"I mean it just boggles the mind," says retired Capt. corner of Clinton Ave. and Van Ness Place. Investigators suspect that Lester Eubanks may be using the alias Victor Young. Marshal David Siler told Rolling Stone, Its one of those cases that you cant put down. For the seven years Lester Eubanks was in jail, he acted like a model prisoner. I think we were probably fairly close to Lester at some point, but the tips and the technology just didnt make it where we could get close enough, said Conner. The .gov means its official. Erin E. Murphy, a law professor at New York University, said she also believed the circumstances of the Eubanks case may allow for DNA to be used in a national fugitive search. Marshals hope DNA from Lester Eubanks' biological son will present new leads. Lester A. Eubanks Newark resident Lester A. Eubanks, 97, departed this life on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, at home. https://t.co/G9Ve0bpFv2. I think hes probably still alive. ET After convicted murderer Lester Eubanks escaped from prison during the winter of 1973, his case wasn't brought to the public's attention very much again until a 1994 episode of America's Most Wanted . The 1994 TV episode certainly helped, as hundreds of calls come in with promising leads pointing to Northern California. Lester Eubanks (born October 31, 1943) [1] is an American criminal and fugitive who escaped prison in Ohio in 1973 after being jailed for the murder of 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener. "My mom called me crying that the sheriff had called her and told her that he'd escaped.". [4], As of 2022, Eubanks was still listed on the United States Marshals Service's 15 Most Wanted Fugitives list. Volume 2 of Unsolved Mysteries brings us six baffling cases that have shaken the world to its core. Marshal David Siler, who leads a cold case squad focused squarely on capturing the convicted killer. The woman who ran the factory, Joy Springer, recalls that Eubanks was hired "right in the beginning of the waterbed era and we were going big guns.". It's quite repulsive; it's unfathomable. The case was fairly straightforward. Marshal Pete Elliott announced today.. Lester Eubanks was convicted in 1966 of the murder of 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener from Mansfield, Ohio. On the Ohio streets, he used to walk around with numb chucks in his hands, swinging them around wherever he went, and in prison, he mostly painted. Last edited on 20 February 2023, at 04:34, "Police close in on escaped child killer who's been on the run for almost 50 years", "The murderer who vanished: How one man walked away from a life sentence", "Prison Fugitive Featured on Netflix's 'Unsolved Mysteries' Sought in LA Area", "Has Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries" helped to solve any cases? His case received renewed attention when it was the subject of a recent episode of true crime documentary series "Unsolved Mysteries," released on Netflix in October. (U.S. Email ABC7 Investigative Producer Lisa.Bartley@abc.com, 3 Kansas City officers shot while executing search warrant, chief says, Roof collapses at nonprofit South LA clinic, causing $500K in damage, Video shows group of sharks in feeding frenzy off Louisiana coast. Eubanks conned his way into Christmas shopping and all but letting the justice system let him go free, through their apparent confidence that giving him a perfect chance to escape was a good idea. Powered by. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Art Rosenbaum, Georgia artist, musician, teacher, dies at 83. Marshals wanted poster. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or submit a tip using U.S. He loved watching and discussing everything sports and politics with his family and friends. "We know that he has a footprint there, we know that he has associates throughout the area, we just need to talk to those people," says Siler. Lester Eubanks May Soon Be Caught After Nearly 50 Years on the Run By Chrissy Bobic Mar. On November 30, 2017, Lester A. Eubanks entered into his ultimate resting place at the age 97. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Submit a tip. After reviewing recently obtained photographs that allegedly show Eubanks working and socializing with people in Los Angeles County including a former waterbed factory in Gardena the Marshals Service began focusing their investigation there,U.S. He believes his late mother was raped by Eubanks. Still, Kaye said, there is room for exceptions. Marshals Service number: 866-4WANTED (866-492-6833). He thoroughly enjoyed bowling and spent many years on a bowling league. Anyone who has information on Eubanks is asked to call the U.S. Lester Eubanks showed no remorse, and he never even attempt to apologize for his actions to the jury or Mary's family. Lester grew up with ElizabethDudley fell in love and eventually married her. In today's era, it would just never happen." According to the Rolling Stone, while Eubanks was allowed to go Christmas shopping on good behavior at a local mall in Columbus Ohio, he evaded the guards as their designated meeting time and escaped. In Netflix's volume 2 description for Unsolved Mysteries, they say, Perhaps viewers hold vital clues that will help solve these mysteries. "They hadn't even putout a locator or warrant for him and I got that reinstalled in the computer system for all of the United States," he said. Siler said in 2017, Theres been periodic leads and tips that have put him in different places.. CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Lester Eubanks once sat on Ohio's death row for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Mansfield. The investigators on the case followed that up by questioning everybody who came to see him, from his family to his associates, but none of them gave up any information. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! While the Ohio Department of Corrections immediately listed Eubanks as a fugitive, it would take decades for federal authorities to do the same. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lester A. Eubanks please visit our, Blessed Sacrament St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church. According to the professionals, Lester Edward Eubanks can be anywhere in America right now from Texas, Washington, Florida to Alabama. The bus that he was on was stopped by law enforcement officials on the interstate lines, and Lester did think that his freedom was over, but he got lucky yet again. Im a Christian and I trust God and I allow him to do what hes going to do in my lifeIt doesnt consume me, but it bothers me that hes still missing, that hes still free and took her innocent life. He said in October that the marshals service had no information on Eubanks' whereabouts, and no tip from the public is too small. Whether the DNA sample would produce solid new leads is impossible to predict. Kaye said the federal law that led to the creation of the national DNA database does not prohibit searches using genetic samples from relatives. It is scientifically plausible that a comparison of a biological sons DNA (if he is a genetic son) to unsolved profiles would turn up hits if the father had been the source of a crime scene DNA sample, Greely said. Capt. "You know, a little girl. It's just so disgusting, so unjust," Siler said, KABC reported. That same year, an informant helped the police in figuring out that Lester was in Alabama shortly before that, in a center for troubled people, and working as a house painter. Eubanks was living and working in Los Angeles under the name "Victor Young" after his 1973 escape from the Ohio State Penitentiary, where he was serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of. (U.S. "This is one of these cases that you go to bed with, it's one of these cases that you wake up with. Dwayne Heard, Atlanta entrepreneur, dies at 67. Lester leaves to mourn and carry on his legacy of support and love of family onto his sons Michael, James & Vincent Eubanks; daughters Sheila Pugh and Catherine Eubanks; his daughter in law Norma JeanBrown of Toms River; 11 grandchildren; 19 great grandchildren; sisters Leora & Helen Eubanks, Madelyn Hicks and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins andfriends. In fact, the authorities couldnt even figure out how Lester had managed to escape so quickly. "We continue to fight for her so that someday she will get justice when we're able to put Lester Eubanks in custody.". Audrey C. Eubanks Obituary We are sad to announce that on February 27, 2023, at the age of 76, Audrey C. Eubanks of Lucedale, Mississippi passed away. Marshals believe DNA collected from escaped child killer Lester Eubanks' biological son could be the key to unearthing new clues to the fugitives identity or location. Lester Eubanks grabbed Mary Ellen as she walked along the sidewalk. Lester Eubanks, one of America's most notorious fugitives, didn't need a hacksaw or a wooden gun or barter to escape confinement. An interview with David Siler, who has been working the case since 2016. MANSFIELD - Convicted child killer Lester Eubanks of Mansfield is being sought in the Los Angeles area after being convicted of killing a 14-year-old Mansfield girl in 1965 and walking away. She was 14. 3 min read. She graduated from Lucedale High School in 1964. The last she knew, she admitted, Lester was in Gardena, working in a mattress manufacturing factory as Victor. He escaped from the state Department of Corrections on Dec. 7,1973, while on an honor furlough to go Christmas shopping unescorted with other inmates as a reward for good behavior. As head of the Detective Bureau of the Mansfield Police Department, he started digging into Eubanks disappearance in the early 1990s. After nearly 50 years on the lam, authorities believe they are closing in on convicted murderer and prison escapee Lester Eubanks, who was recently featured . He loved watching and discussing everything sports and politics with his family and friends. "We're looking for any information to his life on the run or the history of his life on the run," he added. "We're just hoping for that one, one piece of the puzzle that's going to get us to his front door," Siler tells Eyewitness News. HandoutMary Ellen Deener was shot and bludgeoned to death when she was 14 by Lester Eubanks. For decades, investigators suspect he has been "hiding in plain sight," using a series of false identities for years to remain undetected, ABC News reported. That bothers me.. Deputy U.S. Messmore said his parents operated TheFairmont Dairy Store and he and his parentsknew Deener's mother and the family who were in the store frequently and lived nearby. Marshals Service Tips. "We would take the whole crew to lunch at Shakey's Pizza," says Springer. Marshals seeking info on convicted child killer Lester Eubanks, Lester Eubanks case to be featured on Investigation Discovery, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. It is suspected that he is still alive today. But Greely said a search could be worthwhile. After the sister alerted their grandmother and the two found the police around Deeners lifeless body. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, His case was the subject of an episode of Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries. One of the U.S. Marshals 15 most-wanted fugitives, authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for his capture, the agencys highest ever. ", "Any information that can get us to that front door, get him in custody," says Siler. There were no services for her, but it was requested that if anyone wanted to do something for her or help in keeping her memories alive . Lester grew up with ElizabethDudley fell in love and eventually married her. Eubanks could have faded from public consciousness, but he was back in the news on Dec. 7, 1973, after escapingwhile Christmas shopping in Columbus on an honor assignment. He was born January 26, 1999 in Athens. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. Then, realizing that it was somewhat safe, he got somebody to pay for his bus ticket to California. He was asked to meet back at a specific time and place near the mall when he was finished. In 1973, convicted child murderer Lester Eubanks escaped from prison. Crestview Funeral Home, Memory Gardens & Cremation 1623 Highway 109 N Gallatin, TN 37066 (615) 452-1943 She was born June 25, 1944, to Wilford O. Bashaw and Florence W. Wilson, in Grafton, Vt. She married Bud L . One person still hoping for a breakthrough is Myrtle Carter, the surviving older sister of Eubanks' victim, Mary Ellen Deener. Eubanks, 22, was sentenced to death, a sentence eventually commuted to. John Arcudi of the Mansfield Police Department. Marshals Service said on Saturday. He said protections could be imposed so the biological sons sample could only be used for the purpose of searching for Eubanks and nothing else. Because each states rules are different, the FBI prohibition is intended to take the approach least likely to run afoul of state laws. From their union of 43 years five children were born: Michael, Sheila, James, Vincent and Catherine. Marshals offer record reward for fugitive Lester Eubanks, U.S. "Unsolved Mysteries" volume 2 is released on October 19 on Netflix. Deputy U.S. Someone whos like, I know that guy.'. The duo teamed up to check out a mattress factory in Gardena, California where an anonymous source said Eubanks worked. The U.S. He was just out there on his own and nobody seemed concerned about it.. Eubanks, who now is in his mid-70s, was described as a 5-foot-11-inch male with black hair and brown eyes. Marshals Service tipline at 866-4-WANTED. Monday, retired Mansfield police Det. "Unsolved Mysteries" season 2 releases on October 19; one of the episodes features the murder of Mary Ellen Deener. For Deeners family, that day in December nearly paralleled the night of 1965. After his military years Lester worked at General ServiceAdministration (GSA) where he retired. 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