Mary Ellen Deener

On November 14, 1965, 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener was shot and beaten to death while walking to a laundromat in Mansfield, Ohio. Lester Eubanks, a 22-year-old man, was arrested for her murder after witnesses placed him at the scene. He was convicted and initially sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted to life in prison after the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily abolished the death penalty in 1972.

Eubanks was incarcerated at the Ohio State Reformatory and later transferred to other facilities. Considered a model prisoner, he was granted increasing privileges, including participation in an honor program that allowed unsupervised outings. On December 7, 1973, Eubanks was taken on an honor furlough to a shopping center in Columbus, Ohio to buy Christmas presents. He never returned. He simply walked away and vanished.

The escape launched a manhunt that has lasted over five decades. In 2018, the U.S. Marshals Service featured Eubanks' case on their '15 Most Wanted' list, bringing renewed attention. Deputy U.S. Marshal David Siler became particularly dedicated to the case, spending years tracking leads. Evidence suggested Eubanks may have lived under assumed identities in various cities, possibly including Los Angeles, where the trail went intermittently warm but never resulted in capture.

As of 2024, Lester Eubanks would be in his early eighties. The U.S. Marshals believe he may still be alive and continue to actively pursue leads. The case represents one of the longest ongoing fugitive hunts in American history and has been featured on multiple television shows and podcasts, generating periodic tips but no confirmed sighting.