NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A woman whose body was discovered in the basement of a Nashville home nearly 40 years ago has been identified through forensic genetic genealogy.
Metro Nashville police announced Monday that the remains belong to Toni L. Gordon of Nashville, who was 31 years old when she was killed.
Gordon was one of two women found buried in shallow graves in the dirt-floor basement of a home on Charlotte Avenue in 1987. Investigators believe the murders occurred two years earlier, in 1985.
The second victim, 23-year-old Sheila Cummings, was identified in 2025.
Police said James Shaffer, who had rented the home, confessed to both murders after the bodies were discovered. Shaffer referred to Gordon as "Lil' Bit."
Gordon's family had believed she moved out of state and lost contact with her. Relatives have now been notified of her identification.
Shaffer received two life sentences for the murders and died in prison in 2004.
With Gordon's identification, both women found in the basement have now been identified.
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