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Nursing student was murdered on her way to a friend's house. 40 years later, DNA evidence leads police to the suspected murderer

In 1980, a nursing student was kidnapped, sexually abused and murdered on her way to a friend's house.

Now, 40 years later, genetic genealogy has finally led police to their suspected killer.

Susan Leigh Wolfe, a 25-year-old who had recently enrolled as a nursing student at the University of Texas, was on her way to a friend's house in Austin, Texas, around 10 p.m. on the evening of January 9, 1980, according to police.

A witness told police he saw a car stop and a driver get out, grab Wolfe and then force her into the back seat of his car, ABC News reported.

The next morning, Wolfe's body was found in an alley.

Investigators found evidence of strangulation and concluded that a gunshot wound to the head was the cause of death.

Susan Wolfe in an undated photo. Wolfe was kidnapped, sexually abused and killed in 1980
Susan Wolfe in an undated photo. Wolfe was kidnapped, sexually abused and killed in 1980 (City of Austin)

Over the next year, police tracked down dozens of potential suspects who matched the witness' description. Police eventually settled on six suspects, but were unable to charge any of them.

Then in 2023, investigators submitted evidence from Wolfe's sexual assault investigation to the Texas Department of Public Crimes laboratory, where forensic scientists were able to use DNA to create a profile of the suspect.

In February, police finally received the results and found that the DNA profile did not match any of the six original suspects.

Deck Brewer, 78, was charged with murder in the 1980 death of Susan Wolfe, 25, in Austin, Texas
Deck Brewer, 78, was charged with murder in the 1980 death of Susan Wolfe, 25, in Austin, Texas (Austin Police Department)

They then entered the DNA profile into the Combined DNA Index System, which police say tracks local, state and national DNA profiles of convicted criminals, evidence from unsolved crime scenes and missing people.

In March, there was another hit: a man named Deck Brewer Jr.

Brewer, 78, was already in prison in Massachusetts on other charges.

After speaking with Brewer, investigators learned that he had been in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, around the time of Wolfe's murder.

When he was told that DNA had been found at the scene of the woman's murder, he allegedly asked for his lawyer, according to police.

He was accused of her murder.

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