Esther Gonzalez Cold Case Murder Solved in Riverside County
The 1979 cold case murder of 17-year-old Esther Gonzalez in Riverside County, California, has been solved using forensic genetic genealogy. Lewis Randolph "Randy" Williamson, who originally reported finding her body and passed a polygraph test, was identified as the killer through DNA evidence. Williamson died in 2014, so no prosecution will occur.
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January 2025 — 1 developments
Othram Labs uses new technology to solve Esther Gonzalez's 1979 cold case murder
Investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and Regional Cold Case Task Force sent evidence to Othram Labs, which used new technology to create a DNA sequence to solve Esther Gonzalez's 1979 cold case murder.
November 2024 — 1 developments
Cold Case Team Identifies Lewis Williamson as Esther Gonzalez's Killer
The Riverside County Regional Cold Case Homicide Team announced that DNA evidence from Esther Gonzalez's body matched a blood sample taken during Lewis Randolph "Randy" Williamson's autopsy, confirming him as the rapist and killer.
February 1979 — 3 developments
Randy Williamson cleared by investigators after passing polygraph test
Detectives identified Lewis Randolph "Randy" Williamson as the caller and asked him to take a polygraph test. He agreed and passed, leading investigators to clear him of involvement at the time.
Randy Williamson reports finding body, acts argumentative with deputies
Lewis Randolph "Randy" Williamson reported finding Esther Gonzalez's body to the Riverside County Sheriff's Station. Deputies noted he was argumentative and couldn't tell if the body was male or female.
Esther Gonzalez murdered while walking from parents' house to sister's house
Esther Gonzalez, 17, was attacked and murdered while walking from her parents' house in Beaumont to her sister's house in Banning, California. Her body was found the next day, raped and bludgeoned to death, in a snowpack off Highway 243 near Banning.