Toni L. Gordon Identified as 1980s Nashville Double Homicide Victim

Toni L. Gordon Identified as 1980s Nashville Double Homicide Victim

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Police have identified Toni L. Gordon as the second woman murdered in a Nashville basement nearly 40 years ago.

Gordon was 31 years old when she was killed, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD).

The identification comes decades after her body was discovered in a shallow grave beneath the dirt floor of a home on Charlotte Avenue.

Forensic technology closes a decades-old case

The MNPD worked alongside DNA Investigative Solutions, Bode Technology, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), the Davidson County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to process the remains.

This identification follows the 2025 identification of Sheila Cummings.

The 1987 Charlotte Avenue murders

The crimes took place in a home on Charlotte Avenue that was being rented by James Shaffer at the time. In 1987, police discovered the bodies of both women buried in shallow graves under the basement’s dirt floor.

Shaffer confessed to the killings, though police believe the murders actually occurred two years prior to the discovery of the bodies. During his confession, Shaffer referred to Gordon by the nickname “Lil Bit.”

Toni L. Gordon Identified as 1980s Nashville Double Homicide Victim

Shaffer received two life sentences for the murders. He died in prison in 2004.

Closure for a family in limbo

For the family of Toni L. Gordon, the news brings an end to a long period of uncertainty. Before this identification, her relatives believed she had simply moved out of state and lost contact with them.

The Metro Nashville Police Department has officially notified Gordon’s family that she has been identified.

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