The estranged husband of a Newport Beach woman who was found dead in the San Bernardino Mountains last November was charged with murder last week.
Aryan Papoli, 58, who was reported missing on Nov. 22, 2025, was found dead approximately 75 feet down an embankment near Highway 138 and Crestline Road in the Crestline area on Nov. 18, 2025, but was not identified until Dec. 1, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.
Papoli's Injuries were Consistent with a Fall but Her Death was Later Ruled a Homicide
When her body was retrieved from the mountain and taken to the county's coroner, it was determined that her injuries were consistent with a fall. In January of this year, however, the department announced that her death was a homicide
On Friday, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Specialized Investigation Division deputies arrested Gordon Abas Goodarzi, 66, at his Rolling Hills home in connection with Papoli's death.
The arrest came after "extensive and persistent investigation," a news release from San Bernardino County investigators said, without providing specific details on his alleged connection or motive.
He was booked at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino and charged with murder, the DA's news release said. Court documents also said that the crime could have "involved great violence," the "attempted or actual taking of great monetary value," or that Papoli was "particularly vulnerable."
Papoli Filed for Divorce from Goodarzi Months Before Her Death, Millions of Dollars' Worth of Properties were Part of the Filing
Papoli's death came just months after she filed for divorce from Goodarzi, the CEO of a tech company, after 28 years of marriage in June, according to court documents, in which she cited "irreconcilable differences."
The 58-year-old mom of two was seeking spousal support from her estranged engineer husband of 28 years, who sold his tech company US Hybrid, a clean energy company specializing in zero-emission powertrain components for commercial and military vehicles, for $50 million in 2021.
Papoli and Goodarzi listed several properties in the divorce docs that would have to be divided – including the $3 million Rolling Hills Estate "marital residence" where Goodarzi was arrested, a $1 million dollar home in Chino Hills and a 43,000-square-foot industrial property in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The couple also had vacant land in SoCal worth $500,000, and another property in Crestline, the same town where Papoli's lifeless body was found at the bottom of a 75-foot embankment on a mountain road on Nov. 18. The divorce was called off on Dec. 23 by Papoli's attorney "due to the death of petitioner."
Despite the estrangement, Goodarzi was present at Papoli's memorial service in December. He is scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday.
