The Case of Isabel Cabanillas

The Case of Isabel Cabanillas

From Espooky Tales by Cristina & Carmen

March 13, 2026 · 44 min · Episode 244

About this episode

The episode discusses the case of Isabel Cabanillas, an artist and activist who went missing in Juarez, alongside the historical context of the city.

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 Espookytales@gmail.com 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…

People in this episode

Hosts: Cristina, Carmen

Topics covered

  • true crime
  • gender violence
  • art activism
  • community history
  • missing persons

Keywords

  • Isabel Cabanillas
  • Juarez
  • Mesa de Mujeres
  • Puro Borde
  • gender violence
  • missing persons
  • art activism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mesa de Mujeres, Puro Borde

Places: Ciudad Juarez, Juarez

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