Escaped Murderer Believed To Be Hiding In Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, CA — He murdered a 14-year-old girl but walked away from prison barely a year into his life sentence. Now, the U.S. Marshals Service believes that Lester Eubanks, who has been on the lam for nearly 50 years, is a fugitive living in the Los Angeles area.

Eubanks is considered one of the most wanted fugitives in the United States. According to federal authorities, Eubanks escaped from an Ohio prison in 1973, a year after he was convicted of murdering 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener in 1966. Eubanks shot and bludgeoned the girl in what law enforcement alleged was an attempted rape. His death sentence was commuted to life in prison, allowing him to accompany other inmates on a Christmas shopping trip in December 1973. He failed to return to the designated pickup spot and has spent the bulk of his life as one of the Marshals Service's 15 most wanted fugitives.

But investigators finally got a lead on Eubanks this month. Investigators believe he was captured in photographs working and socializing with people in Los Angeles County. According to Deputy U.S. Marshal David Siler, Eubanks was spotted at a former waterbed factory in Gardena.

He might have lived in Gardena, South Los Angeles, Long Beach and North Hollywood at various times, Siler told ABC7.

Officials also believe he worked as a janitor at St. Francis Hospital in Lynwood in the late 1980s or early '90s, Siler told the station.

"We believe that he may have never left the Greater Los Angeles area," Siler said.

"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."

Siler has been chasing Eubanks for years.

"I think about this case every day and the little girl who was killed,” said Siler, who has worked the case since January 2016 when it was adopted by the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force cold case unit. “In law enforcement, there are cases that keep you up at night; this is one of those cases.

“Lester Eubanks has had a lot of time on the lam,” said Siler in 2018. “Fugitives on the run as long as Eubanks tend to use that time to change their appearance, use aliases, and even start new lives. He literally could be hiding in plain sight. This is why we are asking citizens to be vigilant and contact us with any information they believe will help us apprehend him.”

Officials said the new photographs were among the rush of tips that came in after ABC News ran a segment on the case for the podcast, "Have You Seen This Man."

Eubanks, who is in his mid-70s, was described as a 5-foot-11-inch man with black hair and brown eyes. At the time of his disappearance, he weighed approximately 175 pounds. Other unique physical characteristics include a mole under his left eye.

He may be using the alias Victor Young.

A $50,000 reward is available for information that directly leads to Eubanks' arrest.

Anyone with information about the case can contact 877-926-8332 or the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 866-492-6833, or tips may be submitted via the USMS tips app at www.usmarshals.gov/tips/index.html.

City News Service