40-Year Mystery Solved: Cold Case Victim ID'd

Investigators have identified the second woman found buried in a shallow grave in a Nashville basement nearly 40 years ago. Toni L. Gordon, a 31-year-old Nashville resident who vanished decades ago, was identified through forensic genetic genealogy. She was found alongside Sheila Cummings, who was identified in 2025. Both women were discovered in the dirt floor of a basement in 1987.

Authorities believe James Shaffer murdered Gordon and Cummings approximately two years before their discovery. Shaffer, who referred to Gordon only as 'Lil' Bit,' confessed to the murders after the bodies were found. He was sentenced to two life sentences and died in prison in 2004.

The remains were exhumed in January 2025 for forensic analysis. Cummings, originally from Elgin, Illinois, was identified after her adult daughter provided a DNA sample. Gordon's family members, who believed she had moved out of state, have now been notified of the identification of her remains.