Escaped Killer May Be Hiding In Long Beach: Feds

LONG BEACH, CA — A convicted killer who escaped an Ohio prison nearly 60 years ago may be hiding in Long Beach, according to federal authorities.

The U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement Wednesday that Lester Eubanks was convicted of murdering a 14-year-old girl in Ohio in 1965, while out on bond for an attempted rape case.

Mary Ellen Deener was walking to a laundromat to help her family when Eubanks "brutally murdered her,"federal authorities said.

In 1972, Eubanks was found guilty of murder while perpetraing rape in connection with Deener's slaying, authorities said.

Although Eubanks was sentenced to death for the crime, it was later changed to life in prison, the U.S. Marshals said.

Eubanks was eventually allowed to serve his sentence at the Ohio Corrections Medical Center, where he was allowed outside prison walls for work, according to federal authorities.

During a shift on Dec. 7, 1973, Eubanks escaped and has eluded authorities ever since, the U.S. Marshals said.

Despite following up on hundreds of leads throughout the United States and internationally, federal authorities have not been able to locate Eubanks, the U.S. Marshals said. He is currently listed in the U.S. Marshal's 15 Most Wanted Fugitive list and there is a $50,000 reward out for anyone who can provide information leading to his arrest, federal authorities said.

Eubanks, now 81, was last seen in the 1970s in Southern California, including cities such as Long Beach, Gardena, South Central and North Hollywood, federal authorities said.

Authorities also believe Eubanks, who uses the alias "Victor Young," was also working as a janitor at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, California, in the late 80s or early 90s.

“Fifty-nine years ago Lester Eubanks was sentenced to death for the vicious murder of Mary Ellen Deener,” U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio Pete Elliott said in a statement Thursday. “ Even after 59 years the U.S. Marshals Service will not give up on this case until Eubanks is found, justice can finally be served, and Mary Ellen’s family can rest.”

In addition to a statement, federal authorities released age progression photos of Eubanks in hopes that it may lead to new leads from the public.

The U.S. Marshals ask that anyone with information on Eubanks' whereabouts contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 866-492-6833 or submit a web tip.