Los Angeles Millionaire Thelma Gaston’s Remains Identified in Riverside County More Than 40 Years After Her 1981 Disappearance

RIVERSIDE, CA — Authorities in Southern California say they have identified the remains of Thelma Gaston, a Los Angeles millionaire who vanished in 1981 at age 80. The Riverside County sheriff’s office said investigators matched the long-unidentified remains to Gaston using genetic genealogy and dental records.

How the case began

Gaston disappeared in June 1981 after leaving a note saying she was going to look for her cat, according to a Los Angeles Times report from that year. She never returned, and police quickly suspected foul play.

Her death became part of a high-profile murder case in Los Angeles County, where prosecutors alleged that her former companion, Lawrence Remsen, killed her to gain access to her $20 million estate. Remsen was later convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

What investigators found

Roughly five months after Gaston disappeared, someone gathering firewood found severely decomposed remains in a remote desert area, the sheriff’s office said. For decades, investigators could not determine who the woman was.

That changed in May 2026 after a Missing and Unidentified Human Remains grant helped fund another round of identification work. Officials said the remains were found near Sugarloaf Mountain and were finally confirmed to be Gaston’s.

Why the identification mattered

The Riverside County Coroner’s Bureau said the case closure returns Gaston’s name and story after more than 40 years. In a statement, the agency thanked the people whose work and persistence led to the identification.

The confirmation also closes a painful chapter in a case that drew attention because of Gaston’s wealth, her sudden disappearance, and the criminal investigation that followed.

A fortune and a mystery

Gaston had built her fortune by buying and selling repossessed properties, according to reporting cited in the source. Her husband and son had died in the 1950s, and she lived alone when she disappeared.

Remsen, a former carpet salesman, had recently become connected to Gaston and was described by friends as possibly romantic with her. Police said he tried to sell more than $1 million of her property and that her Mercedes was found at his apartment before he was arrested and later convicted.

TNSO covers California, Nevada, and Arizona as the story unfolds.