After 45 years, authorities in California were finally able to tell the Gonzalez family who they believe killed their loved one. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office used DNA and genealogy to identify the suspected killer, who turned out to be the same man who reported finding Esther Gonzalez’s body to authorities.
On February 9, 1979, 17-year-old Gonzalez was walking to his sister’s house in Banning, California, about 85 miles east of Los Angeles. He never came home.
The next day, her body was found in a freezer on a highway near Banning, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. She was attacked while walking, raped and strangled to death, authorities said.
Deputies described the unidentified man who found the body as “controversial,” according to the news release. The man, whose name is Lewis Randolph “Randy” Williamson, called the county sheriff to report the body and said he did not know whether it was a man or a woman. Williamson was later asked by sheriff’s investigators to take a polygraph test.
The district attorney’s office said he accepted and passed the test, which “at the time, cleared him of any wrongdoing,” according to the release.
Nearly five decades later, the district attorney’s office said the homicide team used genealogy to identify Williamson as Gonzalez’s suspected killer.
Forensic genealogy is taking off across the country as researchers look to DNA in addition to traditional genealogical research to bring leads to unsolved cases.
Jason Corey, an investigative specialist with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, said the method is a great addition to the investigator’s toolbox.
“I think it’s going to be a great investigative tool going forward in the future,” Corey said. “That will help to do a lot of good and not only to identify the victims, but it will help to point the investigators on the way with their investigation which will help to bring those who are suspected of crimes.”
Even as the Gonzalez case went cold, Riverside County detectives continued to search.
The homicide squad continued to investigate the case for decades after Gonzalez’s death. The team uploaded the man’s sample from the crime scene into the Combined DNA Index System but there was no lead.
In 2023, detectives sent various pieces of evidence to a genetic lab in Texas that specializes in genealogy and identifying victims of unsolved murders.
Earlier this year, a criminal investigator revealed the truth of the matter.
Then, the light bulb went off.
“Although Williamson appeared to be cleared by polygraph in 1979, he was never cleared through DNA because the technology had not been developed,” the district attorney’s office said.
Lewis Randolph “Randy” Williamson – Riverside County District Attorney’s Office
Taking another polygraph was not an option, since Williamson died in Florida in 2014.
However, a blood sample had been taken during his examination.
Authorities in Florida sent the sample to the California Department of Justice, which confirmed that Williamson’s DNA matched the DNA sample taken from Gonzalez’s body.
Corey said the case has been a Riverside County cold case since it was founded five years ago. Over the years, many researchers have worked on this issue. All this ended this Wednesday.
“I can’t imagine what it must have been like for them,” Corey said. “This whole family has just been destroyed for years. This is a daily thing, every day. I don’t think this is something that has been easy for them over time.”
“I don’t know if you can say you’re glad it’s done, because it’s still, it’s still a terrible tragedy, but I hope it gives them closure,” Corey said.
The latest development in the cold case brings peace and closure to the Gonzalez family, Esther’s older sister Elizabeth said. He was happy to hear that his sister, who was suspected of being a murderer, was identified.
“We are so happy to finally have closure,” Elizabeth Gonzalez, 68, wrote in an email to CNN. “We are happy about it but, since the boy is dead, unfortunately he will not serve time for his murder.”
Esther and Elizabeth Gonzalez grew up very close as they were only one year apart in age. Esther is now remembered by her family for her shy but funny and gentle personality. He is the fourth of seven children.
Esther’s older brother, Eddie, wrote on Facebook, “The Gonzalez family would like to thank the Riverside County sheriff’s department for a job well done after 40 years the Gonzalez family was closed.”
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