Denise Christie Brothers, 38, was reported missing on January 1, 1994. About a month later her body was found in a vacant lot in Odessa, Texas; the cause of death was strangulation and the death was ruled a homicide. The case remained unsolved for decades.

In May 2018 Texas Rangers interviewed convicted killer Samuel Little, who confessed to Brothers’ murder and gave details matching the circumstances of her death. That confession led to an indictment in Ector County. On December 13, 2018, Little pleaded guilty to her murder and received another life sentence.

Brothers’ case became one of many cold homicides attributed to Little after his confessions prompted reviews nationwide.