Chad Ollinger, one of the stars of Discovery Channel’s Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch, has been charged with open murder in connection with the death of his cellmate in a Las Vegas prison.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a Saturday, December 27, press release that corrections officers inside the Clark County Detention Center found a male inmate dead inside a cell during a routine inspection on Friday, December 26.
Ollinger, 41, was subsequently rebooked by police detectives on a charge of open murder. An investigation into the cellmate’s death is ongoing.
Corrections officers “observed a male inmate lying motionless inside of a cell” at around 11:20 p.m. local time on Friday, the LVMPD said in a press release. “Officers made entry and observed the inmate was suffering from apparent blunt force injuries.”
Ramey Photo/Mega Agency; Miles Crist/Netflix When a true crime case is making headlines, there are usually multiple programs covering the same subject within months of each other. Not every duel release is intentional, but topics such as Sherri Papini‘s kidnapping case and Erik Menéndez and Lyle Menéndez‘s infamous murder trial are great examples of multiple […]
“Officers immediately rendered aid to the victim and requested for CCDC medical personnel to respond, but unfortunately, he was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the statement continued.
LVMPD homicide detectives said they “learned a physical altercation occurred between the victim and Ollinger inside of the cell,” prompting Ollinger to be booked.
Online records viewed by Us Weekly show that Ollinger is scheduled to have a hearing on the open murder charge on Tuesday, December 30.
Ollinger was already in detention on two charges following an arrest on October 27, per records viewed by Us. In October, Ollinger was charged by Nevada police of being a fugitive from another state and for contempt of court. He is scheduled for a hearing on the first charge on February 5, 2026. Ollinger was sentenced on the contempt of court charge on December 18 and is scheduled for release on that charge on January 12, 2026, according to the online records.
Ollinger was previously arrested in Texas in November 2024 after allegedly running a stop light in view of an unmarked police vehicle, TMZ reported at the time.
According to the outlet, Ollinger ran a stop light while riding a black Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Police officers attempted to pull him over, which he allegedly refused, resulting in a brief pursuit.
Per TMZ, Ollinger allegedly attempted to ditch his bike and gave chase on foot. He was eventually caught, arrested and charged with evading arrest/detention with a vehicle and evading arrest/detention on foot.
“All I know is this one thing. It was a hell of a ride until I got off of that Harley crossbone,” he said in a statement to TMZ at the time after posting bail from a local county jail.
Ollinger has appeared on all five seasons of Discovery’s Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch, the latest season of which aired between June and August.
Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch, which premiered in 2021, follows Ollinger and his father, Utah ranch owner Duane Ollinger, in their pursuit of uncovering buried gold they believe to be buried underneath their property.
According to a profile on the Discovery Channel website, Ollinger is married with four children.
