we complain about the news coverage for black women and they choose to do a show on a women that they knew was not missing just a waste if time could of been a slot for somebody worth trying to find Michelle is a disgrace to all please focus more on more black women and kids that are missing black white we all need justice and deserve to be found
Randy black people not the only people that do stupid shit so that was uncalled for yes it was dumb but really the name calling uncalled for go n pray for yourself focus on finding the missing other than calling people the n word and I guess typical is shooting up school is typical cause u mad with mommy n daddy your comment has pissed me off mr n word grow up
I wonder now that has been a year if her parents have accepted that it was her and what has happened with her charges?
Just saw the episode of "Disappeared" and it seems to me that Michelle was thriving well, considering her size. I think her parents need to come to grips with the fact that their daughter is not who they think she is. The poor son is the victim. Abandoned by father and mother. A simple crime has spiraled into a tornado of mess. What's the latest? Is faking your disappearance a crime? Will she have to pay restitution?
What was her sentence?
Yes, has anyone heard of the charges/conviction she received?
Most def Michelle made decisions that devastated many... My prayers are for her young son who has to sort all this out in his lil' head. When u say ur prayer lift him up..
Watching this episode for the third time...and I an more disgusted now then the first time I seen it...I have a 4 year old son and I could never imagine leaving him behind for any reason...the irony behind this story is that she had no care for nothing else but her own selfishness...and now for her actions that poor baby has to grow up a statistic (motherless, fatherless, and left alone to figure out why? alone) because I'm sure his grandparents have not grasped on to who there daughter really is...this is sad and I'm glad they caught her...too bad she don't give a damn about the people she hurt along her thieving little ways, thats obvious! God please bless Jayden's life, mind, body, heart and spirit. Allow him the chance that his mother did not.
The mystery to me is did she steal the money so she had a bankroll to escape from her parents who seem like they could be one of those well meaning but clueless strict religious homes? Maybe her having a kid out of wedlock was her way of sticking it to her parents? And then running away was her final revenge? She must be messed up psychologically.
Or did she embezzle the money and then the fear of getting caught made her worry what her parents would think and she just wanted to disappear from their world? Either way she seems to have some psych issues.
I dont even care about the 19K but the amount of resources and time she wasted.
Crazy ol woman! Feel bad for her son. He didnt deserve this
This is to her parents - yall are freaking idiots - just watched the "Disappear" series on your case - She is a loser and abandoned her kid and your taking up for her and not believing stuff they are telling you - I actually laughed at the end when you just can not see what a loser she is and --- hanging flyers SHE WAS 90 MILES FROM YOUR HOUSE UNREAL
I just watched this on ID... WOW her parents pissed me off, just realized that your child is no angel & deal with it. A lot of parents are in denial about their children. Yes they might have come from you (the parents) but somewhere along the way she went south and abandoned the morals she was taught as a child...
ALL THIS FOR 19K ARE U KIDDING ME??? Like i saw in one of the earlier mentions she would have gotten a 1st time offence charge which woulda been nothing... probably a repayment plan... NOW i think they should lock her ass up for at least 7 years let her ass sit and marinate behind prison cells for what she's done to her poor son.... Many people are dying to have children and you abandon yours FOR NINETEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS in theft..... which at the time it was only reported to be 2 thousand... so technically this DUMB ASS CHICK ran away for something one could making working overtime in one month? c'mon Michelle
Sorry but her son doesn't need her. Not a woman like this. This isn't the kind of woman I would ever want raising a child.
Post a Comment