Chad Aaron Ollinger, a 41-year-old star from the Discovery Channel series Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch, has been charged with open murder after allegedly killing his cellmate in a Las Vegas jail — just weeks before he was set to walk free.
The incident took place on Friday at the Clark County Detention Center in Nevada.
Corrections officers conducting routine checks discovered an unidentified male inmate lying motionless in his cell, suffering from apparent blunt force injuries sustained during a physical altercation. Despite immediate attempts to resuscitate him, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
The name of the deceased had not been publicly released at time of publication.
Ollinger, who shared the cell with the victim, was immediately taken into custody by authorities.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) homicide detectives investigated and determined that a fight had occurred between the two men inside the cell.
Ollinger was subsequently re-booked on a charge of open murder, held without bail, and is scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday.
The alleged murderer rose to fame alongside his father, Duane Ollinger, on the Discovery Channel show centered on treasure hunting and paranormal investigations on his supposedly cursed ranch in eastern Utah.
Ollinger’s mounting legal troubles began in November 2024 when he was arrested in Potter County, Texas, for evading police after fleeing on a motorcycle and then on foot. He was indicted on those charges in January 2025, only to be rearrested the following month in Gray County, Texas, for driving with an invalid license.
In July, Ollinger’s family reported him missing in New Mexico before he was eventually located in Albuquerque.
In October, Ollinger was booked into the Clark County Detention Center in Nevada on a contempt-of-court charge.
On December 18, he was sentenced to a short term with an original release date scheduled for January 12.
What was supposed to be the end of a relatively minor jail stay has now turned into a capital murder case that could keep Ollinger behind bars for life.
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