DNA evidence leads to arrest of man accused of killing nursing student in 1980

AUSTIN, Texas (Gray News) – Police used DNA evidence to arrest a man accused of killing a nursing student in 1980, according to a news release.

Susan Leigh Wolfe was kidnapped on January 9, 1980. According to Austin police, she was on her way to a friend's house after her house had been sprayed for vermin.

A witness to Wolfe's abduction said a car stopped and the driver grabbed Wolfe, put a coat over her head and forced her into the car. The witness said the car was a 1970 Dodge Polara.

Wolfe's body was found early the next morning in an alley on 17th Street in Austin, Texas.

Her cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. According to the pathologist at the time, there were indications that she had been sexually abused and strangled.

During the first year of the investigation, investigators were able to track down more than 40 suspects and question at least six suspects. However, the case stalled.

In April 2023, detectives from the Austin Police Department's Cold Case Unit presented DNA evidence related to Wolfe's death.

During the course of the investigation, the six known suspects were eliminated from evidence and the profiles were entered into CODIS, a computer software program that maintains local, state and national databases of DNA profiles of convicted criminals, evidence from unsolved crime scenes and missing persons.

In March, Austin police were notified that 78-year-old Deck Brewer Jr. was a possible suspect.

In June, authorities executed a DNA search warrant and obtained a DNA sample from Brewer. He was also interviewed and told authorities that he had been in Austin and San Antonio at the time of Wolfe's murder.

In August, Brewer was charged with Wolfe's murder.

Brewer is currently incarcerated in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections on other charges.

The investigation is ongoing and authorities believe there was a passenger in the car with Brewer at the time of Wolfe's abduction.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Austin Police Department's Cold Case Unit at 512-974-5250. You can also share information anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.

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