Box in the Basement
"Box in the Basement" is a compelling new podcast created by Arlene, a woman whose life was forever changed by a family tragedy. The unsolved murder of her Uncle Leon Laurales serves as the catalyst for this investigative series. Disturbed by the lackluster investigation and the mystery that still surrounds his case, Arlene dives deep into the details of her uncle's story, uncovering the many problems that plagued the investigation. Her journey doesn't stop there, as she expands her focus to other unsolved cases in Central Texas. Each episode of "Box in the Basement" promises to shed light on the overlooked and forgotten mysteries in her local community, hoping to find answers and justice for those who have been silenced.
Episodes
84 episodes
The Mayor’s Sons and the Women Who Died: Alaska’s Unanswered Crimes
Two Indigenous women—Jennifer Kirk and Sue Sue Norton—were both found dead at the home of a former Alaska mayor. Both had dated his sons. Both suffered violence. And yet, no one has ever been charged. Join Box in the Basement<...
•
Episode 84
•
25:47
.jpg)
She Tried to Leave Him. Then She Disappeared: The Cases of Senovia Medina & Cecilia Huerta Gallego
In this episode, Arlene and Leah uncover the tragic cases of Senovia Medina, a young mother who fled civil war in El Salvador only to vanish in Houston in 2006 — her boyfriend later convicted of her murder, though her body was never foun...
•
38:51
.jpg)
Gone Without a Trace: How a Mother’s Disappearance Exposed the Dark Side of Texas Justice
In this episode of Box in the Basement, Arlene and Leah uncover the chilling case of Vicki Lynn Nisbett, a Texas mother who vanished in 1991—without a body ever found. Her husband was convicted, released, and reconvicted i...
•
Episode 82
•
30:33
.jpg)
Vanished Without a Trace: The Unsolved Mysteries of Margaret Chauncy & Lisa Chandler
In 1987, 24-year-old Margaret Chauncy left her shift at St. Michael’s Hospital in Texarkana and asked a coworker to follow her home, fearing she was being stalked by a man in a black car. She pulled into her apartment complex in her red Pontiac...
•
Episode 81
•
33:48
.png)
America’s First Serial Killer? The Austin Servant Girl Murders, 1885 Part 2
Join us for part 2 exploring the perpetrator of the Austin Servant Girl Murders. If you or someone you know is a victim of violence, please go to Domestic Violence Support or call the National Do...
•
Episode 80
•
30:32
.jpg)
America’s First Serial Killer? The Austin Servant Girl Murders, 1885
Between 1884 and 1885, a shadowy figure terrorized the city, breaking into homes, dragging women from their beds, and leaving behind scenes so brutal that even hardened reporters became physically ill. The press dubbed him the Servant Girl A...
•
Episode 79
•
49:19
.jpg)
The Driveway Execution Caught on Camera: Who Pulled the Trigger on Elizabeth Barraza?
She was setting up for a garage sale at sunrise. Minutes later, she was dead.On January 25, 2019, 29-year-old Elizabeth Barraza stepped into her driveway in Tomball, Texas, ready for a weekend of fundraising and fun. What happened...
•
Episode 78
•
42:30
Attacked on Camera, Missing Without a Trace - Her Body Discovered 70 Miles Away: The Case of Tiera Strand
Tiera Strand, a 25-year-old mother from Austin, Texas, vanished on April 16, 2023, after a night out on Sixth Street with friends. As she worked to complete her GED, Tiera dreamed of joining the Navy to forge a better future for herself and her...
•
Episode 77
•
24:35
.jpg)
Texas’s Oldest Unsolved Family Massacre: What Really Happened to the Arellanos?
In 1968, five members of the Arellano family were slaughtered outside a remote Texas farmhouse, after two blown out tires in the middle of nowhere. Like out of a horror movie, the whole family was found shot, stabbed and beaten to death, with o...
•
Episode 76
•
34:07
.jpg)
7-Year-Old Cortney Clayton Disappeared in Broad Daylight… Then Her Body Was Found 15 Miles Away
Seven-year-old Cortney Clayton vanished while walking home from a corner store in tiny Stamford, Texas. It was 1988—a time when kids still rode bikes until dark, and trust lingered in small towns. But what followed shattered that trust: Cortney...
•
Episode 75
•
30:10
.png)
He Vanished After a Party—Three Years Later, His Bones Were Found on a Hillside: The Case of
On a cold February night in 1999, 25-year-old Wil Hendrick vanished after leaving a party near Moscow, Idaho. His friends thought he had walked home. He never made it. Months later, his abandoned car was found—muddied, keys gone, and ominously ...
•
Episode 74
•
24:31
.jpg)
They Were in Love. He Was Watching. Then He Opened Fire.
In the spring of 1988, two women set out for peace, adventure, and freedom on the Appalachian Trail. But only one would make it home. Rebecca Wight and Claudia Brenner were hiking through Pennsylvania’s Michaux State Forest when their journey t...
•
Episode 73
•
29:59
.png)
Utah’s Dark LGBT History—Who Murdered Anthony Adams?
In 1978, 27-year-old Anthony Adams, a gay man living in Salt Lake City, was found brutally murdered in his home. His killing was both savage and personal—signs of a struggle and a life cut short. Four decades later, no arrests have been made, a...
•
Episode 72
•
39:56
.jpg)
Trans, Two-Spirit, Missing & Murdered: Aubrey Dameron
In the early morning of March 9, 2019, 25-year-old Aubrey Dameron left her home in Grove, Oklahoma, and disappeared. As a transgender, two-spirit woman, Aubrey’s identity placed her at greater risk in a community already grappling with systemic...
•
Episode 71
•
33:32
.jpg)
The Unsolved Murder of Leon Laureles: Crying For Justice
In this powerful episode of Box in the Basement, Arlene is joined by her life partner, Leah, and podcast producer Bree to discuss the latest developments in the unsolved 1996 murder of Leon Laureles in Brownwood, Texas.💔 A...
•
40:38
Justice for Leon part 3: The Day of the Murder
In this gripping continuation of Box in the Basement, host Arlene shares what happened in the days leading up to and the night of her uncle Leon Laureles unsolved murder on May 10th, 1996, outside Brownwood, Texas....
•
33:57
Justice for Leon part 2: Examining a Victim's Life
This episode tells the emotional life story of Leon Laureles—a beloved uncle, caregiver, and community member—who was murdered on May 10, 1996, outside Brownwood, Texas. Nearly three decades later, his case remains unsolved, and justic...
•
Episode 68
•
29:39
Justice for Leon part 1: Arlene’s Journey of Heartbreak & Headaches
This month, Box in the Basement returns to where it all began—the story of Leon Laureles, a beloved 30-year-old man who was murdered execution-style outside of Brownwood, Texas, on May 10, 1996. His case remains unsolved and is suspect...
•
Episode 67
•
32:11
A Pregnant Woman’s Final Call: Why Was D’Lisa Kelley Ignored?
In March 2014, 24-year-old D’Lisa Kelley—pregnant and full of life—left her Dallas home to attend a funeral. She never came back. Hours later, she was heard on a phone call screaming for help. Her family pleaded with police to track her phone, ...
•
Episode 66
•
27:09
She Vanished on the 4th of July—Who Took Dannarriah Finley?
In the early hours of July 4th, 2002, four-year-old Dannarriah Finley disappeared from her home in Orange, Texas. Days later, her body was discovered in a neighboring county, sparking one of Southeast Texas’s most heart-wrenching investigations...
•
Episode 65
•
30:28
Two Women. Two Holidays. Two Unsolved Murders: The Cases of Kristen Wilson & Terressa Vanegas
On Halloween night in 2006, 16-year-old Terressa Vanegas left her Dickinson, Texas, home and never returned. Her body was found the following day, dumped behind a school—brutally murdered, her shoes missing, her future stolen. Despite multiple ...
•
Episode 64
•
49:49
.jpg)
He Walked Into the Desert. She Left Her Apartment. Neither Were Seen Again: The Disappearances of Catherine Hammel and Christopher Saunders
Two Texans. Two timelines. Two lives vanished without a trace.In 2017, Chris Sanders walked away from his RV in Monahans, Texas, into thin air. With no ID, phone, or confirmed sightings, the 40-year-old father disappeared. Despite public...
•
Episode 63
•
41:21
.jpg)
He Disappeared on Super Bowl Sunday… 1,600 Miles Away, a Body Appeared
On Super Bowl Sunday, 1993, Amarillo attorney David Glenn Lewis vanished without a trace. His family returned home to find his glasses and keys still inside, the TV on, and food half-eaten. Days later, a man matching David’s description was fou...
•
Episode 62
•
37:29
.jpg)
Luxury Home, Triple Deaths, No Answers—What Really Happened in Anaqua Springs?
In January 2019, Nichol Olsen and her two young daughters were found shot to death inside a luxury home in the Anaqua Springs Ranch community near San Antonio, Texas. Authorities quickly ruled it a murder-suicide, claiming Nichol shot her daugh...
•
Episode 61
•
32:34
No Forced Entry, No Arrests—A Texas Cold Case That Won’t Rest
On a quiet evening in 1981, Karen Lynn Douglas—a devoted mother from Harris County, Texas—was brutally stabbed to death in her own home. With no signs of forced entry, investigators believed she may have known her killer. But despite an extensi...
•
Episode 60
•
24:56
.jpg)