Escaped Michigan Inmate Found 37 Years Later, Living in California (PHOTO)
A Michigan woman on the run from authorities has been captured in San Diego after 37 years on the lam. Authorities announced the arrest of Judy Lynn Hayman, also known as Jamie Lewis, earlier this week.
Hayman escaped from the Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Michigan back in 1977. She had been serving a sentence of 16 months for attempted larceny and was only 23 years old at the time. Authorities have not said how she managed to escape and remain hidden for so long.
San Diego Police officials say that they received a tip from Michigan authorities, giving them the description and address of someone matching Hayman's description. When authorities arrived at the address, they discovered a woman who went by the name of Jamie Lewis. She provided them with several documents in that name. However, police took her into custody and she later admitted to being Hayman.
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Hayman's 32-year-old son was home at the time of her arrest and was "quite surprised" to learn about his mother's past, Lt. Kevin Mayer told Fox 5. "Her eyes gave her away. The eyes in the picture matched the eyes of this woman."
The son has refused to comment about his mother's past or present situation.
Mayer gives full credit to the Michigan authorities for never giving up on the search for Hayman, who will now be extradited back to the state to finish out her sentence and serve more time for the escape. She is currently being held in San Diego without bail. Throughout her time on the run, Hayman used several aliases, including Brenda Bushmer, Judy Singleton and Judy Lynn Kayman.
According to several reports, this is not the first time a Michigan inmate has eluded police for many years. In 2008, Susan LeFevre, who went by the name Marie Walsh, was arrested 32 years after escaping from the Detroit House of Corrections. She wound up being returned to Michigan, where she served one year in prison before being released.
"I commend them for their tenacity," Mayer said of the Michigan authorities. "This is a very old case."
