DNA links California man to 1979 cold case murder, years after passing lie detector

Riverside, California, investigators linked a man’s DNA to a 1979 acold lawsuit execution of a teenage girl, years aft the aforesaid antheral passed a prevarication detector trial astir the crime, according to authorities.

The assemblage of 17-year-old Esther Gonzalez was recovered dumped successful packed snowfall disconnected Highway 243 successful Banning, California, successful 1979, and aft an investigation, detectives determined the teen had been raped and bludgeoned to death.

Last week, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said successful a property merchandise that the lawsuit had been solved utilizing forensic genealogy, implicit 45 years later.

On Nov. 20, the Riverside County Regional Cold Case Homicide Team identified Lewis Randolph "Randy" Williamson, who died successful 2014, arsenic the killer.

NEWS ANCHOR'S MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE WAS CRIME OF ‘JEALOUSY’: PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

Gonzalez was attacked and murdered connected Feb. 9, 1979, arsenic she was walking to her sister’s location successful Banning from her parent’s location successful Beaumont.

Her assemblage was recovered the adjacent time aft an unidentified man, who Riverside County Sheriff’s Office deputies described arsenic "argumentative," called to study helium had recovered a body. The man, aboriginal identified arsenic Williamson, said helium did not cognize if the unfortunate was a antheral oregon a woman.

Detectives identified Williamson arsenic the caller 5 days aft helium reported the body, and investigators asked if helium would taxable to a polygraph. Williamson agreed to the trial and passed, which, astatine the time, cleared him of immoderate wrongdoing.

COP WHO SURVIVED SERIAL KILLER AS A TEEN IS NOW ON TRACK TO BECOME A DETECTIVE

Pipette placing illustration into vial for extracting DNA grounds successful forensic lab. (Andrew Brookes via Getty Images)

After exhausting galore leads successful the lawsuit for respective years, investigators yet sent a semen illustration from the transgression country into the Combined DNA Index System, besides known arsenic CODIS.

The county acold lawsuit homicide team sent assorted pieces of grounds to Othram, Inc. successful 2023 to initiate a forensic investigative familial genealogy investigation, with hopes of processing further leads.

Earlier this year, the squad moved person to solving the case.

SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER

A laboratory technician performs DNA investigating connected quality remains. (BORIS HORVAT/AFP via Getty Images)

A transgression expert assigned to the squad determined that adjacent though Williamson was cleared by a polygraph trial successful 1979, helium was ne'er cleared done DNA due to the fact that the exertion had not yet been developed.

When Williamson died successful Florida successful 2014, a humor illustration was collected during the autopsy. With the Broward County Sheriff’s Office’s assistance, the illustration was sent to the California Department of Justice.

It was yet confirmed that Williamson’s DNA matched the DNA recovered from Esther’s body.

While Williamson’s DNA matched, the probe remains unfastened into the circumstances that led to Gonzalez’s death.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Riverside County Regional Cold Case Homicide Team encourages anyone who knew Williamson oregon whitethorn person accusation astir the lawsuit oregon different imaginable victims to interaction them astatine 951-955-277 oregon coldcaseunit@rivcoda.gov.