Estranged husband arrested months after wife found dead down 75-foot embankment initially believed to be from accidental fall, cops say

Authorities in California arrested a 66-year-old man months after his wife 
was found dead at the bottom of a 75-foot embankment in what was initially 
believed to be an accidental fall.

Gordon Abas Goodarzi stands accused of murder in the death of Aryan 
Papoli, 58, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. 
The investigation began shortly before noon on Nov. 18 when authorities 
located Papoli's body down the "steep" embankment.

An autopsy showed Papoli died from "injuries consistent with a fall." It 
took nearly two weeks to identify the victim. Cops later learned she had 
been reported missing Nov. 22 from Newport Beach, roughly 75 miles away.

Once she was identified, deputies conducted an "extensive and persistent 
investigation" which led to identifying Goodarzi as a suspect. The medical 
examiner subsequently determined Papoli's death was a homicide. Deputies 
did not publicly divulge a motive for the crime nor did they specify the 
events leading up to her death.

Goodarzi was arrested at his Rolling Hills home on Friday.

Navid Goodarzi, the 25-year-old son of the victim and suspect, told the 
Los Angeles Times in December that his mother escaped Iran during the 1979 
Islamic Revolution.

"My mom was a ray of light, sunshine manifested," her son told the Times. 
"She always gave 150% to herself and to everyone."

The son declined to speak about the circumstances of his mother's death, 
citing the ongoing investigation.

"It's hard when I see my mom's name and it's just a sketch of this person 
who's not her," he said in an interview with the newspaper. "She was so 
full of inspiration and optimism at this moment of her life. Building a 
website to showcase her is something I wish I could have done when she was 
alive."

Gordon Goodarzi is being held at the San Bernardino Central Detention 
Center without bond.

https://lawandcrime.com/crime/estranged-husband-arrested-months-after-
wife-found-dead-down-75-foot-embankment-initially-believed-to-be-from-
accidental-fall-cops-say/