Juan "Leon" Laureles was 30 years old, the youngest of nine children and a caretaker for his aging parents. On May 10, 1996, he was found shot to death beside his burning car outside Brownwood, Texas. Nearly 30 years later, no one has been arrested.
Leon worked the overnight shift at a Kroger grocery store. When he didn't show up around 12:15 a.m. on May 10, 1996, a coworker called his brother, George, who drove out to look for him but found nothing. About fifteen minutes later, a 911 caller reported a car fire on FM 2126, just past the Kroger where Leon worked. When deputies and firefighters arrived, they found Leon's body on the ground in front of a gun range, shot in the back of the head, with his 1988 Ford Thunderbird burning beside him. Investigators later learned his stolen credit card had been used at a local department store later that same day.
Leon's family and advocates covering the case have pointed to serious problems with how the scene was handled, including a photo showing unrelated civilians present at the crime scene without proper evidence collection. Some coverage of the case has raised the question of whether Leon, a gay man in a small, conservative town, received a less thorough investigation because of who he was. No arrests have ever been made, though authorities have said in the past they were pursuing new persons of interest.
Leon's niece, Arlene Harbison, was raised alongside him like a sibling and has spent decades pushing for his case to be reopened, including hosting a podcast about his story and organizing community walks to the Sheriff's Department to keep attention on the case.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has increased the reward in Leon's case to $6,000 for information leading to an arrest.
How to report a tip:
Brown County Sheriff's Office: 325-646-5510
Heart of Texas Crime Stoppers (anonymous): 1-800-222-8477
Reward: $6,000 for information leading to an arrest