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
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 daughter, despite her family's expectation that she would follow a path in cosmetology.
That evening, Tiera and her friends stopped by the Mooseknuckle Pub in the "Di...
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 one sole survivor, 5-year old Manuel Jr. He claims a cowboy good Samaritan who helped with their flat tire was the perpetrator, a man police never found.
With renewed attention f...
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's body was found miles away, and despite witness sketches, leads, and decades of investigation, her murder remains unsolved.
This case has haunted the community for over 36...
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 silent. Three years after that, Wil’s remains were discovered on a remote hillside, miles from town.
Wil was openly gay in a small town, a proud artist with a vibrant spirit—and ...
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 turned into a nightmare. After being stalked by a stranger in the woods, the couple was ambushed in a shocking act of violence fueled by hate. Rebecca was shot and killed. Claudi...
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, and vital evidence has gone missing.
Why did the police let this case go cold? Was Anthony targeted because of his sexuality? And what dark secrets still linger in Salt Lake City’...
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 gaps in missing persons cases. Her family launched desperate searches and demanded answers, but for years, the mystery of her disappearance loomed large.
Six years later, her re...
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.
💔 Arlene shares the emotional toll of losing Leon and introduces new findings from the private investigator's files that were hidden for decades, including a suspect list and shocking crime scene...
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.
Through witness accounts, community stories, and her own exhaustive research, Arlene pieces together the timeline of events—red flags, threats, a suspicious red sports car, the chilling final 911 calls, and ...
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 justice has never been served.
Host Arlene, Leon’s niece, shares heartfelt stories from his life and their unbreakable bond. She exposes the neglect by law enforcement and her ongoing fight to ...
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 suspected to be a hate crime.
Host Arlene, Leon’s niece, shares her deeply personal account of Leon’s life, the night she learned he was killed, and the decades of grief, unanswered questions, a...
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, but delays and missteps followed. Days later, her body was found brutally murdered, discarded beneath a bridge.
Nearly a decade later, D’Lisa’s family is still searching for just...
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.
For over two decades, the case has remained unsolved—despite national attention, renewed DNA testing, and continued pleas from her family and law enforcement. Investigators bel...
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 suspects and public pleas, her case remains unsolved.
A decade earlier, in 1996, 29-year-old Kristen Lea Wilson was found dead on Thanksgiving Day in her Houston apartment. She’d...
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 appeals and tireless efforts from his family, Chris remains missing, his case as dry and vast as the West Texas land he left behind.
Now rewind to 1998—Catherine Hammel, just 25 years ...
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 found dead—struck by a car on a dark highway in Moxee, Washington—1,600 miles from Texas.
With no ID, the man was buried as a John Doe, his death ruled accidental. It took nearly 11...
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 daughters before turning the gun on herself. But her family and many in the community have never believed it.
Nichol was a devoted mother, described as vibrant and full of life, with ...
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 extensive investigation, the case quickly turned cold, leaving more questions than answers behind.
Who wanted Karen dead? Was she the victim of a targeted attack, or was it a crime of o...
On May 13, 2016, prominent Dallas attorney Ira Tobolowsky was found burned to death inside his home. What first appeared to be a tragic accident quickly unraveled into something far more sinister. Investigators determined the fire had been deliberately set, and Ira had been attacked before the blaze. But who would want a respected lawyer dead?
Soon police arrested a suspect, a man entangled in a bitter legal feud with ...
On the morning of January 10, 2002, 19-year-old Rachel Cooke went for a run in her quiet Georgetown, Texas neighborhood. She was home from college for the holidays, enjoying the break with family. She never returned.
Rachel was last seen less than a mile from her house, a routine jog that should have ended in time for breakfast. But when her parents came home later that day, Rachel was gone—her keys, wallet, and belong...
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