Volume 2 of Unsolved Mysteries has only been on Netflix since October 19, and there is already a promising update about one of the cases. A U.S. Marshal has offered some encouraging words about justice potentially catching up to Lester Eubanks. Eubanks is the convicted murderer of Mansfield, Ohio teenager Mary Ellen Deener. The case is featured in Episode 3 of Unsolved Mysteries’ latest release.
Per the episode, Lester Eubanks confessed to murdering Mary Ellen Deener while testifying at his 1966 trial and was accordingly convicted of the crime. He was sentenced to death before a 1972 Supreme Court ruling on the death penalty led to Eubanks’ sentence being commuted. As Unsolved Mysteries explains, Eubanks became involved in a prison program that ultimately allowed him and fellow inmates to go Christmas shopping.
It was during that 1973 shopping trip that Lester Eubanks disappeared. Forty-seven years later, he has still not been located. Unsolved Mysteries’ executive producer Terry Dunn Meurer has said that she believes “Death Row Fugitive” is one of the cases featured in Volume 2 that can get solved. On that note, Brian Fitzgibbon of the U.S. Marshal Service gave this update on October 19, per USA Today:
He’s alive[.] I feel we’re getting closer. There’s nothing putting him in a place (location)[.] We're looking for any information to his life on the run or the history of his life on the run[.]
There you have it. The authorities believe that Lester Eubanks is alive, and they feel closer to zeroing in on finding him. That said, they are still looking for any tips or possible information about Eubanks’ 47 years on the run, which could presumably help them in locating him. Earlier this year, Unsolved Mysteries’ Netflix revival led to tons of tips about the cases featured.
On a side note, these updates did not come from the same U.S. Marshal featured in the Unsolved Mysteries episode focused on the case. Deputy U.S. Marshal David Siler was in “Death Row Fugitive.” The huge takeaway from U.S. Marshal Brian Fitzgibbon’s update is that Lester Eubanks is still alive. Unsolved Mysteries’ executive producer, Terry Dunn Meurer, considered the possibility he was not. Meurer told Esquire:
I feel like there are some solvable cases here. I think the Death Row Fugitive, somebody knows where he is or maybe he passed away, but somebody knows that. We can maybe get a solve.
Lester Eubanks is apparently alive, so that hopefully means it is just a matter of time before Unsolved Mysteries viewers learn if Eubanks is caught. So far, Eubanks and fellow Unsolved Mysteries Volume 1 fugitive Xavier Dupont De Ligonnès’ whereabouts remain unknown. If Eubanks is apprehended soon, it will be after Eubanks has spent nearly 50 years free.
Mary Ellen Deener was murdered by Lester Eubanks when she was 14-years-old. Eubanks is 76-years-old now, and has been on the run for more than half of his life. Unsolved Mysteries has undoubtedly improved the odds of Eubanks being brought to justice considering how many have watched the series on Netflix. The show is currently the #1 most-watched content on Netflix, per its daily Top Ten.
In one of the few cases to see definitive movement since Volume 1 released, Alonzo Brooks’ case has gotten updates. After Unsolved Mysteries premiered on Netflix, investigators announced they would be exhuming Brooks’ body in hopes of finding clues. Meanwhile, suspicions about “Mystery on the Rooftop” and fan theories about “Missing Witness” have continued to come in. A tip could lead to Lester Eubanks finally ending up back in prison.
You can watch the entire episode devoted to catching Mary Ellen Deener’s killer by checking out Volume 2, Episode 3 of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix. Volume 2 is one of this fall’s premieres. The first two volumes of Unsolved Mysteries are currently streaming on Netflix alongside lots of new 2020 content.
