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distant husband of a rich man Newport Beach, California, The socialite whose body was found at the base of a 75-foot embankment in the San Bernardino Mountains has been arrested in connection with her death.
Gordon Abas Goodarzi, 66, was taken into custody Friday at his Rolling Hills residence following an “extensive and ongoing investigation” into the death of 58-year-old Aryan Papoli by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Announce Saturday.
Papoli was found dead shortly before noon on Nov. 18, 2025, near Crestline, nearly 100 miles from her estate in Rolling Hills. An autopsy later determined her death to be killinjuries consistent with a fall were noted.
Gudarzi is being held without bail at the Central Detention Center.
Papoli grew up in Iran When he was 18, he moved to the United States with his family. She met Goodarzi nearly 30 years ago in California, and together they founded US Hybrid, a clean energy company. The couple had two sons, Navid and Milad, and bought a five-bedroom home in Rolling Hills in 2017, which they still owned at the time of her death. “
“Growing up with them, I saw firsthand that anything is possible,” Navid told the outlet Los Angeles Times in December, a month after his mother died.
Six months before her death, Papoli moved to Newport Beach to enjoy a peaceful, creative retirement. While there, she volunteered at the South Coast Botanical Gardens and the UCLA Fowler Museum while pursuing ceramics, photography, and, most recently, dance.
Prior to pursuing her career in the arts, she had a successful corporate career, earning degrees in business and coaching and serving as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Operations.
Navid declined to comment on his mother’s disappearance, death or how the family learned about it in December, citing the ongoing investigation at the time.
he told ABC7 Because of the demanding coursework required for his Harvard master’s degree, he hadn’t spoken to his mother in weeks.
She was reported missing on November 22, 2025, four days after law enforcement discovered her body in Crestline. Two days before Thanksgiving, the Sheriff’s Department confirmed to Navid that the body was his mother’s.
“When she went missing, we were going down this crazy tunnel with all the engines burning like how are we going to find her?” Navid said. “When we got the news, it was kind of like the wind was blown out of our minds. It was a shock the first day.”
Navid said he plans to continue updating a website in her honor that celebrates her full, vibrant life.
“She was full of inspiration and optimism at this point in her life. I hope to have a website built to showcase her while she’s alive,” he told the outlet Los Angeles Times.