COTTONWOOD, AZ (AZFamily) — An Arizona man will soon be extradited to Texas after allegedly admitting to sexually assaulting and beating a woman to death in 1981, according to Texas officials.
Kelly Lee Brower, 68, of Cottonwood, was identified using DNA technology that was not available when the crime happened nearly 40 years ago, according to officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Yolanda Herrera was 23 years old when her body was found in a field in Universal City, Texas. She had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death after last being seen walking home from a nearby bar a few days prior, officials said.
Investigators eliminated all suspects in the murder, and the case went cold, officials said.
In 2020, the case became eligible for a Texas program that helped resolve unsolved sexual assault cases. Evidence collected during the original autopsy was submitted for DNA and genealogy testing, but the sample was too small at the time, officials said.
In 2025, the DNA was reanalyzed using genetic genealogy. That research led to the identification of Brower, officials said.
After multiple interviews with Brower, he confessed to the crimes, officials said.
Brower was arrested and is currently awaiting extradition to Texas.
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