Who Is Kelly Lee Brower Sr.? Universal City Cold Case Murder Arrest

Kelly Lee Brower Sr. is a 68-year-old Arizona man who has been charged with capital murder in connection with the 1981 killing of 23-year-old Yolanda Herrera in Universal City, Texas. Brower was arrested in Cottonwood, Arizona, on August 19, 2026, after investigators said DNA collected while he was in custody in an unrelated Arizona case matched evidence from Herrera’s decades-old homicide. The allegations against Brower have not been proven in court.

Kelly Lee Brower Sr. Arrest

Brower Charged With Capital Murder 45 Years After Herrera Was Killed. Universal City police announced that Brower had been arrested in Cottonwood, Arizona, and charged with capital murder in Herrera’s 1981 death. The arrest represents the first publicly announced charge in a homicide investigation that remained unresolved for more than four decades. [KSAT]

DNA Match Led Investigators To Brower. Police said the major break in the case came through DNA evidence. Investigators linked Brower to the crime after obtaining a DNA match while he was already being held by authorities in Arizona on an unrelated matter. [KSAT]

Brower Was Already In Arizona Custody When DNA Connection Was Made. Brower did not initially come into custody because of the Texas cold case. Universal City police said he was being held on a separate and unrelated Arizona charge when investigators obtained the DNA match connecting him to Herrera’s killing. Authorities had not publicly disclosed details of that unrelated case in the initial reporting. [KSAT]

Yolanda Herrera Murder

Herrera Last Seen Leaving Johnny’s Inn In Universal City. Herrera was last seen during the early morning hours of April 11, 1981, leaving Johnny’s Inn, a bar in Universal City. Witnesses said the 23-year-old was seen walking away from the establishment. [Texas Department of Public Safety]

Herrera’s Body Found In Field Two Days After She Disappeared. On April 13, Herrera’s nude body was discovered in a field near the 500 block of East Aviation Drive in Universal City, two days after she was last seen leaving the bar. [Texas Department of Public Safety]

Autopsy Determined Herrera Died From Multiple Injuries. The autopsy classified Herrera’s death as a homicide caused by multiple injuries. Texas Department of Public Safety cold-case records do not publicly provide a more specific description of those injuries. [Texas Department of Public Safety]

Evidence Indicated Herrera Was Sexually Assaulted Before Her Death. Texas Rangers cold-case information says investigators found evidence suggesting Herrera had been sexually assaulted before she was killed. [Texas Department of Public Safety]

Herrera Was Recently Divorced And Was Her Parents’ Only Child. Texas DPS described Herrera as a recently divorced 23-year-old single woman and the only child in her family. [Texas Department of Public Safety]

Yolanda Herrera Cold Case Investigation

Herrera Murder Remained Unsolved For More Than Four Decades. The Texas Rangers maintained Herrera’s homicide in their cold-case database as investigators continued seeking information about her death. Before Brower’s arrest, Texas Crime Stoppers offered a reward of up to $3,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case. [Texas Department of Public Safety]

Modern DNA Evidence Ultimately Produced An Arrest In The 1981 Case. The evidence preserved from Herrera’s homicide eventually allowed investigators to make the DNA comparison that police say implicated Brower decades later. Universal City police have not publicly detailed the specific biological evidence involved in the match. [KSAT]

Authorities Have Not Publicly Announced A Motive Or Explained Brower’s Relationship To Herrera. Initial reporting on Brower’s arrest did not say whether Brower and Herrera knew each other in 1981 or explain what investigators believe happened between Herrera leaving Johnny’s Inn and the discovery of her body two days later. [KSAT]