Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch star Chad Ollinger is facing an open murder charge after his cellmate was found dead in their Las Vegas jail cell - just weeks after the reality star was sentenced and set for release.
The 41-year-old former TV personality was rebooked for murder after corrections officers discovered a male inmate “lying motionless” inside their shared cell at approximately 11:20 p.m. on December 26, according to a statement released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Officers immediately rendered aid and called for medical personnel, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police say the inmate had “apparent blunt force injuries” and that a physical altercation had occurred between Ollinger and the man before the incident.
The LVMPD Homicide Section is now leading the investigation, which remains ongoing.
From treasure hunts to criminal charges
Ollinger, originally from Dumas, Texas, rose to fame on the Discovery Channel’s Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch, where he joined his father, Duane, in the search for hidden Aztec treasure on their 160-acre Utah property.
The show described Chad as a risk-taker with grit.
“He doesn't have an ounce of quit in him,” Duane said in a Discovery bio, cited by the Daily Mail.
Chad even sold his crop-dusting business and family home to help fund their search.
Ahead of Season 4, the reality TV star told TV Insider he was aware of the risks involved.
“I don’t want to push it too far where I die,” he said.
“Though without risk there is no reward. I’m definitely going to keep pushing and putting myself in hairy situations, which you will see this season.”
But long before his December arrest, Ollinger was already tangled in legal trouble.
A string of arrests and a missing person case
Ollinger was first arrested in November 2024 after evading police on a motorcycle and on foot in Potter County, Texas, NewsChannel10 KFDA reported. He was later indicted by a grand jury in January.
In February, he was charged with driving while his license was invalid, and in July, Ollinger was reported missing by his family in New Mexico and entered into the National Crime Information Center.
He was found shortly afterward in Albuquerque, per The Independent.
Clark County jail records show that Ollinger was arrested on October 27 as a fugitive from another state and booked into Las Vegas’ Clark County Detention Center for contempt of court.
He was sentenced on December 18 and was scheduled for release on January 12, 2026.
Instead, just eight days after sentencing, his cellmate was found dead - and Ollinger now remains behind bars without bond.