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Accused accomplice in premeditated murder of Putnam County father arrested

Chad Mullen's body was found buried at a property in Hastings. His ex-girlfriend is accused of killing him, and police say an accomplice has now been arrested.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A woman accused of being an accomplice in the murder of missing Putnam County father Chad Mullen has been arrested, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office shared in a press release.

Mullen's body was found buried on a Hastings farm property on Oct. 28.

PCSO announced Friday they had arrested Mullen's "on again, off again" girlfriend Caylen Deller, who had been a person of interest in his disappearance in September, and then named a person of interest in his murder. Deller is charged with first-degree murder, meaning police believe the killing was premeditated. 

Police says that the investigation zeroed in on Deller and her accused accomplice, Tina Marie Lee-Ellis, 56. Lee-Ellis turned herself into the sheriff's office Thursday night. She is facing charges of accessory to first-degree murder after the fact. 

Police say that Lee-Ellis used to work at the property where the body was found.

As part of the investigation, PCSO searched Lee-Ellis' home in Satsuma on Oct. 1. They found guns, ammunition and meth at the home, police said. Lee-Ellis was not there and was later arrested on Oct. 21, charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of methamphetamine. However, she was no longer in jail when police brought the accessory charges.

Police say they do not know how long Mullen and Lee-Ellis knew each other or what their relationship was, but they are continuing to investigate.

What we know about the investigation

Mullen was reported missing Sept. 15. 

Police determined Mullen had a "volatile on-again, off-again relationship," and were not dating at the time Mullen went missing.

On Sept. 20, PCSO served a search warrant at Stormy Stables in San Mateo, which is owned by Deller. They sent dive teams into ponds on the property multiple times but did not find Mullen's body. 

On Oct. 16, Mullen's family and PCSO announced they were offering a $15,000 reward for anyone who could help find Mullen. 

On Oct. 28, a tip led police to the property in Hastings, about a quarter-mile from the Putnam County Line, where they found recently removed dirt. Detectives and forensics experts dug in the recently moved dirt, uncovering Mullen's body. 

The medical examiner identified the body as Mullen, and determined his cause of death was homicide. Police say Mullen was killed by a gunshot. He was not killed at the place where his body was buried, but he was dead when the body was buried.

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