Crime Solvers Central
Crime Solvers Central
298 Cases Solved. Advancing justice for missing persons, unsolved homicides, unidentified and unclaimed remains.

Case Description

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Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP56760) and 7 other sources
In the spring of 1986, a 21-year-old man named Teddy Lynn Ellis vanished from Hominy, Oklahoma. On May 24th, Ellis, an inmate at the Dick Conner Correctional Facility, disappeared from the medium-security prison. At the time he went missing, he was described as a white male, standing 5'8' tall and weighing approximately 140 pounds, with black hair and hazel eyes. He has tattoos on both of his arms and scars on his forehead. The circumstances surrounding his departure point to an escape, and he has not been seen or heard from since that day.

Teddy Ellis was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder when he disappeared. In 1982, he was convicted in the shooting death of Dale Eugene Spurgeon, a hitchhiker in Cleveland County. Reports from the time indicate that on the day of his disappearance, Ellis, along with five other inmates, managed to escape the correctional facility by crawling through a storm water drainage tunnel. While one of the other inmates was eventually recaptured, Ellis and the others remained at large. His case is now one of several long-standing fugitive cases from Oklahoma's correctional system.

For decades, the whereabouts of Teddy Lynn Ellis have remained a mystery. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections still lists him as a wanted fugitive, and his case is considered unresolved. Despite the passage of time, law enforcement continues to seek information that might finally close this decades-old case. The lack of any conclusive evidence regarding his fate has left a lingering question for authorities and the public alike. The escape from the Dick Conner Correctional Facility marked the beginning of a long and frustrating search, leaving the story of Teddy Ellis without an ending.

Last Seen: May 24, 1986

Possible Unidentified Matches (2)

Unidentified remains cases whose details are consistent with this person, ranked by how closely they compare. Fields that are unknown in either case are left out of the score.

76%Possible
John Doe — Fort Worth, Texas - unidentified case UP4238
John Doe — Fort Worth, Texas
UP4238 • Found Aug 23, 1986
View case
Sex ✓Male
Age 100%Est. 21–36 vs 21
Race 100%White
Location 49%257 mi away
TimingFound 3 months after last seen
Height 100%5'7" vs 5'8"
Weight 99%155 lb vs 140 lb
Hair 100%Black vs Black
Eyes 60%Brown vs Hazel
75%Possible
John Doe — Texas - unidentified case UP3960
John Doe — Texas
UP3960 • Found Jun 17, 1990
View case
Sex ✓Male
Age 100%Est. 18–22 vs 21 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 50%251 mi away
TimingFound 4 years after last seen
Height 100%5'8" vs 5'8"
Weight 100%150 lb vs 140 lb
Hair 100%Black vs Black

These comparisons are generated automatically from public NamUs case data and are not confirmed identifications. Only DNA, dental or fingerprint comparison by investigators can confirm an identity. If you believe two cases are connected, contact the agency handling the unidentified case.

Unidentified photos are blurred because many are post-mortem. Tap a photo to reveal it.