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
In September 2002, 22-year-old television reporter Jennifer Servo was living her dream. After leaving Montana for a reporting job in Abilene, Texas, she was quickly making a name for herself as a talented young journalist with a bright future ahead.
But just weeks after arriving in Texas, Jennifer was found murdered inside her apartment.
Investigators determined she had been strangled and suffered blunt force trauma. ...
On Memorial Day weekend in 2011, beloved New Jersey diner owner Shafiq “Steve” Ezzedine was finishing up another long shift at the family restaurant he’d spent decades building. Known throughout Roxbury Township for his kindness, generosity, and tireless work ethic, Steve often left the diner unlocked after closing in case someone hungry needed help.
Hours later, his wife Amal returned from church and found the diner...
On the thirtieth anniversary of Leon's murder, Arlene pours her heart out about losing her Uncle and best friend, her sadness, and the devastation of never receiving justice.
To Leon: Brother, Uncle, Friend, protector, and a precious life lost too soon.
Support Box in the Basement & Our Causes
- Leon Laurales: Website & GoFundMe
- Follow us on Facebook & Instagram
- Donate to Seasons of Justice
- L...
It's been thirty years since Arlene received the worst news of her life: her Uncle and best friend was murdered in the dead of night on his way to work. His car left burning in a culvert next to the railroad tracks and a gun range on the outskirts of Brownwood, Texas.
The next thirty years would bring more questions than answers. Leon had a secret, one that could have gotten him killed. With so many others with...
In March 2006, Albert and Joan Musalo were living a quiet, comfortable retirement in a gated golf community outside Reno, Nevada. They were well-liked, financially secure, and deeply devoted to their family.
Then, overnight, everything changed.
The couple was found shot to death in their own bed - no signs of forced entry, no clear motive, and almost nothing disturbed inside the home. The killer had cut the phone line...
On February 16, 2013, 73-year-old Kate Ragsdale followed a routine she rarely broke. After dinner, she met friends to watch her favorite show, Downton Abbey. At around 9:15 p.m., a friend watched her pull into her driveway in Tuscaloosa’s quiet Highlands neighborhood.
No one saw her alive again.
A week later, worried neighbors entered Kate’s home and discovered her body on the bedroom floor. The beloved retired Univer...
In this episode of Box in the Basement, we examine one of Texas’s most enduring cold cases: the mysterious disappearance of William and Margaret Patterson of El Paso in 1957.
The wealthy couple vanished without warning, leaving behind their home, business, finances, and even Margaret’s beloved cat. A strange phone call, a suspicious telegram, questionable letters, and decades of unanswered questions fueled theories r...
In 1985, 11-year-old Angelica Gandera vanished while walking home from her grandmother’s house in Temple, Texas. Despite eyewitness accounts and multiple persons of interest, no trace of her has ever been found.
In 2025, 48-year-old Monica Sanford disappeared after leaving to go camping near Bridgeport, Texas. Her car, belongings, and beloved dog were left behind—raising immediate concerns of foul play.
We explore the...
On May 20, 1989, Kimberly Rachelle Norwood, a 12-year-old honor student, left a friend’s house in Hallsville, Texas and began the one-mile walk home. She never arrived.
In this episode, join Arlene and Leah as they examine Kimberly’s disappearance, the early assumption that she had “run away,” and how that narrative stalled the investigation at a critical moment. We break down the timeline of her final hours, the ove...
Part 3 of our Highway of Tears series examines some of the most infamous missing and murdered cases along Highways 16, 5, and 97 in British Columbia, from the 1990s to the present day.
We explore the disappearances of Delphine Nikal, Ramona Wilson, Roxanne Thiara, Alisha Germaine, Lana Derrick, Nicole Hoar, and Aielah Saric-Auger, tracing patterns of neglect, systemic racism, and missed investigative opportunities.
Jo...
For more than five decades, a remote stretch of road in British Columbia has been the epicenter of one of Canada’s darkest crises. The Highway of Tears is home to dozens of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and families — many cases mishandled, ignored, or never fully investigated.
In this episode, Arlene and Leah uncover: The disappearance of the Jack Family, the tragic story of Alberta Williams, RCMP mi...
The Highway of Tears is ground zero in one of Canada’s darkest ongoing tragedies. For more than 50 years, dozens of people – mostly Indigenous women and girls – have been murdered or gone missing along Highway 16 and its connecting routes in northern British Columbia. Despite RCMP task forces and national attention, these cases have been plagued by racism, mismanagement, jurisdictional confusion, and a chronic lack ...
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 as Arlene and Leah uncover the disturbing failures, corruption, and silence surrounding two deaths that demand answers.
🔗 Show Notes – The Deaths of Jennifer Kirk & Sue Sue Norton in Kotzeb...
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 found — and Cecilia Huerta Gallegos, a San Antonio nurse and mother of four who told her sister, “If anything happens to me, look at my husband,” before disappearing in 2019.
Join us as ...
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 in a legal saga that still divides Williamson County. Was justice truly served, or is the real story still buried in the evidence?
🔗 Show Notes – The Disappearance of Vicki Lynn Nisbett
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 Fiero—and vanished. Nearly 38 years later, Margaret’s case remains unsolved.
Two decades later, in 2007, 44-year-old Lisa Chandler spoke with her mother about her divorce and ...
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 Domestic Violence Hotline. 800-799-SAFE. The hotline is asnwered 24 hours a day by trained advocates prepared for crisis intervention support, safety planning, education, advocacy, and can refer you to local shelters and other...
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 Annihilator—some later called him the Midnight Assassin or even speculated he was Jack the Ripper before London.
In this two-part special, we peel back the layers of history: the b...
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 next was caught on camera—but the killer remains a mystery. Wearing a disguise, the shooter approached Liz, fired four rounds at point-blank range, and vanished without a trace. No arrest....
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 "...
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