RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. — More than four decades after a woman’s remains were discovered in a shallow grave in the mountains of Riverside County, investigators have finally restored her identity.
The Riverside County Coroner and the Riverside Cold Case Homicide Team (RCCHT) announced that a female homicide victim, known only as “Jane Doe” for 45 years, has been positively identified as Thelma Gaston, bringing long-awaited closure to a case that dates back to 1981.
On November 28, 1981, passersby searching for firewood near Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Pinyon Crest community discovered a shallow grave containing the severely decomposed remains of a woman. Due to the condition of the remains, investigators were unable to determine her identity despite extensive investigative efforts…