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Putnam County woman wanted for murder of ex arrested in Daytona Beach

Caylen Deller, 30, of San Mateo, owner of Stormy Stables in Putnam County, was wanted in the murder of her ex-boyfriend Chad Mullens.

According to law enforcement, a Putnam County woman wanted for the murder of her boyfriend was arrested Friday in Daytona Beach, less than two weeks after the man's body was found buried in Hastings.

Caylen Deller, 30, of San Mateo, was arrested Friday afternoon in Daytona Beach by the Volusia Sheriff's Office. Deller was being held in the Volusia County Jail on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder with a firearm in the killing of Chad Mullen. According to social media posts, Mullen was 52 years old.

According to a social media post from the Volusia Sheriff's Office, Deller was arrested after the Volusia County Crime Center alerted officers that she was traveling in the area.

A second woman in the case had already been arrested. Tina Marie Lee-Ellis, 56, of Satsuma, turned herself in to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office Thursday evening. Lee-Ellis was charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.

According to a social media post on the Putnam County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, Deller had “an on-again, off-again relationship” with Mullen.

Mullen was reported missing on September 15 after his family didn't hear from him for a week. A family member told officers the couple was no longer together.

Mullen was listed as a missing person on September 17th. Three days later, Putnam County investigators obtained a search warrant for Stormy Stables in San Mateo, which Deller owns.

According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Stormy Stables was also the last known location where Mullen's cell phone rang.

On October 28, Putnam County investigators received a tip that led them to an abandoned property at 852 Federal Point Road in Hastings. According to Google Maps it is an agricultural area.

Detectives, along with forensic assistance from the St. Johns Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the District 23 Medical Examiner's Office, dug through recently disturbed soil and discovered Mullen's body.

The coroner subsequently confirmed Mullen's identity and his cause of death was murder.

Investigators had already focused on Deller and Lee-Ellis before the buried body was found.

Investigators searched Lee-Ellis' home in Satsuma on Oct. 1 and found firearms, ammunition and methamphetamine. An affidavit said investigators found a 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol.

Lee-Ellis was not home at the time. She was charged Oct. 21 with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of methamphetamine.

The relationship between the two women is unclear and it is unclear how long they have known each other, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office said.

According to an affidavit, Deller was arrested earlier this year when she was charged with grand larceny of a “cattle class” commercial livestock animal. Deller was out on bail in the case and has a hearing next month.

The sheriff's office asks anyone with information to contact CrimeStoppers of NE Florida at 1-888-277-8477. Tips are anonymous.

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