Estranged husband of missing Newport Beach woman faces first-degree murder charge
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Months after the body of a missing Newport Beach woman was discovered in the San Bernardino Mountains, sheriff’s deputies have arrested her estranged husband on suspicion of murder.
Gordon Abas Goodarzi, 66, of Rolling Hills, was arrested Friday on suspicion of murdering his wife, 58-year-old Aryan Papoli, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department reported Saturday.
Officials said investigators handling the case reviewed an autopsy report — filed after the Nov. 18 discovery of Papoli’s body by deputies 75 feet down an embankment near the town of Crestline — that noted her injuries were consistent with a fall.
“After a complete review of the autopsy results the coroner determined the manner of death to be a homicide,” Saturday’s news release stated.
Although further details on that determination, or the nature of the couple’s relationship have not yet been released, detectives with the department’s Special Investigations Division contacted Goodarzi at his residence and Friday at later arrested him at sheriff’s headquarters, transporting him to the Central Detention Center, where he was being held without bail, officials reported.
The Rolling Hills resident has been charged with first-degree murder and was due to appear in an arraignment hearing Monday, according to San Bernardino County Court records.
Papoli was reported missing from her Newport Beach home on Nov. 22, four days after her body was discovered in Crestline and whom authorities were seeking to identify.
But on Nov. 29, coroner’s officials confirmed the decedent was Papoli, a woman later described by son Navid Goodarzi in an interview with the Daily Pilot as “a ray of light, sunshine manifested.”
He said Papoli emigrated with her mother and sister from Iran when she was 18, after the nation’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, settling in the San Francisco Bay Area. That’s where she met her husband, Abas Goodarzi. Together, the pair founded a clean energy company, U.S. Hybrid.
“Growing up with them, I saw before my eyes that nothing is impossible,” Navid Goodarzi said of his parents.
To honor his mother’s memory, he created an online tribute with photos at aryanpapoli.net.
In a comment Tuesday, Navid Goodarzi declined to comment on his father’s arrest.
“My brother and I are devastated by the death of our mother,” he said in a statement. “We appreciate the compassion and respect being shown to our family, and we are asking for privacy during this difficult time.”
An undated article, written by Papoli sometime in 2024 for the online neighborhood newsletter Stroll, paints a picture of the couple before their separation.
Papoli described her husband as an engineer and pioneer in renewable energy and electric vehicles who worked as the chief executive of Magmotor Technologies, a manufacturer working in aerospace, robotics, medical equipment and industrial automation.
“Abas has always been passionate about sustainability, and it’s been inspiring to see how far he’s come in contributing to the transition toward cleaner energy, creative solutions for sustainability and mobility,” she wrote, adding that her husband relaxed by gardening, walking the family dog and cooking in his spare time.
“I, on the other hand, find joy in reading, meditating and taking photographs,” she continued. “I’m always walking around our neighborhood, snapping pictures of what catches my eye, from flowers to scenes that reflect our beautiful surroundings. I also love traveling — especially where the culture, food and art always leave me inspired.”
Navid Goodarzi said his mother had come to Newport Beach last summer, seeking a serene place to explore her creativity through art, dancing and ceramics. She also volunteered on the board of the South Coast Botanical Garden in Palos Verdes Hills and was involved with programs at UCLA’s Fowler Museum.
Updates
12:39 p.m. Jan. 27, 2026: This story has been updated to include a comment from Navid Goodarzi, Aryan Papoli’s son, provided Tuesday.
