Riverside, California, investigators linked a person’s DNA to a 1979 chilly case homicide of a teenage woman, years after the identical man handed a lie detector check in regards to the crime, in keeping with authorities.
The physique of 17-year-old Esther Gonzalez was discovered dumped in packed snow off Freeway 243 in Banning, California, in 1979, and after an investigation, detectives decided the teenager had been raped and bludgeoned to loss of life.
Final week, the Riverside County District Legal professional’s Workplace mentioned in a press launch that the case had been solved utilizing forensic family tree, over 45 years later.
On Nov. 20, the Riverside County Regional Chilly Case Murder Crew recognized Lewis Randolph “Randy” Williamson, who died in 2014, because the killer.
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Gonzalez was attacked and murdered on Feb. 9, 1979, as she was strolling to her sister’s home in Banning from her father or mother’s home in Beaumont.
Her physique was discovered the following day after an unidentified man, who Riverside County Sheriff’s Workplace deputies described as “argumentative,” known as to report he had discovered a physique. The person, later recognized as Williamson, mentioned he didn’t know if the sufferer was a person or a girl.
Detectives recognized Williamson because the caller 5 days after he reported the physique, and investigators requested if he would undergo a polygraph. Williamson agreed to the check and handed, which, on the time, cleared him of any wrongdoing.
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Pipette inserting pattern into vial for extracting DNA proof in forensic lab. (Andrew Brookes by way of Getty Photographs)
After exhausting quite a few leads within the case for a number of years, investigators ultimately despatched a semen pattern from the crime scene into the Mixed DNA Index System, also referred to as CODIS.
The county chilly case murder group despatched numerous items of proof to Othram, Inc. in 2023 to provoke a forensic investigative genetic family tree investigation, with hopes of creating extra leads.
Earlier this yr, the group moved nearer to fixing the case.
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A lab technician performs DNA testing on human stays. (BORIS HORVAT/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)
Against the law analyst assigned to the group decided that though Williamson was cleared by a polygraph check in 1979, he was by no means cleared via DNA as a result of the know-how had not but been developed.
When Williamson died in Florida in 2014, a blood pattern was collected in the course of the post-mortem. With the Broward County Sheriff’s Workplace’s help, the pattern was despatched to the California Division of Justice.
It was in the end confirmed that Williamson’s DNA matched the DNA recovered from Esther’s physique.
Whereas Williamson’s DNA matched, the investigation stays open into the circumstances that led to Gonzalez’s loss of life.
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The Riverside County Regional Chilly Case Murder Crew encourages anybody who knew Williamson or might have details about the case or different potential victims to contact them at 951-955-277 or coldcaseunit@rivcoda.gov.
