SALT LAKE CITY — A Nebraska man has been arrested in connection with a cold case homicide in Salt Lake City that happened nearly four decades ago, police said Tuesday.
Bryan Reed, 55, is accused of killing Wilhelmina Reid, 72, on Aug. 18, 1982, according to South Sioux City police. He was 17 years old at the time of her death and moved to Nebraska shortly after, police said.
Reid was found dead in her home at 959 W. California Ave. (1300 South) from blunt force trauma. She had been beaten during a burglary and theft and was sexually assaulted, according to previous Deseret News reports.
Salt Lake police on Wednesday released few details about how long they had been working on the cold case, how detectives determined Reed was a suspect and how long he had been a suspect. Sgt. Keith Horrocks said unknown male DNA was collected from the crime scene on the night of the killing. And at some point, it was learned that Reed was “in the area” at the time of Reid’s death, he said.
Salt Lake police first interviewed Reed in Sioux City nearly a year ago, on Dec. 18, 2018, according to a statement from the Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department. About the same time, Sioux City officers served a search warrant on Reed to collect a DNA sample.
Using DNA and fingerprints, investigators were able to link Reed to the killing, police said.
Reed was reinterviewed by Salt Lake police, at which time he said he was responsible for the killing, according to South Sioux City police.
As of Wednesday, Reed was in the Dakota County Jail in Nebraska awaiting extradition to Utah.
Contributing: Pat Reavy