The story of Gene Isaac Stees is a long and troubling one, marked by a brutal crime and a brazen escape that has left his whereabouts a mystery for decades. In 1962, Stees was a 31-year-old assistant professor at Ohio University with a wife, Helen, and two children. However, their marriage was strained due to his affair with another woman. On October 20, 1962, under the guise of reconciliation, Stees met with his wife in Athens.
Tragically, he bludgeoned the 30-year-old, who was pregnant at the time, with a crowbar and then placed a plastic bag over her head. He confessed to the crime, admitting he concealed her body in a metal drum and submerged it in Dow Lake. The motives presented at his trial were his desire to be with his mistress and his anger over his wife's pregnancy.
In February 1963, a jury found Gene Stees guilty of murder but recommended mercy, which spared him the death penalty and resulted in a life sentence. He was incarcerated at the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus and, by all accounts, was a model inmate. This good behavior eventually earned him a clerical position in the prison's records office. This role afforded him certain privileges, including wearing khaki clothing similar to civilian workers, and placed him in close proximity to an exit. On February 21, 1970, after nearly seven years behind bars, Stees took advantage of his trusted position and simply walked out of the prison, vanishing without a trace.
The escape was aided by significant delays in the prison's response. A headcount was not conducted until late in the afternoon, and the Ohio State Police were not notified for another three days, by which time any trail had gone cold. Investigators questioned his former mistress but found no evidence that she had been in contact with him. It is speculated that Stees may have saved money from his prison job and used it to board a bus, quickly leaving the area. There were also indications that he had an interest in Australia, leading to theories that he may have fled to Canada and then traveled overseas under a new identity. Despite the efforts of law enforcement, including the FBI, no credible leads on his location have ever surfaced. The case of Gene Isaac Stees remains an open and perplexing one, a story of a man who committed a heinous act, escaped from custody, and has seemingly evaded justice for over half a century. The Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office and the United States Marshals Service are the investigating agencies for this long-unsolved case.Last Seen: Feb 21, 1970
