Following over four decades, DNA evidence results in an arrest in the murder of a nursing student
This situation didn't pan out as planned. Instead, a person stepped out of a car, grabbed her, and drove off with her.
Her lifeless body was discovered the following morning. Authorities declared that she had suffered sexual assault, strangulation, and gunshot wounds – and their hunt for her killer commenced.
Approaching the 45-year mark in this unresolved case, there's been a significant development: Police apprehended a 78-year-old individual whose genetic sample matched evidence from the autopsy, according to Austin, Texas, police through a press release.
The Austin Municipal Court authorized the issuance of an arrest warrant against Deck Brewer Jr. on Wednesday, charging him with murder in the context of Wolfe's demise. The Massachusetts Department of Corrections was already detaining him for unrelated infractions.
The turning point came with DNA testing, as per the police report.
The day she began nursing school
Wolfe began attending the University of Texas at Austin nursing school on January 9, 1980, according to police records. Around 10 that evening, while walking towards a friend's house, she was kidnapped roughly a block from her residence.
A witness narrated to police that a car halted, the driver exited, seized Wofe in a strong hold, blanketed her head with a coat, and compelled her into the car. The passenger-side door opened, but the witness couldn't ascertain what the passenger did during the abduction. The witness described the vehicle as a 1970 Dodge Polara.
Wolfe's corpse was discovered early the next morning in an Austin alleyway. Postmortem, it was found that she had been sexually assaulted, strangled, and shot. Forensic tests uncovered DNA proof at the scene.
“Within the first year of the investigation, APD investigators tirelessly followed up on numerous leads, investigated and traced cars fitting the eyewitness description, identified over 40 individuals of interest, and interrogated at least six suspects, some as far away as New York State,” the police press release said.
In April 2023, investigators from the APD Cold Case Unit submitted DNA evidence from the sexual assault to the Texas DPS Crime Laboratory. This year, police learned about a potential match in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) of convicted offenders, unsolved crime scene evidence, and missing persons.
They procured a DNA sample from Brewer, who admitted to being in Austin at the time of the crime.
“Brewer invoked his right to counsel after he was informed that his DNA was discovered at the scene of a homicide,” the police release stated.
“Based on the totality of the investigation to date, the Austin Municipal Court found probable cause to issue an arrest warrant against Deck Brewer Jr. for the murder of Susan Leigh Wolfe,” it added.
As of yet, details concerning Brewer's arraignment and his legal representation were unavailable.
DNA technology advances
CNN affiliate KEYE-TV spoke to a cold case analyst about technological advancements in DNA that have allowed several cold cases to be solved over the decades.
It's possible that insufficient DNA was initially available, said Michael Arntfield from Western University in Ontario, Canada.
“Until recently with improvements in DNA technology, a substantial amount of DNA was required to be uploaded to the system for comparison,” he said.
The station reported that Wolfe's parents have since passed away, as well as her then-roommate.
In the investigation into Susan Leigh Wolfe's case, the police pointed out that they had traced several leads and identified numerous individuals of interest in the first year. (from the text)
Upon revisiting the case with advanced DNA technology, investigators from the APD Cold Case Unit found a potential match in the CODIS system. (from the text)
