Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre was an artist and so well known in her community. Every food vendor knew her. She was also an activist with a group called Mesa de Mujeres, a group that focused on gender violence. She was also a member of Puro Borde, an art collective in the city. Some of her murals can still be found in Ciudad Juarez. She left a bar in downtown Juarez after midnight on Jan 18, 2020 and that was the last time her friends saw her alive. Before tallking about Isabel, Cristina tells Carmen some of the history of Juarez, involving the maquiladoras and NAFTA. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list

For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/

Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR

Want to be a Patron? Get longer episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales

By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA country, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram

Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/

Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales

sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femicide_in_Ciudad_Ju%C3%A1rez
https://www.calonews.com/communities/los-angeles/ni-una-m-s-how-mexico-s-femicide-crisis-fuels-activism-for-latinos-in-the/article_542c7a01-5c76-49b9-bd79-ffa9ee8d32d0.html
https://desinformemonos.org/lomas-de-poleo-un-campo-de-concentracion-en-la-frontera/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campo_Algodonero_in_Cd._Juarez
https://web.archive.org/web/20151031181854/
http://www.fronterasdesk.org/news/2011/nov/08/border-slain-unsolved-women-disappeared-mexico/
https://web.archive.org/web/20160313142858/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5683793
https://cja.org/what-we-do/litigation/amicus-briefs/campo-algodonero-v-the-united-mexican-states/
https://www.infobae.com/america/mexico/2020/01/12/ciudad-juarez-la-localidad-marcada-por-la-violencia-que-busca-erradicar-los-feminicidios/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Isabel_Cabanillas
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/11/mexico-war-on-women-artist-isabel-cabanillas-ciudad-juarez
https://desinformemonos.org/asesinatos-mujeres-ciudad-juarez-la-guerra-sigue/
https://archive.ph/knNKK

On the 1st of November, two cyclists were biking from Ciudad de Mexico, heading south to Tepoztlan. As they rode, they turned off the regular road, there, under a bridge in the highway, in the undergrowth, they found the body of a woman. She was wearing a beige dress, it was hiked up  above her waist, she was missing one of her high heels and her long hair was in braids. She had no ID on her. Ricardo alerted the authorities, but he was worried this would just be dismissed and that they would not even try and figure out who she was. So he took pictures with his phone. The pictures were cropped to only show her tattoos. A couple of days went by and he decided to post the cropped pictures, in hopes that someone would recognize her. When he posted the pictures, he wrote, “Share Please. I don’t want her to end up in a common grave. This is how the family and friends of 27 year old Ariadna Fernanda Lopez Diaz found out why she had not answered their calls or messages for over 24 hours.

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list

For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/

Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR

Want to be a Patron? Get longer episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales

By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA country, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram

Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/

Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales

Sources: 

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-03-08/ariadna-lopez-femicide-mexico
https://english.elpais.com/international/2022-11-10/covering-up-a-femicide-in-mexico.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63555499
https://english.elpais.com/international/2022-11-12/ariadna-lopez-15-hours-locked-in-an-apartment-with-her-alleged-femicides.html
https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2024/06/26/feminicidio-de-ariadna-fernanda-vinculan-a-proceso-a-rautel-n-por-desaparicion-del-cuerpo/
https://www.jornada.com.mx/noticia/2025/05/20/sociedad/rautel-astudillo-garcia-continuara-preso-por-el-feminicidio-de-ariadna-fernanda
https://www.jornada.com.mx/noticia/2025/06/12/sociedad/otorgan-suspension-a-rautel-astudillo-contra-apertura-de-juicio-oral-por-caso-de-feminicidio
https://www.jornada.com.mx/noticia/2025/06/25/capital/niegan-amparo-a-vanessa-flores-presunta-coautora-material-de-feminicidio

It was a Chile focused one this time! For the paranormal segment, Carmen shared Chile's bermuda triange, el cerro moreno and Cristina shared the case of Jose Huanante, a Mapuche teenager who went missing in 2005.

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list

For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/

Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR

Want to be a Patron? Get longer episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales

By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA country, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram

Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/

Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales

Sources: 

https://www.mapuexpress.org/2025/08/22/familia-de-jose-huenante-joven-mapuche-detenido-desaparecido-seguiremos-en-pie-de-lucha-exigiendo-justicia/
https://rehuirelolvido.indh.cl/caso/josehuenante/
https://www.scribd.com/document/639277577/CASO-JOSE-HUENANTE
https://www.laizquierdadiario.com.ve/a-18-anos-del-primer-detenido-desaparecido-en-democracia
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Huenante
¿Dónde están? ¿Dónde está? el caso José Huenante (pdf)
https://www.mapuche-nation.org/english/html/news/n-135.htm

On June 27, 2022, at approximately 6pm, Roberto Quintero and his crew were working, when they heard screams and rushed towards the commotion, which took them to Quintana Road in San Antonio, TX. There, they found a girl staggering near a semi-truck. Once they got closer to the semi-truck, they found bodies upon bodies, not moving, with swollen faces and blue lips. Roberto called 9-1-1, exclaiming, “There’s an 18-wheeler with about 20 dead people in the back. There’s more than 20 people, there’s 50 people! All the while the girl could be heard screaming in the background. In total, 53 migrants found in the trailer died that day- 26 Mexicans, 21 Guatemalans, and 6 Hondurans. Who can be blamed for this horrible incident, that’s been described as the deadliest immigration-related disaster? The US for its deadly immigration policies? The smugglers? The meth-fueled driver working for the smugglers? The extremely hot Texan summer?

In this episode, Carmen and Cristina share this case, listen with care, it is a very difficult one. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list

For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/

Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR

Want to be a Patron? Get longer episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales

By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA country, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram

Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/

Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales

Sources: 
https://www.texasmonthly.com/interactive/san-antonio-53-migrant-deaths/ 
https://sanantonioreport.org/southside-migrant-memorial-to-honor-53-migrants-from-2022-tractor-trailer-tragedy/ 
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/28/migrant-deaths-texas-sentencing

More legends from Chihuahua and a case also from there, involving vampirism/satanism. For spooky recs, Carmen had none because she was busy reading Harvest of Empire and Now I Surrender. Cristina talked about One Battle After Another. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list

For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/

Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR

Want to be a Patron? Get longer episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales

By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA country, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram

Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/

Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales

Chihuahua is one of the largest states in Mexico and also very haunted. Among these hauntings are El Panteon de los ninos (the children's cemetery), La Casa dell Ahorcado (The Hanged Man's House) and Los Monitos de Meoqui (the little monkeys of Meoqui). Cristina and Carmen shares these stories, then they end with spooky recs and start with a listener story. Carmen did not have a recommendation and Cristina recommended Bugonia.

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list

For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/

Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR

Want to be a Patron? Get episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales

By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA country, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram

Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/

Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales

Carmen and Cristina share a few family stories and then Cristina shaares the 1985 Mexico City Musuem Heist. They end with spooky recs and start with a listener story. Carmen recommended Nobody's Girl by Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Cristina did not have a spooky recommendation. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list

For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/

Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR

Want to be a Patron? Get episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales

By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA country, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram

Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/

Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales

La mama de Carmen y Cristina las acompano para este capitulo, en donde cuenta diferentes historias de terror que ocurrieron durante su juventud en Guadalajara, Mexico. DISCULPENOS porque tuvimos muchos problemas tecnicos que se notan! 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list

For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/

Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR

Want to be a Patron? Get episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales

By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA country, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram

Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/

Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales

The metropolitan cathedral of Mexico city was built over the course of 250 years, but according to legend, Mexico city underwent an exorcism and the demon that possessed it, is locked away in the catacombs of the Mexico city cathedral.

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list

For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/

Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR

Want to be a Patron? Get episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales

By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA country, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram

Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/

Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales

Anastasio Hernandez Rojas was killed by border patrol officers in May 2010. He was handcuffed and beaten and tased multiple times until he died from a heart attack. Carmen and Cristina share this case, IT IS A VERY HEAVY CASE, listen with caution/care. 

If you have a spooky story to share, email [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord!

Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page

Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown

The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list

For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/

Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR

Want to be a Patron? Get episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales

By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA country, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram

Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/

Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales

Sources

Critical Incident Death at the Border Documentary
https://www.southernborder.org/anastasio_hernandez_rojas 
https://refugees.org/u-s-border-patrol-found-responsible-for-the-fatal-abuse-of-anastasio-hernandez-rojas/ 
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/alliancesandiego/legacy_url/1324/Anastasio-Complaint-FINAL-160329.pdf?1490744367 
https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/decisions/2025/US_14.042_EN.PDF
https://www.alliancesd.org/rodney_scott_nomination_statement
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/ECC8BF6783058183A59A5D06DF74E036/S2071832220000280a.pdf/div-class-title-hard-protection-through-soft-courts-span-class-italic-non-refoulement-span-before-the-united-nations-treaty-bodies-div.pdf
Crossing the line (PBS doc): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUyy85t8E_U&t=62s
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/03/28/border-agents-beat-an-undocumented-immigrant-to-death-the-u-s-is-paying-his-family-1-million/