Universal City Cold Case: Arizona Man Charged in 1981 Killing of Yolanda Herrera

DNA evidence leads investigators to suspect more than four decades after killing

UNIVERSAL CITY, Texas — A 68-year-old Arizona man has been charged with capital murder in the 1981 killing of 23-year-old Yolanda Herrera, whose body was found in a field in Universal City after she disappeared while leaving a local bar, police said.

Kelly Lee Brower Sr. was arrested Wednesday in Cottonwood, Arizona, according to the City of Universal City. Investigators said Brower was linked to Herrera's death through a DNA match while he was already being held in Arizona on an unrelated charge.

The arrest marks a major development in a homicide that remained unsolved for decades. Authorities have not released details about the DNA evidence, when it was obtained or whether the match came through a law-enforcement database.

Herrera was last seen leaving a Universal City bar

Herrera was last seen during the early-morning hours of Saturday, April 11, 1981, after leaving Johnny's Inn, a bar in Universal City. Witnesses told investigators that she was seen walking away from the establishment, police said.

Two days later, on Monday, April 13, 1981, Herrera's nude body was discovered in a field near the 500 block of East Aviation Drive in Universal City. An autopsy ruled her death a homicide caused by multiple injuries. Investigators also found evidence indicating that she had been sexually assaulted before she was killed.

At the time, the circumstances surrounding Herrera's disappearance and death left investigators with limited answers. The case remained open as detectives pursued leads over the years, ultimately relying on advances in forensic DNA testing to identify a suspect, according to police.

Arrest brings new movement in decades-old homicide investigation

Cold-case investigations across the United States have increasingly been revived by DNA analysis, including comparisons of biological evidence retained from crime scenes with samples collected in later cases or entered into law-enforcement databases. Such evidence can provide investigators with a potential suspect long after witness memories and other traditional leads have faded.

In Herrera's case, the alleged DNA link came while Brower was in custody on a separate Arizona matter, Universal City police said. Officials did not identify the unrelated charge or say whether Brower has been returned to Texas.

Brower now faces a capital murder charge connected to Herrera's death. Authorities have not announced additional arrests, and no further information about the evidence or the next court proceedings was immediately released.