Michelle McMullen

Michelle McMullen also known as Danielle Jones, and Monique Watson is an American fugitive. She is infamous for leaving her then six year old son behind with a close friend in Pennsylvania to escape prosecution for a charge of theft by deception. She allegedly stole twenty thousand dollars from a Susquehanna Township church when she worked there as a receptionist for two years. She allegedly gave herself unauthorized pay raises and forged checks; using the money she stole to pay for her college education. Michelle was studying at Grambling State University in Louisiana, taking online classes while living in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but traveled with her son back to Louisiana to finish a few in-class courses. McMullen unknown to her parents suffered from "financial issues"; having to get a job as a crew member at McDonald's to keep up with her bills and other expenses. On a surprise day off from work Michelle decided to pack up her stuff and travel an eighteen hour drive to Pennsylvania, where she left her son with a close friend; paying her a small amount of money and giving her a hand written letter describing how she wanted her son to be cared for. Michelle then told the friend to not say anything to her parents until the next Tuesday. When the friend became worried she called McMullen's parents whom reported Michelle missing. They initially thought Michelle suffered a migraine while driving and crashed her car, or got into "the wrong hands" with someone she thought would help her after a possible car accident. Unknown to her parents Michelle drove her car until it ran out of gas in Maryland. Michelle left her: I.D., purse, credit cards, etc. behind in her car and apparently walked away. She made up a story once arriving to a Knights Inn in Pennsylvania; saying she was running from an abusive relationship and that her information had been lost in Hurricane Katrina. The employees there took her in as one of their own. She went by the fake name, Monique Watson, stayed in a room at the hotel, and worked there as a front-desk manager. She worked there until being spotted by a childhood friend; checking into the hotel. He called police to report a sighting but Michelle recognized him before he walked in; taking a pre-packed bag and fled out the back door. Michelle relocated to Oakland, California where she worked at a hair salon, under the fake name Danielle Jones. She originally worked there as a cashier but was learning "the tricks of the trade" from other employees at the store in cosmetology. Michelle once again made up a story that she was abandoned in Chicago with all of her identification missing. The employees there took her in as family and still look at her as family to this day. Through the work of private detectives Michelle was apprehended in January 2011.