Kelly Lee Brower arrested in 1981 Texas murder cold case

cold case forensic genetic genealogy DNA evidence capital murder charge Texas Department of Public Safety

Authorities have arrested 68-year-old Kelly Lee Brower in connection with the 1981 murder of 23-year-old Yolanda Herrera in Universal City, Texas. The breakthrough in the 45-year-old cold case came after forensic investigators matched DNA from a discarded Coors Light can found in Brower’s trash in Arizona to DNA recovered from beneath Herrera’s fingernails.

Herrera disappeared in April 1981 and was found two days later in a field in Bexar County. An autopsy determined she died from multiple blunt force injuries and had been sexually assaulted. The case was selected for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative in late 2020, which facilitated advanced forensic testing.

Investigators used forensic genetic genealogy to identify Brower, who lived in the area at the time of the crime. Brower, who was located in Cottonwood, Arizona, faces a capital murder charge and reportedly confessed to the killing during police interviews.

Entities

Bexar County · Kelly Lee Brower · Texas Department of Public Safety · Universal City · Yolanda Herrera

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] Kelly Lee Brower faces a capital murder charge. ktemnews.com · klaw.com · www.independent.co.uk
[● 3 SOURCES] DNA from a discarded Coors Light can matched DNA found under the victim's fingernails. ktemnews.com · klaw.com · www.independent.co.uk
[○ 1 SOURCE] The cause of death for Yolanda Herrera was multiple blunt force injuries. www.independent.co.uk
[● 3 SOURCES] Kelly Lee Brower was located in Cottonwood, Arizona, during the investigation. ktemnews.com · klaw.com · www.independent.co.uk
[● 3 SOURCES] Yolanda Herrera disappeared in April 1981 after walking home from a bar in Universal City, Texas. ktemnews.com · klaw.com · www.independent.co.uk
[● 2 SOURCES] Kelly Lee Brower confessed to the murder of Yolanda Herrera during investigator interviews. ktemnews.com · klaw.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Kelly Lee Brower was arrested on August 19, 2026. ktemnews.com · klaw.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] The case was selected for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative in late 2020. www.independent.co.uk

Sources

A Discarded Coors Light Can Helped Crack a 45-Year-Old Texas Cold Case [1470kyyw.com]

11 days ago

A Discarded Coors Light Can Helped Crack a 45-Year-Old Texas Cold Case [ktemnews.com]

11 days ago

A Discarded Coors Light Can Helped Crack a 45-Year-Old Texas Cold Case [klaw.com]

11 days ago

How a Coors Light can helped police find the suspect in a 1981 cold case [www.independent.co.uk]

11 days ago