After 45 years, the murderer of Hispanic Esther González is identified in California

• Esther González’s Case Solved Through Forensic Genealogy
• Crime Occurred in 1979 Near Banning, California
• Authorities Confirm DNA Match with Deceased Suspect

After 45 years of uncertainty, California authorities have identified the murderer of Esther González, a 17-year-old Hispanic girl.

Thanks to advances in forensic genealogy and the Riverside County Cold Case Homicide Team, the truth has finally come to light.

Authorities confirmed that Lewis Randolph “Randy” Williamson was responsible for attacking, raping, and murdering González in 1979, a case that deeply impacted the community.

On February 9, 1979, Esther was attacked while walking from her parents’ home in Beaumont to her sister’s home in Banning.

How They Found Esther González

After 45 years, California authorities were finally able to tell the González family who they believe killed their loved one. https://t.co/11t27GlNxl

— CNN en Español (@CNNEE) November 25, 2024

Esther González’s beaten body, showing signs of sexual assault, was discovered the next day in a snowy area near Highway 243, south of Poppet Flats Road.

This was reported in an official statement by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

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An unidentified man, described as argumentative, called the Sheriff’s station in Banning to report finding the body.

He was later identified as Williamson, who at the time passed a polygraph test, excluding him as a suspect due to the technological limitations of the era.

Breakthrough That Solved the Case

Decades later, in 2023, investigators sent evidence from the case to Othram, Inc., a company specializing in forensic genetic genealogy.

This year, an analyst discovered that although Lewis Randolph Williamson had been initially excluded, a DNA comparison had never been conducted.

Through collaboration with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, a blood sample from Williamson—who died in 2014—was retrieved.

The California Department of Justice recently confirmed that Williamson’s DNA matched the samples found on Esther’s body.

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