Advances in DNA technology led authorities to identify Kelly Lee Brower as a suspect in the 1981 killing of Yolanda Herrera
Credit: Universal City Police Department
NEED TO KNOW
- Authorities have identified a suspect in the killing of Yolanda Herrera
- Herrera was killed in 1981, and though DNA evidence was collected, a suspect was never identified
- Advances in DNA technology led to the identification of Kelly Lee Brower, who police say confessed to the murder after being interviewed
A suspect has been arrested 45 years after the killing of a 23-year-old woman in Texas.
Yolanda Herrera was last seen leaving a bar in the early hours of April 11, 1981, and was believed to be walking to her home in Universal City, Universal City Police Department (UCPD) Lieutenant Stephen Rios explained at a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
Rios said that her nude body, which appeared to have been beaten, was discovered by two young children as they walked to school on April 13, 1981.
An autopsy ruled Herrera’s death a homicide due to multiple blunt force injuries, and there was also evidence to suggest she had been sexually assaulted, said Rios.
Investigators collected DNA evidence from fingernail scrapings and a semen sample during her autopsy at the time, but no suspect was identified.
That was until 2021, when police identified a male DNA profile that had no matches in the database.
This led investigators to conduct numerous interviews and gather saliva samples from multiple individuals, but they were once again unable to find a match.
That same year, the DNA profile was sent to Bode Technology laboratories for genealogical testing, and a surname was obtained for any variations of the name “Brower.” However, no additional DNA testing could be performed at the time.
Credit: Texas Department of Public Safety
With the remaining amount of DNA being “very small,” Bode recommended that officials wait for technological advancements before attempting further testing.
Per their recommendation, the sample was sent to Othram Inc. in 2025. They identified the suspect as Kelly Lee Brower using profiles of individuals in the family tree DNA database, said Rios.
While he lived in Universal City at the time of Herrera’s murder, it was later determined that he moved to Cottonwood, Ariz.
The department sought the assistance of Arizona officials, who surveilled Brower and later obtained DNA samples, which were submitted to Bode for comparison in October 2025.
“Those samples matched the DNA profile from the evidence collected during Yolanda’s autopsy,” said Rios. “In 2026, it was determined that the DNA profile collected from Yolanda’s autopsy matched the DNA collected from the evidence UCPD obtained from Cottonwood PD.”
After UCPD and the Texas Rangers traveled to Cottonwood to interview Brower, he “subsequently confessed to the murder,” said Rios.
According to Rios, a capital murder warrant was obtained by the Cottonwood Police Department, which arrested Brower. He is currently awaiting extradition to Texas, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE.
Corporal Caitlin Brown said she spoke to Herrera’s family after getting back to Texas.
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“It’s just surreal after 45 years to give them that,” she said. “It’s a pride and a joy that you can’t describe.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the Universal City Police Department and the Cottonwood Police Department for comment.
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