Domestic Violence, Death, & Disappearance in Lockhart: The Murder of Latricia White & The Disappearances of Lee & Chance Wackerhagen

In this heart-wrenching episode of Box in the Basement Podcast, hosts Arlene and Leah delve into a chilling cold case from Lockhart, Texas. On December 27, 1993, two days post-Christmas, the tranquility of a small town is shattered when Jack White discovers his daughter, 38-year-old Latricia White, shot dead in her home. The mystery deepens with the disappearance of Latricia's partner, Lee "Dub" Wackerhagen, and his nine-year-old son, Chance, sparking a complex investigation that challenges initial suspicions and takes unexpected turns.

Lockhart, known as the Barbecue Capital of Texas, serves as the backdrop for this tragic tale that unfolded during a year marked by significant global events, from Bill Clinton’s presidency to the first World Trade Center attack. The episode intricately weaves the personal stories of those involved, including Latricia’s compassionate nature as a nurse, Dub’s tumultuous relationship with Latricia, and the innocence of young Chance, against the tapestry of 1993’s cultural milestones, from Mariah Carey’s chart-topping hits to the success of "The Pelican Brief."

As Arlene and Leah unravel the events leading to Latricia's murder and the subsequent vanishing of Dub and Chance, they shed light on the complexities of domestic disputes, the initial focus on Dub as a suspect, and the eventual shift in the investigation that hints at other potential culprits. The discovery of Dub’s truck in Austin, laden with Christmas presents and revealing forensic clues, adds layers of intrigue and speculation about the fate of the missing father and son.

The episode not only aims to memorialize the victims but also to reignite interest in a case that remains unsolved, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in uncovering the truth. With a call to action for anyone with information, Box in the Basement underscores the ongoing quest for justice for Latricia, Dub, and Chance, and the broader mission to bring closure to families affected by unresolved tragedies.

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Transcript

Bree: 0:01

This episode explores themes of abuse and domestic violence. Listener discretion is advised.

Arlene: 0:07

Two days after Christmas in 1993, Jack White entered his daughter Latricia his home in Lockhart, Texas. After she failed to show up for work. What he found was a parent's worst nightmare. 38 year old Latricia had been shot to death in her own bedroom. Making matters worse. Latricia his partner, Lee dub,. Wacker Hagen and his nine-year-old son chance who had been visiting for the holidays.

0:37

We're nowhere to be found. Police would initially Penn Latricia is murder on dub blacker, Hagen. But his and his son's disappearance eventually turned investigation into a completely different direction. Hello, and welcome to box in the basement podcast. I'm your host, Arlene. And I'm Leah. In 1996, my world was shattered when my uncle Leon Lorella is. Was shot execution style and a small town in Texas. To this day, his murder remains unsolved. And the pain of that injustice continues to haunt me, my family and Leon's friends and coworkers. Here at box in the basement. We want to shed light on the overwhelming number of unsolved murders and disappearances here in Texas and beyond. Ultimately, we want to get justice for Leon. And for all the victims whose cases are sitting, collecting dust in a box, in a basement.

Leah: 2:11

Lockhart, Texas is a small town in the central part of the state, 30 miles south of Austin and 70 miles Northeast of San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, the population of Lockhart sits at around 14,400 people. And according to the 1990 census, just over 9,000 people called the town home. The Texas legislature, designated Lockhart as the barbecue capital of Texas in 1999. And it is a popular location to film movies. Most I haven't heard of, but transformers, age of extinction, secondhand lions waiting for Guffman and what's eating Gilbert grape were filmed there. I've driven through Lockhart.

2:52

And the thing that stands out in my mind is the Caldwell county courthouse. It's really cool looking and not something you see every day in this state. Oh, take a look at some pictures online. When you have time. Like many of the towns we've discussed on this podcast, Lockhart's started out as a small settlement on the frontier. And then it took off when the railroad moved in. In this case, Lockhart became a regional shipping hub for cotton. 1993 was the year. Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd president of the United States and signed NAFTA into law. The first attack on the world trade center happened in February. And cocaine kingpin, Pablo Escobar was killed by police in Columbia that December. Michael Jordan's Chicago bulls. When the NBA championship for the third year in a row, the Montreal Canadians. won the Stanley cup. The Toronto blue Jays won the world series and the Dallas Cowboys won the super bowl. Mariah Carey's hero was on top of the billboard hot 100 the week of December 27th. Followed by Janet Jackson. EISA base and meatloaf. 1993 was a monster year for mainstream country. You had Garth Brooks, Tracy Lawrence, George Strait, Alan Jackson. Brooks and Dunn clay Walker, Vince Gill, Travis Tritt, Randy, Travis, Toby, Keith. And Reba McEntire all scoring huge hits. I know, I forgot some. But I do remember that was the year Alan Jackson's Chattahoochee came out, which will always be a favorite of mine. The Pelican brief was number one at the box office that week, but nine-year-old chance Walker Hagan probably would have been more interested in Mrs. Doubtfire, the nightmare before Christmas or the three Musketeers, which were all huge hits at the time. The Phantom of the opera was the top grossing Broadway show in 1993. And Robert James Waller's slow waltz in Cedar bend was number one on the New York times bestseller list. The X-Files debuted in 1993. So did star Trek deep space nine. Frazier. The mighty Morphin power Rangers and YPD blue and Walker, Texas ranger. Beanie babies hit the market in 1993, along with Zima and Belvedere vodka. There are three victims in this story. 38 year old, Latricia white. 40 year old Lee. Uh, Wacker Hagen. And nine-year-old chance Wacker Hagen. Latricia. Why was a nurse at the central Texas medical center? And lived in a small house outside of Lockhart and McMahon, Texas. She had two children of her own and had recently gone through a divorce. She'd actually known. Wacker Hagen for most of her life. And reconnected with him after he ended and nine year relationship with the mother of his son chance. A woman by the name of gaye Williams. Doug was a truck driver and he was living with Latricia at the time of her murder and his disappearance. Chance Wacker Hagan with nine years old and 1993. And his mother gay, who lived in Kingsville, Texas at the time had custody of him. He was staying with this father and Latricia for Christmas. He was initially supposed to go back home to his mother on Christmas day. But he called his mother and asked for permission to stay a few more days. To which gay agreed. He'd gotten a duster coat and GI Joe toys from his father and Latricia for Christmas, and he wanted to stay a bit longer to enjoy their company and play. Latricia and dub. What seems to be a pretty tense relationship, often fighting and threatening to break up. By some accounts, double as a jealous, possessive man and had a bad temper. Often yelling and starting arguments. Though there are no reports of him ever being physically violent with Latricia or anyone else. And he didn't have a criminal record. His ex-gay confirmed that he was verbally abusive. And the continuous fighting is what ended their relationship. Dub threatened to leave Latricia a couple of days before Christmas, after a fight over chance, leaving a faucet, running in the kitchen. Apparently. Latricia yelled at chance because the sink overflowed onto the floor. And Deb was not having it. He was so angry. He actually packed his bags. But the couple along with chance were seen on December 26 in a local restaurant in good spirits. This was the last time anyone saw Latricia alive. And it's the last confirmed sighting of dub and chance. Latricia white failed to show up for work on December 27th. Which alarmed her coworkers and her father, Jack White. Jack went to nutritious house that evening to check on her. And that's when he found her in the bedroom where she had evidently been shot in her sleep. It would be confirmed later that she'd been shot six times with a 22 in the head. Police noted. There was no sign of struggle in the house. Uh, nothing had been disturbed. No overturned furniture or broken dishes, nothing appeared to be missing. So investigators quickly ruled out burglary as a motive. The only real piece of physical evidence aside from Latricia, his body at the crime scene was a bloody footprint determined to belong to nine-year-old chance. This part is pretty disturbing to me because it suggests that chance was present when his dad's girlfriend was murdered or shortly thereafter. There was no other sign of chance. However, And dub Walker Haggin was gone as well. Dubs 1986 Ford truck wasn't in the driveway and neither dub nor chance had been seen since the day before. Police decided fairly on that. This was a case of domestic violence. Dub and Latricia fought frequently and the spouse or partner is often considered a suspect in these kinds of situations. Deb had a hair trigger temper, and it was believed at the time that an argument pushed him over the edge and he snapped and killed Latricia. It only took three days of investigation to conclude that dub was the perpetrator and put out a warrant for his arrest. Charges included. First degree murder. Custodial interference for not returning his son at the time. Agreed upon. And unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Latricia, his family supported this theory from the start. As they knew how volatile their relationship was. And what a jealous, controlling guide dub was. Dubs family felt this was a premature conclusion. And insisted that even though he was a jerk. He would never do anything to jeopardize his son's safety. Dubs X Okay again. agreed to a point. She was scared of him, but didn't believe that he do anything to harm chance. Deb's family has always felt that he led tuition and chance all fell victim to the same killer who was probably someone they knew. The same day, the police put out a warrant for dubs arrest. His truck was found 30 miles away in Austin. It was covered in snow suggesting it had been sitting there at least a little while. Police assumed at the time that dub himself had abandoned his vehicle and absconded with his son. On the run from the law, looking to run away and start fresh. Far from the Caldwell county, Texas authorities. Dubs wallet was in his truck along with opened and unopened Christmas presents. And his hunting rifle. Which didn't match the weapon used to kill Latricia. There was blood evidence in the truck, but it did not match the victim. Dubs family insisted that it must have belonged to one of the Walker Higgins and that one, or both of them had been injured in or around the vehicle during and abduction. The discovery of the trucks. And to add fuel to the police's theory that Doug was in fact, the perpetrator. He left his wallet behind and gone on the run to start over. The blood found in Deb's truck wasn't enough to suggest a fatal injury. So it was assumed initially that it was from an injury sustained by one or both of them as they fled the scene. While the lab eliminated the possibility of this being Latricia it's blood. It couldn't be determined one way or another. If the blood belong to either Wacker Hagen. The days turned into weeks, then months, then years. And no trace of Deborah chance Wacker Hagan was ever found. There were a few possible sightings noted in use articles and blogs over the years. But nothing could be confirmed. Chances maternal grandmother reported getting a phone call one evening from someone claiming to be chance. The caller said, help me, help me. And then disconnected. While. this initially provided a little bit of hope to the families involved. This phone call was most likely a hoax. And I hate when people do that. How can you be so cool to a family that's grieving and. Looking for answers. It's just so awful. The warrants for dubs arrest stayed active for 25 years. But neither he, nor chance ever surfaced. And no sign of them was ever found. In 2015, the Texas Rangers took a fresh look at the case and began tracking down old leads. The ranger heading up the case disclosed that he felt the original investigation was problematic. And ignored an important figure in the story. Latricia whites. Ex-husband. According to Chance's mother. The ranger said Latricia, his ex went to Latricia his house on December 26th. Which was the last day anyone saw her alive. The ex claimed that nobody answered the door at house when he stopped by. But this creates a very compelling twist to the story. Latricia and her ex-husband had two children together. And apparently there was a pretty heated custody battle between the two of them. Latricia his ex was trying to get full custody. Because dub was allowed mouth who argued with Latricia often, it seems that law enforcement kind of got tunnel vision from the start. And it's understandable to an extent. But I don't know why the raging custody battle didn't set off bigger alarms than it did. But that's hindsight for you. And we really don't know what all the ex and Latricia his family told the cops at the time. In any case in 2016, investigators announced that they had found quote, unquote, new evidence that pointed to dub being a victim rather than the perpetrator and that they believed he and chance were taken and killed by the same person or persons who killed Latricia white. And that is where the investigation stands today. Shift in perspective, a new possible person of interest in Latricia is ex-husband. But no arrests have been made at this point. And sadly Latricia his father, Jack White passed away in 2005. Dubs father passed away in 1999. What happened to Latricia dub and chance. Let's take a look at the prevailing theories. First we have the original theory laid out by investigators. Dub blacker, Hagan killed Latricia and a crime of passion. Then took his son and went on the run and disappeared. Dub didn't have a criminal record. And though his friends and family and his ex all claimed he was jealous, controlling, and argumentative, none of them reported him being physically violent. And dubs ex-gay despite her anger towards him for his verbal abuse. Insisted that he'd never harmed chance. The fact that nothing in the house was disturbed or stolen. Seems to support that theory, that the motive here was a murder. Which doesn't necessarily fall in dubs favor. Next you have dubs truck found abandoned in Austin three days later. On the surface, it looks like maybe dub dumped the truck and fled. But where. How. Did dead steal another car. Did they get on a bus? The problem with this theory is that dubs, the wallet was found in his truck and he and chance got on a bus. Bound from Mexico or another state. If he and chance got on a bus bound for Mexico or another state, he need money and probably ID. That's what strikes me as odd when law enforcement decides that the person ran away to start over on their own free will, but they didn't take their wallet, their purse, their money, their ID, their glasses, their keys, their car. It doesn't make any sense how they come to this conclusion. So many times. Deb was not on police radar. And he had no known ties to criminal elements that may be able to get him fake IDs. He probably didn't have the street smarts to get himself enough cash to flee and start over. He was a truck driver. So I suppose he may have known someone. Who could sneak him and chance out of the state or the country. But then what. I realize people do lead their lives and start over. But keep in mind that chance was only nine years old. He's going to get stripped throat, need a doctor. Who's going to grow out of his clothes. He's going to ask questions and get curious. I just think it's a stretch in this situation to believe that dub and chance just vanished and started a new life. Possible. Yes. Probable. Given the circumstances and the information that's come out and the time since the crime. It's not in my opinion. The next theory is that someone close to the family killed Latricia while she slept. And then abducted, dub, and chance and killed them Somewhere else. Was it the ex-husband maybe, but why only kill Latricia in the house? Was she home alone when her attacker entered the house and chance and dub walked in on the crime, that's possible. Latricia was a nurse and she was scheduled to work on the 27th. So it's feasible. She was sleeping odd hours and the other two simply weren't home at the time. If it was just one perpetrator and he'd already emptied his gun into Latricia his body. He may not have had time to reload and killed dub and chance if they walked in on him. But he may have been able to threaten them and get them out of the house. One point here. I said that Latricia had been shot six times. On the surface. This may seem like overkill, but keep in mind that the murder weapon was a 22, which is a small caliber. Six shots in the dark at a sleeping person with a small caliber weapon. Isn't really overkill. If it was a 45 or a shotgun. Then yes, six shots would definitely be overkill. And hired guns typically used 20 twos. Don't they? Or is that just one of those myths? Yeah, you're right. Actually the 22 is a popular choice for assassinations and hits. They're usually small and easily concealed and they aren't super loud. Latricia lived in a small town, but her house was on a residential street. If whoever wanted her dad wanted to take her out in her sleep with a gun, a 22 would be an excellent choice. Mossad, which is Israel's quasi equivalent of the CIA was notorious for using Berettas in a 22 caliber in the 1970s for assassinations. That's just the little nerdy history trivia for you. So there wasn't anyone else's blood at the scene at Latricia house. We know there was a bloody footprint that turned out to be chances. But there wasn't any indication that chance and dub were killed in the house. There was blood found in Deb's truck. But again, it wasn't an amount that correlated with a fatal wound. We mentioned earlier that the blood Fanon. The truck was tested. And it didn't match. Latricia is blood. As far as matching either dub or chance it was inconclusive but the lab did indicate it came from two different people. If chance and dub were say forced out of Leticia's home at gunpoint and into dubs truck. Then what happened to them? My guess. Would be that they were driven outside of town somewhere between Lockhart and Austin. I killed and hidden. Or left somewhere remote. And then the perpetrator dumped the truck in Austin to keep the heat off themselves. And if that's the case. It worked here. And it would explain why chances Christmas gifts and dubs gun and wallet were left inside the truck. Why do you think there were Christmas gifts in the truck somewhere wrapped somewhere unwrapped. Well, remember I said earlier that chance had called his mom on Christmas to ask if he could stay with his dad and Latricia a couple of days, extra. I'm guessing that maybe dub had started packing Chance's stuff in the truck to prepare to return him to his mother. And that's why his gifts were left in the truck. Oh, yeah. Yeah. That makes sense. And that would also explain what chance and dub became collateral damage. If this was a hit, gone wrong. Or if his ex was involved in any way. Think about it. The original plan was that chance would go back to Kingsville on December 25th. It was only on the 25th that the plan changed. And chance was given permission to stay a few extra days. If someone was planning on chance being gone already. They wouldn't expect him to be in the house on the night of the 26th. Or the morning of the 27th. Deb has a different story. He lived with Latricia. So I think maybe whoever killed a Trisha was also prepared to kill dub. If he was there. But that's just me speculating. A child showing up in the middle of a crime is a huge snag. And whatever happened afterward was not planned. It was done on the fly. And unfortunately, in this case, law enforcements tunnel vision. Probably assisted the perpetrator in getting away with this crime as long as they have. I suppose there's an outside possibility that the killer shot Latricia and either waited for Devin chance to get home or woke them up if they were asleep. But that doesn't make much sense. No, like we said earlier, why not kill all three of them at the same time? If they were there. I think the killer got interrupted by chance and dub either returning home or they were woken up while sleeping in another room. The killer didn't expect them to be there and he had to improvise unless it was a ploy to make it look like dub did it, and then abducted his own son and disappeared.

Arlene: 23:44

I suppose that's possible.

23:46

And if that was the intent, it certainly worked. I kind of lean towards this being a hit And that all seems a little too complicated and risky to me. Unless you have multiple hired guns. You kill a woman, then you have to force a grown man. Who's known to have a bad temper and a gun of his own in his vehicle. And his son out of the house and into said, vehicle. Seems like a bit of a stretch, but we've all heard of crazier things happening.

Leah: 24:17

If dub and chance were taken in dubs truck and killed somewhere between Lockhart and Austin. That's a lot of real estate to cover. And it had snowed in that part of the state over Christmas dubs truck was found under like six inches of snow. McMahon is just to the east of Lockhart and it's pretty empty out there.

24:36

Lots of country roads and fields and parks and places to bury or dump remains that will never be found. This was 1993 long before traffic cameras were a regular thing. And this is so far out in the middle of nowhere. It wouldn't really matter. Anyway, if there were. Chance and dub Wacker Hagan are still considered missing persons. Lee Harmon, dub Wacker Hagen Jr. Would be 70 years old today. He is a white male, six feet tall and was 230 pounds with strawberry blonde hair at the time of his disappearance. Chance Wacker Haggen would be 39 years old. Now he has blue eyes and a dimple on his right cheek. And had blonde hair. At the time of his disappearance. Both chance and dub were last seen on December 26th, 1993. Since chance lived in Kingsville at the time of his disappearance, Kingsville Crimestoppers is offering a$5,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts. They can be reached at 8, 7, 7. 5 5, 3. 2 3 7, 4. If you have any information about the disappearance of chance or dub Wacker Hagen. Or the murder of Latricia white, you can contact the Texas Rangers cold case division through their website. Or call the Caldwell county Sheriff's office. At 5 1 2 3 9 8 6 7 7 7. This podcast has a bigger purpose than Just providing information and the entertainment. The homicide victims, families rights act is a bipartisan bill that was signed into law by Congress in 2021. And we want to see it put into action. This law establishes a systematic process for reviewing case files. Related to cold case murders. The focus is on providing a mechanism for the families and friends of murder victims. To request a formal review of such cases. We need an attorney or teams of attorneys and legal professionals To take on the bold and brave fight against the system around the country. In our case, we need someone to fight for Leon to help not only put fresh eyes on the case. But to get his body zoomed, to search for evidence that was not collected the first time around. We and other families and friends need assistance with getting foyer requests. It blows our minds that so many murders occurred from 1976 to 1997. In Brownwood, Texas under the watch of the same investigators, responsible for handling Leon's case. We're going to look at all the unsolved murders in Brownwood. And maybe even if you solved ones, if it helps uncover what was happening in that era that left so many families devastated. And a community living in fear. If you want to hear more about victim focused. Unsolved cases. And get updates about what we know. Please subscribe, like and share our podcast. Also visit our website. Justice for leon.com to donate to our cause to hire an attorney. You can also join our email list to stay current on developments on Leon's case and other cases. We cover as they happen. pleaSe follow and lagger. Bigger Facebook pages for box in the basement. And justice for Leon Corellas and follow our Instagram pages thank you for joining us. Be kind later Gators.