Texas nursing student’s kidnapping, murder solved after 44 years: Police

Deck Brewer Jr., a man already imprisoned in Massachusetts, has been charged with the 1980 murder of 25-year-old Susan Leigh Wolfe, according to the Austin, Texas, Police Department. Wolfe had just enrolled as a nursing student at the University of Texas at Austin when she was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and killed on Jan. 9, 1980, according to police. Wolfe was kidnapped one block from her home while walking to a friend’s house at around 10 p.m. A witness saw a car stop before the driver exited and grabbed Wolfe in a “bear hug,” placed a coat over her head and forced her into the back of the car, police said. On August 14, 2024, based on the totality of the investigation thus far, the Austin Municipal Court found probable cause to issue an arrest warrant charging Deck Brewer Jr. with the murder of Susan Leigh Wolfe. Austin Police Department During an autopsy, a pathologist found evidence of a sexual assault by one of two unknown suspects seen in the car, police said. In April 2023, detectives submitted evidence related to Wolfe’s sexual assault to the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory, where forensic experts evaluated it and determined it was suitable for testing, police said. In February, Austin police received the test results — which produced a male profile for the suspect — and eliminated the six suspects who were not a genetic match with the evidence police had, police said. On August 14, 2024, based on the totality of the investigation thus far, the Austin Municipal Court found probable cause to issue an arrest warrant charging Deck Brewer Jr. with the murder of Susan Leigh Wolfe. Austin Police Department In March, Austin police received a notification for a possible match in Massachusetts, where Brewer is currently incarcerated on unrelated charges, police said. Detectives conducted a short interview with Brewer in which he said he had been in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, around the time of the murder, police said. After the DNA comparison was conducted, an Austin court found probable cause to charge Brewer in the murder of Wolfe, police said. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/texas-nursing-students-kidnapping-murder-solved-after-44/story?id=112901769