Unsolved Mysteries Volume 4 episode 2: Body in the Basement case explored

Unsolved Mysteries released Volume 4 on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. The much-awaited criminal documentary series dropped five episodes, each exploring the details of different cases.

In episode 2, the show featured the case of Amanda Antoni, who was found dead in the basement of her house, covered in blood. The investigators scrambled for pieces of evidence and tried to connect the dots to solve the murder mystery.

The official synopsis of the episode, titled Body in the Basement, reads:

"Amanda Antoni's husband finds her body in their basement with blood everywhere. The scene confounds police: Was it foul play — or a strategic accident?"

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Unsolved Mysteries episode 2: Amanda Antoni's husband alerted the police after finding her body in the basement

Calgary resident Lee Antoni came home and found the bloodied body of his wife, Amanda Antoni, in the basement of their house on Monday, October 26, 2015. Trembling in disbelief, he called 911 to report her death.

He informed the officer on call that Amanda's body was "cold," and that he was unable to internalize how much blood lay around the room. Sergeant Trent Peterson revealed that he was the first officer to reach the scene and noted that Lee was "visibly upset." The police officer added that, when he entered the basement, the amount of blood on the floor shocked him.

He mentioned that Amanda suffered a severe head injury on the right side of her head, leading him to assume that the killer had struck her with something. The segeant added that it was one of "the bloodiest" scenes he had investigated.

The 31-year-old was found in rigor mortis, which potentially indicated that she died sometime on Sunday. The investigators found Amanda's shattered phone and a tipped-over chair, suggesting that she might have engaged in an altercation before her death.

As they revisited the case, the police recalled seeing a ceramic piggy bank. They assumed that the offender used it to attack Amanda since its pieces were found in her skull. The state Amanda was discovered in hinted at physical abuse.

In another segment of the Unsolved Mysteries episode, Amanda's family recalled how she joined their family as a foster kid. They chimed in on her relationship with Lee, who had a "wild side" to him, compelling Amanda to take on their financial burden. Consequently, Amanda's brothers suspected Lee of her murder.

Lee confessed that he left home to meet his mother on Friday and returned on Monday to discover Amanda's death. The police ruled Lee out as a suspect after gathering video evidence that proved his claim. It was later revealed that Amanda was supposed to accompany Lee but backed out at the last minute because she had a migraine.

While speaking for Unsolved Mysteries, Lee revealed his last call with Amanda was around 7 pm on Saturday. However, their call was disconnected after he heard their dog yelp in the background. He was unable to reach his wife after that. Therefore, the investigators assumed that Amanda was likely murdered on Saturday.

Sgt. Jodi Arns said on Unsolved Mysteries that it was "one of the worst scenes" she had been in. She said she found two barefoot impressions at the base of the staircase and nothing else, which perplexed her.

The investigators assumed someone secured the keys to the house or entered through an unlocked backdoor. Since their neighborhood was known to be unsafe, they thought the offender could be a stalker. Amanda's neighbors added that they heard her dog bark loudly, after which they saw someone running through their yard.

The investigators dismissed considering the angle of an extramarital affair while analyzing the Unsolved Mysteries case. Although Amanda "did not have a lot of enemies," Lee suspected that his sister, who was a drug addict, might have played a role in Amanda's murder. He stated that his sister "hated" Amanda because he sent her daughter to child services.

The autopsy results stated she had consumed "cannabis," and that she bled to death from her head injury. They were surprised to notice that she had no other broken bones. All DNA reports stated that the blood stains were solely Amanda's and that she was not physically assaulted.

"There was no evidence that anybody else had been in the basement except for Amanda," said an investigator.

The investigators stated that, due to the lack of evidence, they assumed the case was a "tragic accident." However, they realized that it would be too far-fetched to call the death an accident, and suggested that the culprit might have also pushed her down the stairs.

The investigators deemed the Unsolved Mysteries case inactive as the cause of her death was "undetermined."

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Episodes 1–5 of Unsolved Mysteries are currently streaming on Netflix.