A woman discovered about 75 feet down a steep embankment near Highway 138 and Crestline Road on Nov. 18 has been identified as 58-year-old Aryan Papoli of Newport Beach, authorities said. The San Bernardino County coroner confirmed her identity on Saturday, and sheriff’s investigators continue to examine how she ended up along the mountainside.
Papoli had been reported missing out of Newport Beach on Nov. 22, four days after deputies from the Twin Peaks station responded to the San Bernardino Mountains location and found an unidentified woman. Officials later circulated a composite sketch while seeking her name. Investigators now say her injuries appear consistent with a fall, though the cause and manner of death have not been finalized. The identification closes a public mystery around the “Jane Doe” case but opens broader questions about where Papoli traveled in the days before Nov. 18 and whether anyone saw her near the Crestline turnout.
Deputies were dispatched late in the morning on Nov. 18 after a caller reported a body down the slope off the shoulder near the junction of Highway 138 and Crestline Road. Responding units secured the turnout and requested mountain rescue and coroner personnel. The scene is a mountainous corridor with sharp curves and limited guardrails, a spot where vehicles sometimes pull over to let faster traffic pass. After the coroner removed the body, detectives documented the hillside and roadway edge, collected clothing and personal items, and canvassed for any vehicles left nearby. Papoli remained unidentified for nearly two weeks, during which time authorities released a description and sketch in hopes of finding relatives.
Officials said the coroner’s office confirmed Papoli’s identity the following Saturday and notified next of kin. She was a Newport Beach resident and 58 years old at the time of her death. The sheriff’s department said preliminary findings suggest injuries consistent with a fall down the slope; whether the fall was accidental remains unknown. Detectives have not announced any arrests. Papoli was described by family as an active, creative person who had recently focused on art and philanthropy. Her son, Navid Goodarzi, said the loss “is hard, really hard,” and that the family is waiting for full answers. He lives on the East Coast while completing graduate studies and traveled to Southern California after learning of the case.
Papoli moved to Newport Beach earlier this year after years in Southern California, relatives said. Public affiliations listed by family include board work with cultural and botanical institutions and support for museum programs. The Crestline area where she was found sits roughly 5,000 feet in elevation in the San Bernardino Mountains, about 90 minutes from the coast in light traffic. The roadway corridor is popular with visitors heading to mountain communities and can see rapid weather changes. In recent years, deputies in the Twin Peaks patrol area have handled a mix of crashes, stranded motorists, and missing-person searches along the same highway.
Investigators are reviewing the November timeline: the Nov. 18 discovery, the Nov. 22 missing-person report in Newport Beach, and the subsequent sketch release. Standard steps include examining phone and vehicle records, checking license-plate reader hits along mountain routes, and seeking surveillance video from gas stations and trailhead lots between the coast and Crestline. The coroner is conducting further testing, including toxicology, before issuing a final cause and manner of death. No public briefing date has been set, and officials have not said whether weather, road conditions, or a medical issue might have contributed.
Neighbors and drivers who frequent Highway 138 described the turnout near Crestline Road as narrow and abrupt. On weekday mornings, delivery trucks and commuters share the route with visitors unfamiliar with the grade. A Crestline shopkeeper said deputies kept the pullout taped off for hours on Nov. 18 while investigators worked the slope. A mountain resident who passed the area that day recalled patrol vehicles and a coroner van parked on the shoulder. In Newport Beach, friends and acquaintances described Papoli as energetic and generous with her time, noting recent art projects and travel plans.
As of Thursday, the coroner’s office had not released a final ruling in the case. The sheriff’s department says the death investigation remains open while detectives complete interviews and lab reviews. Further updates are expected after the coroner issues findings and investigators resolve the travel timeline tied to Nov. 18.