Woman found in shallow grave ID’d after 44 years as millionaire tied to estate murder plot

A pistillate whose remains were recovered successful a shallow sedate successful Riverside County, California, much than 4 decades agone has been identified arsenic a multimillionaire existent property capitalist who vanished successful 1981.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau said advances successful investigative familial genealogy, on with dental records, confirmed the unfortunate was Thelma Gaston, 80, whose disappearance sparked a high-profile Los Angeles execution investigation.

The lawsuit began connected Nov. 28, 1981, erstwhile radical searching for firewood adjacent Sugar Loaf Mountain discovered skeletal remains protruding from a shallow grave.

Riverside County sheriff's investigators recovered the remains the pursuing time adjacent Highway 74, but the assemblage had decomposed truthful extensively that authorities were incapable to find who the unfortunate was contempt extended investigative efforts.

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Map showing the Sugar Loaf Mountain country successful Riverside County, California, wherever unidentified quality remains were discovered successful 1981 earlier investigators identified the unfortunate decades aboriginal done forensic DNA. (Google Earth)

For decades, the pistillate remained known lone arsenic an unidentified homicide victim.

According to UPI archives, Gaston, an 80-year-old affluent existent property capitalist whose property was estimated to beryllium worthy astir $20 million, disappeared connected June 28, 1981. A enactment was recovered connected the doorway of her location stating she had gone retired to look for a missing cat, but she ne'er returned.

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Barbed ligament fencing surrounds the California Institution for Men successful Chino, highlighting information measures astatine the authorities prison. (Ann Johansson/Corbis via Getty Images)

Prosecutors aboriginal accused Lawrence Remsen, past 39, of sidesplitting Gaston to summation power of her multimillion-dollar estate. Police described Remsen arsenic Gaston’s "sometime companion."

He pleaded not blameworthy to charges including murder, forgery, expansive theft and attempted expansive theft aft authorities alleged concern associates received forged letters naming him arsenic the idiosyncratic who would power Gaston's fortune.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau, the Los Angeles Police Department yet identified Remsen arsenic the fishy aft determining helium had falsely represented Gaston's disappearance.

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The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office aboriginal successfully prosecuted the case, and Remsen was convicted of execution and sentenced to beingness successful prison.

While the homicide probe had agelong been resolved, what happened to Gaston's assemblage remained a mystery.

That changed aft the Riverside County Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau received backing done the Missing and Unidentified Human Remains Grant, giving investigators the accidental to revisit long-unsolved unidentified remains cases with modern forensic technology.

Investigators revisited the lawsuit successful November 2024 by exhuming the remains for further forensic testing. DNA samples were aboriginal sent to Othram, a forensic laboratory successful The Woodlands, Texas, wherever scientists developed a broad DNA illustration utilizing the company's Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing technology, allowing investigators to usage forensic familial genealogy and dental records to positively place Gaston successful May 2026.

A defender walks extracurricular the California Institution for Men successful Chino, a authorities situation facility. (Photo by Ann Johansson/Corbis via Getty Images)

The recognition was made done a collaborative effort involving the Riverside Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau, the Riverside Cold Case Homicide Team and Othram.

"This recognition ensures that Ms. Gaston has her name—and her story—returned to her," the Riverside County Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau said successful announcing the breakthrough.

California situation records amusement Remsen, present 83, is serving a beingness condemnation astatine the California Institution for Men successful Chino. He was denied parole successful July 2025, and his adjacent parole suitability proceeding is scheduled for July 2028.

Othram said the lawsuit marks the 85th publically announced California lawsuit successful which its forensic DNA exertion has helped place an chartless individual.

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The lawsuit underscores however advances successful investigative familial genealogy proceed to lick decades-old mysteries erstwhile thought unsolvable, helping investigators place victims who for years had nary name.

Fox News Digital has reached retired to the Riverside County Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau, Othram, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and the Los Angeles Police Department for further information.