Inset: Aryan Papoli (Navid Goodarzi). Background: Cops investigate the discovery of Papoli”s body down a 75-foot embankment in San Bernardino County, California (KABC).

The suspect, Gordon Abas Goodarzi, is now facing charges of murder in connection with the death of 58-year-old Aryan Papoli. This was confirmed by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The tragic case began to unfold just before noon on November 18, when Papoli’s body was found at the bottom of the steep slope.

An autopsy revealed that Papoli had died from injuries that were “consistent with a fall.” It took investigators almost two weeks to identify her. It was later discovered that she had been reported missing on November 22 from Newport Beach, which is approximately 75 miles from where her body was found.

Upon identifying Papoli, deputies embarked on a “thorough and ongoing investigation,” which ultimately pointed to Goodarzi as a suspect. The medical examiner later reclassified Papoli’s death as a homicide. Authorities have not yet released any information regarding the motive behind the crime or the circumstances that led to her tragic death.

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.