Dateline: Secrets Uncovered - How did Michelle Mockbee die?

In May 2012, Michelle Mockbee, a mother-of-two from Kentucky, was found bludgeoned to death at her place of work in the early hours, within an hour after clocking in at work. She was found lying in a pool of blood and reportedly died from at least four major head injuries. Her arms were also broken.

An employee named David Dooley from the Thermo Fisher Scientific warehouse in Florence, where the 42-year-old mother worked, was later connected to the crime after being spotted on surveillance footage. Dooley was initially found guilty in 2014, but his conviction was overturned, leading to a retrial five years later, when he was once again convicted.

Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered is slated to revisit Michelle Mockbee's case in an episode titled The Early Shift. The synopsis states:

"Michelle Mockbee met her husband at the warehouse where they both worked; it was also where she met an untimely death; security footage led police to a suspect, but when it appeared justice had been served, a scandal turned the case upside down."

The episode will air on the channel at 7 pm ET on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

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Michelle Mockbee, a Kentucky mother-of-two, was found bludgeoned to death at her workplace

At the time of the killing, 42-year-old Kentucky mother Michelle Mockbee had been working at the Thermo Fisher Scientific warehouse in Florence for 16 years. Born Michelle Wahlen, she married Dan Mockbee, who also worked at the same company, in 2001, and subsequently had two daughters together, Madelyn, 7, and Carli, 10, when their mother was found dead.

According to reports, on May 29, 2012, Mockbee left for work early just like multiple other times she had done before. Sometime around 5:53 am, a surveillance camera spotted the 42-year-old entering the warehouse, and nearly an hour later, he was found dead in a grisly crime scene by a janitor and a company supervisor.

She was found lying face down in a pool of blood on a mezzanine on the second level about an hour later. She was bludgeoned to death; her arms and feet were restrained, and a plastic bag was wrapped over her head. She also had cuts on her wrists and ear. Further examination revealed that she suffered from at least four significant head wounds. Her arms were also broken.

Dan Mockbee, who was sleeping at home, was soon ruled out as a suspect after he passed a polygraph test. Detectives later discovered pry marks on the victim's office door, indicating that the killer might have tried to break into the room. At the time of the incident, there were at least 13 employees in the warehouse, all of whom became suspects in the case.

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David Dooley, an employee at the same company, was indicted in Michelle Mockbee's murder case

Further surveillance footage revealed that David Dooley, one of the employees who first discovered the crime scene, left the location for a brief period of time. His truck was spotted leaving the property at 6:31 am and returning about half an hour later, at 7. Authorities then found out that Dooley and his wife both worked at the company, but his wife failed to report to work that day.

When questioned, Dooley and his wife gave contrasting stories—the former alleged that he went home to check on his sick wife, while the latter first claimed that he never came home but later altered her story, telling authorities that he returned home to change his pants. He denied changing his pants.

With growing suspicions surrounding the couple's version of events, detectives further investigated them and found that they had been stealing from the company by checking each other in on their time cards for hours when they weren't at work. Since Mockbee was in charge of payroll, authorities believed it would be the perfect motive if she had found out about time cards.

Reports state that according to the medical examiner, Michelle Mockbee was killed with a weapon resembling an industrial packing tape gun.

Although the alleged murder weapon was never recovered, upon conducting a search of the Dooleys' home, authorities found that David's work boots were missing and also found a screwdriver in his locker, which was consistent with the marks found on the victim's office door.

According to Oxygen, prosecutor Linda Tally Smith stated,

"Our belief has always been that David Dooley was in the middle of breaking into her office when she came up the steps and surprised him and ultimately, she was assaulted and restrained."

David Dooley was first tried in 2014 and found guilty of Michelle Mockbee’s murder. But the conviction was overturned following legal complications when additional footage from the time of the murder surfaced. Dooley was retried five years later and was once again convicted of murder and tampering with evidence, receiving a 43-year prison sentence.

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Oxygen's Dateline: Secrets Uncovered airs on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.