Reality TV star Chad Ollinger was booked on suspicion of murder after his cellmate was found dead at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas.
Correction officers were conducting routine checks around 11:20 p.m. Friday when they found Ollinger’s cellmate “lying motionless inside of a cell,” according to a statement released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
The Clark County Coroner’s Office identified the cellmate as Christopher Kelly, 42. Kelly was “suffering from apparent blunt force injuries” and “was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the statement said.
Investigators discovered that “a physical altercation occurred” between Kelly and Ollinger inside the cell, leading to Ollinger being “rebooked for Open Murder,” according to the LVMPD.
Ollinger, 41, starred in Discovery Channel’s “Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch,” which first aired in 2021.
He was arrested and taken into custody in Nevada on Oct. 27 after being identified as a fugitive from another state, according to Clark County Detention Center records.
Ollinger’s Clark County inmate records Monday said he was being held for alleged “open murder,” as well as the fugitive allegation, and that he was scheduled to appear in court early Tuesday.
The Clark County’s Office of the District Attorney did not immediately respond Monday to a request for more information.
The Clark County Public Defender and a lawyer listed as Ollinger’s defense counsel in a Texas case from 2024 did not respond to requests for comment.
Court records state Ollinger refused to be taken to court Oct. 30 and refused extradition on Nov. 3 in connection with the fugitive allegation. The origin of Ollinger’s fugitive allegation was not made clear in Clark County court and jail records.
He was found to be in contempt of court in Clark County on Dec. 18 for reasons not made clear in his court docket. No legal representatives of his are listed in the docket.
In late 2024, Amarillo, Texas, police alleged that Ollinger led officers on a motorcycle and foot chase that ended with his arrest, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
He was charged with third-degree felony evading arrest in the case, which is yet to be resolved, according to court records in Potter County, Texas. An Amarillo police spokesperson said a department response with more information about Ollinger’s Las Vegas cases may be pending.
Warner Bros. Discovery did not respond to a request for comment about the situation.
The reality show personality’s father, Duane Ollinger, owns Blind Frog Ranch in eastern Utah, where the Discovery show is filmed.
The series follows the father-son duo as they explore the property in hopes of finding a fortune in gold.