California millionaire’s remains identified after 45 years

The remains of Thelma Jeanette Gaston, a wealthy Los Angeles widow who vanished in 1981 and whose former companion was later convicted of murdering her, have been identified after more than four decades, authorities in Southern California said.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau said investigators used genetic genealogy, dental records and advanced forensic DNA testing to identify remains found in a shallow grave near Sugarloaf Mountain in November 1981, months after Gaston disappeared. The work was aided by a grant to re-examine long-standing missing and unidentified remains cases with newer forensic technology and by a private laboratory.

“DNA recovered from the remains was analyzed using investigative genetic genealogy, ultimately leading to the restoration of Ms. Gaston’s identity,” the sheriff’s office said.

Gaston was 80 when she went missing on June 28, 1981. At the time, the only clue found at her home was a note saying she had gone to look for her cat, the Los Angeles Police Department said then. She never returned.

Authorities soon focused on Lawrence Remsen, a former carpet salesman described in contemporary accounts as Gaston’s companion. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office prosecuted him for her murder, alleging that he killed her to gain access to her estate. The Guardian reported that prosecutors said her estate was worth $20 million; NBC News noted that reports at the time differed, with the Los Angeles Times estimating her fortune at $20 million and the Chicago Tribune putting her assets close to $100 million.

After Gaston disappeared, police found letters purportedly written by her saying she was leaving to enjoy “some fun in life” and leaving her estate to Remsen, according to the Los Angeles Times account cited by NBC News. Gaston’s family and business associates were not convinced. Remsen later disappeared and was arrested in September 1981 while crossing from Mexico into Texas, according to contemporary reporting cited by NBC News and The Guardian.

Investigators believed Remsen had forged documents to gain control of Gaston’s finances. The Chicago Tribune reported at the time that police had evidence he forged her name on documents giving him power of attorney, transferred $20,000 to an account in the Cayman Islands and tried to sell several parcels of land she owned. The Guardian, citing earlier reporting, said police alleged he attempted to sell more than $1 million of her property and found her Mercedes at his apartment.

At trial, Remsen testified that Gaston died of natural causes and that he decided to take advantage of her death. He said he attached weights to her body and disposed of it at sea, according to a Los Angeles Times report cited by NBC News. Prosecutors alleged that he killed her with “pre-meditation and planning” and hid her body to gain access to her money, The Guardian reported, citing a 1982 Daily Breeze article.

A judge did not accept Remsen’s account. Superior Court Judge Gordon Ringer called him an “incompetent scoundrel,” NBC News reported. Remsen was convicted in a nonjury trial in 1983 of Gaston’s murder, though her body had not been found. The Guardian reported he was convicted of second-degree murder. NBC News reported he was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the murder and another six years in connection with forgery charges.

The remains had been discovered in late November 1981 by someone gathering firewood in a rugged desert area, the sheriff’s office said. For more than 40 years, they were unidentified.

“The Riverside Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau extends its sincere appreciation to everyone whose dedication, expertise, and perseverance made this identification possible,” the agency said. “Together, these efforts have ensured that Ms Gaston has her name – and her story – returned to her.”

NBC News reported that Remsen, now 83, remains imprisoned at the California Institution for Men and has been denied parole four times since 2016. Legal filings also show he has been denied appeals related to his continued incarceration, the outlet reported.