AUSTIN – An Arizona man will soon be extradited to Texas on capital murder charges after modern forensic testing identified him as the person responsible for a 1981 sexual assault and murder. The suspect, Kelly Lee Brower, 68, was arrested on Aug. 19, 2026, in Cottonwood, Ariz.
On April 13, 1981, 23-year-old Yolanda Herrera’s nude body was discovered by children in a field near the 500 block of East Aviation Drive in Bexar Co. She had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death after last being seen walking home from a local bar shortly after it closed just a few days before.
In the years after Herrera’s murder, investigators made extensive efforts to identify her killer – but all known suspects were eliminated, and the case went cold for more than 40 years.
Then, in late 2020, this case was identified as being eligible for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). Funded by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, this program provides vital investigative funding to help agencies resolve unsolved sexual assaults and sexually related homicides. Under this program, investigators with the Texas Rangers and Universal City Police Department submitted evidence collected during the original autopsy for advanced DNA testing and genealogy research. In 2021, BODE Technologies was able to conduct a surname search that provided a lead to investigators. In that same year, BODE Labs were also able to extract a small amount of DNA from critical evidence; however, the amount obtained was too small for genealogy testing at the time.
In 2025, Othram Laboratories further analyzed the DNA sample and utilized Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) to identify a possible suspect. That testing and research ultimately led to the identification of Kelly Lee Brower. Investigators traveled to Arizona to meet with Brower, who confessed to Herrera’s murder after multiple interviews. He was arrested and will soon be extradited to Texas for prosecution.
The Texas Rangers would like to thank our partners, including the Universal City Police Department, Bexar Co. Medical Examiner’s Office, Cottonwood Police Department (Arizona), Maricopa Co. Attorney’s Office – SAKI Program (Arizona), BODE Technologies, Othram Laboratories, Bexar Co. Crime Laboratory and the DPS Crime Laboratory Division, for their years of commitment and dedication to identify Brower and bring justice to Herrera’s family.
Article source and photo credit: Texas Department of Public Safety
