Child killer who escaped prison in 1973 may have worked at Southern California hospital

More than 50 years after Lester Eubanks escaped prison, the U.S. Marshals Service released new age-progression photographs on Thursday with the hopes of finding the now-81-year-old fugitive. Officials say he was last seen in Southern California.

The backstory:

Lester Eubanks murdered 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener in Ohio in 1965, while she was walking to the laundromat. Eubanks was convicted in May 1966, and sentenced to death just days later. 

Eventually, Eubanks had his sentence commuted to life in prison without parole. In 1973, officials allowed Eubanks to leave the prison on furlough to go Christmas shopping. That's when he disappeared, and he hasn't been seen since.

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In 2016, the Marshals Service added Eubanks to their list of 15 Most Wanted fugitives. On Thursday, Marshals released new age-progression photos of Eubanks, showing what they believe an 81-year-old Eubanks would look like now.

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Credit: U.S. Marshals Service 

Dig deeper:

According to U.S. Marshals, Eubanks was last seen in Southern California in the 1970s. Officials said he was using the alias "Victor Young" and frequented Gardena, South LA, Long Beach and North Hollywood.

Eubanks may have also worked as a janitor at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood in the late ‘80s or early ’90s.

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There is a $50,000 reward available for anyone who has information about where Eubanks may be. 

The Source: Information in this story is from a press release issued by the U.S. Marshals Service on May 29, 2025, and the Marshals Service's online profile of Lester Eubanks.

Crime and Public SafetyOhioLos Angeles County