Cold Case Solved After 45 Years | Birmingham News

Birmingham AL News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 17, 2026 · 1m

A 45-year-old cold case just got solved: Thelma Jeanette Gaston, a wealthy California woman who vanished in 1981, has been identified through cutting-edge DNA tech. Her decomposed body was found decades earlier, but new forensic methods finally matched her remains. She left behind a note about her missing cat — but cryptic letters hinted she was seeking “fun,” and left her fortune to a carpet salesman, Lawrence Remsen, who also disappeared. Remsen was later arrested trying to flee to Mexico, convicted of her murder and forgery, and sentenced to life — still in prison today, denied parole…