By Barry Burch Jr.
Escaping from prison obviously does not end following the initial break-out. If anything, this is just the beginning. No one was clearer on this point than a woman who escaped from a Michigan prison almost 37 years ago. However, her fleeing from the authorities could not last forever and she was just recently found living under an alias in San Diego, according to a police statement released on Tuesday.
The woman who escaped is Judy Lynn Hayman. Though age 60 now, she was just over 20 when she walked away from the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional facility, 36 miles west of Detroit about halfway through her 16-month-sentence, as reported by The Huffington Post. Hyman is currently being held in a San Diego County jail awaiting extradition to Michigan. During the time of her escape, she had been charged and was serving time for attempted larceny said San Diego police Lt. Kevin Mayer. Whether Hayman has retained an attorney or received a court date, he does not know.
San Diego officers responding to a tip provided by the Michigan Department of Corrections went to an apartment where they found a woman matching Hayman’s description. The woman actually answered the door. When asked who she was, the woman responded, “Jamie Lewis” and proceeded to show the officers government documents with the name, said Mayer.
Despite the official papers in Hayman’s possession, officers could not surpass her sketchy story or the fact that she seemed to look so much like the woman in the mug shot.
“Her eyes gave her away,” Mayer said. ”The eyes in the picture matched the eyes of this woman.”
The officers decided to follow through on their suspicions and take Hayman back to the police station. Shortly after their arrival, Hayman acknowledged the woman in the mug shot was indeed her.
Though it is unclear just how long Hayman was living in her home in San Diego, Mayer claims her 32-year-old son who was visiting at the time of her recent arrest, seemed to be totally confused by the questions being asked.
“This seemed very much a surprise to him,” explained Mayer.
According to her neighbors, Hayman was a resident in the complex for several years and was somewhat of a recluse. Neighbor Maria Lopez, 60, told the U-T San Diego newspaper Hayman did not look as if she had a job. There were people who came to see Hayman and do things for her like her laundry, and her son would visit frequently, she said.
The evidence that led to the successful capturing of Mayer has not been revealed, but Mayor says he is amazed by the investigators’ ability to “put some dots together” with regard to their finding Hayman’s correct address after nearly four decades.
“I commend them for their tenacity,” he said. “This is a very old case.”
Barry is a student of life. Other than writing, he enjoys mathematics and philosophy. Reach him @ Barryburchjr@gmail.com