Dumas native, reality TV show star charged with murder of cellmate

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - A Dumas man who found fame on The Discovery Channel’s show, Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch, is charged with open murder after his cellmate was found dead at a Las Vegas jail.

According to a release from Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, officers at the Clark County Detention Center were conducting routine checks on Friday evening when they discovered a male inmate “lying motionless inside a cell.”

The release says officers immediately gave the inmate medical attention but he was declared dead at the scene.

Through an investigation, detectives with the LVMPD Homicide Unit learned of an altercation between the victim and 41-year-old Chad Aaron Ollinger.

Detectives took Ollinger into custody and re-booked him for open murder.

The release did not name the victim or the cause of death, referring those interested to the Clark County Coroner’s Office.

Ollinger is the son of Duane Ollinger, an oil and gas entrepreneur who is the owner of the Blind Frog Ranch in east Utah.

Amarillo police arrested Chad Ollinger in November 2024 for evading arrest with a vehicle. In that incident, Ollinger fled police on his motorcycle and foot.

The charge was filed in Potter County and a grand jury indicted him in January.

Ollinger was also booked into Gray County jail on a charge of driving while license invalid in February.

In July, Ollinger was reported missing in New Mexico by family. He was entered into the National Crime Information Center as a missing person but was located in Albuquerque, New Mexico a short time later.

Jail records from Clark County show that Ollinger was arrested on October 27 and booked into the Las Vegas jail for contempt of court.

He was sentenced for the contempt charge on December 18. The records show he was scheduled for release on January 12, 2026.

Ollinger’s next scheduled hearing is December 30.

He is currently held without bond.