Cold Case: Body Of SoCal Murder Victim ID'd Through Familial DNA: RivCo Coroner

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — More than 44 years after the severely decomposed remains of an 80-year-old woman were found in a shallow grave in the San Bernardino County mountains, Riverside County authorities have identified Thelma Jeanette Gaston through DNA testing.

Gaston, a millionaire who disappeared from Los Angeles County in 1981, was presumed a victim of homicide. One year after her disappearance, her "sometime companion," Lawrence Remsen, was convicted of the crime and attempting to gain control of her estimated $20 million estate.

Yet for more than four decades, authorities did not know that remains discovered near Sugarloaf Mountain belonged to the missing millionaire.

“DNA recovered from the remains was analyzed using investigative genetic genealogy, ultimately leading to the restoration of her identity,” Riverside County Sheriff's Coroner Sgt. Nancy Rissi said.

The identification process on her remains began in May and included investigative genetic genealogy and a comparison with dental records, Rissi said.

Millionaire disappears; companion convicted of murder

Gaston amassed a fortune in her real estate business following the loss of her husband and son.

Remsen was a salesman and her sometime companion, though she questioned his motives according to the LAPD's 1981 investigation into her disappearance. Described in news reports during his trial, Remsen attempted to gain control of her $20 million estate.

The note found on the door of her Century City home stated that she had gone out to search for a missing cat, according to news reports published following Remsen’s arrest.

“The Los Angeles Police Department originally investigated the case and identified (Remsen), who falsely represented her disappearance,” Rissi said. Business associates reportedly received forged letters purporting to place Remsen in control of Gaston’s estate and attempted to extract $100,000 from her bank accounts, SF Gate reported.

Remsen, now 83 and formerly of Newport Beach, was arrested in Texas in connection with Gaston’s disappearance.

At trial, Remsen pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including murder and forgery, but was ultimately convicted of Gaston’s murder and sentenced to life in prison. The judge ruled he had killed her "intentionally and with malice."

He remains incarcerated at the California Institution for Men in Chino. Remsen was denied parole in 2025, and his next parole suitability hearing is scheduled for review in July 2028.

‘Jane Doe’ remained unidentified for more than 40 years

Gaston’s remains were discovered Nov. 28, 1981, when a passerby gathering firewood near Sugarloaf Mountain found a shallow grave off Highway 74.

The remains were severely decomposed, according to the coroner’s report.

“Due to the condition of the remains, investigators were unable to establish her identity despite extensive investigative efforts,” Rissi said. It wasn't until 2024 that the Riverside County coroner's bureau reviewed the case. A DNA profile was extracted from her bones. With samples sent to Othram Labs, Inc., familial DNA pointed to the Gaston family, and Thelma Gaston at last had a name.

The identification resulted from a collaboration among the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s Bureau, the Riverside Cold Case Homicide Team and Othram Labs Inc., a private forensic laboratory specializing in advanced forensic DNA testing, Rissi said. “Together, these efforts have ensured that Ms. Gaston has her name — and her story — returned to her."