An arrest has been made in connection to the murder of a woman in Austin 44 years ago.
On January 9, 1980, 25-year-old Susan Leigh Wolfe enrolled at the University of Texas Austin School of Nursing. On the same day, at about 10 p.m., she was kidnapped near her home while walking to a friend’s house. A witness to the kidnapping watched as the driver of a car stopped, got out, and placed Susan in what was described as a ”bear hug,” the placed a coat over her head and forced her into the car. The witness described the car as a 1970 Dodge Polara.
Susan’s body was found early the next morning in an Austin alley at 2000 E. 17th Street. The pathologist found evidence of ligature strangulation, and determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. During the autopsy, the pathologist also found evidence of sexual assault left by one of the suspects, which has been retained by APD and The Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory ever since.
During the first year of the investigation, APD investigators followed up on dozens of leads, investigated and tracked down numerous cars fitting the witness’ description, produced over 40 persons of interest, and interviewed at least six suspects, some as far away as New York state.
On April 27, 2023, Detectives from the APD Cold Case Unit submitted evidence related to the sexual assault of Susan Wolfe to the Texas DPS Crime Laboratory. The Austin Forensic Science Department and DPS Crime Laboratory evaluated the evidence and concluded it was suitable for testing.
On February 12, 2024, APD received the test results that eliminated the six known suspects as contributors to the evidence.
On March 11, 2024, APD received notification from TX DPS that a possible match in Combined DNA Index System was located in Massachusetts. Detectives reviewed the Massachusetts State Police Forensic Services Division report and identified 78-year-old Deck Brewer Jr. as the possible contributor to the profile developed by TX DPS.
Current arrest records show Deck Brewer Jr. is currently incarcerated at the Massachusetts Department of Corrections on unrelated charges.
APD detectives later executed the DNA search warrant in Massachusetts by obtaining the DNA sample from Deck Brewer Jr. and conducting a short interview. Brewer invoked his right to counsel after he was told his DNA was found at the scene of a homicide.
The following is an excerpt from the DPS report:
“Deck Brewer Jr. cannot be excluded as the contributor of the partial major component in this DNA profile. The probability of selecting an unrelated person at random who could be the contributor of the partial major component in this DNA profile is approximately 1 in 550.5 quintillion.”
A warrant has now been issued charging Brewer Jr. with the murder of Susan Leigh Wolfe.
