After 45 years, investigators have finally put a name to the woman whose skeletal remains were discovered in a shallow grave near Pinyon Pines: Thelma Gaston. The bones, found in November 1981, eluded identification for decades until new forensic work this year tied the remains to a missing Los Angeles resident. The match closes a long-unsolved chapter in a case that was prosecuted in Los Angeles even though there was no body at the time.
Riverside coroner announces identification
The Riverside County Sheriff's Office said in a July 15 press release that investigators with the Coroner’s Bureau and the Riverside Cold Case Homicide Team used investigative genetic genealogy and dental records to identify the decedent as Thelma Gaston. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office says the match was made in May 2026 and credits funding from the Missing and Unidentified Human Remains Grant awarded in 2022. "Ms. Gaston has her name—and her story—returned to her," the release said.
Found on a mountainside in 1981
According to reporting from SFGATE, passersby gathering firewood discovered a shallow grave and skeletal remains on Nov. 28, 1981, near Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Pinyon Crest community off Highway 74. Riverside deputies recovered the remains the following day, but the advanced state of decomposition prevented identification at the time. The case was entered into NamUs and then sat cold for decades.
How genetic genealogy closed the gap
Investigators exhumed the remains on Nov. 26, 2024, for additional forensic testing and submitted DNA samples to a specialized lab, where forensic-grade genome sequencing and investigative genetic genealogy generated new leads. DNASolves and Othram reported that advanced DNA work reconstructed a profile that pointed to the Gaston family, and dental records were used to confirm the identification. Officials say collaboration between the Coroner’s Bureau, the county cold case team and private lab partners made the match possible.
Suspect, prosecution and legacy
Los Angeles investigators originally identified a suspect, Lawrence Remsen, who was later prosecuted in Los Angeles County in a no-body murder case and convicted, according to CBS Los Angeles. Reporting says Remsen used forged documents and tried to seize Gaston's property; he remains in state prison serving a life sentence. The confirmed identification gives investigators and the family a clearer accounting of what happened four decades ago.
Riverside officials encouraged anyone with additional information about the homicide to contact the Los Angeles Robbery-Homicide Division; the county release includes investigative and media contacts. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office said it appreciates the partnership that returned a name to this long-unsolved case.
