On the afternoon of Tuesday, November 18, 1975, the fully-clothed body of 43-year-old Maxine Macel Brewer was found on a mudflat of the Napa River, approximately one quarter-mile north of Lincoln Avenue. The victims hands and wrists were bound with a thin wire. According to the Napa Register, cause of death was attributed to a gaping chest wound that was caused by some sort of projectile or a sharp hand-held instrument. Police theorized that the murder had occurred elsewhere and the killer dumped the body from a nearby area accessible by vehicle.
An autopsy revealed numerous bruises and several broken ribs that occurred prior to death, injuries that suggested a physical confrontation. Police believed the victim had probably been roughed up before she was stabbed to death and bled out before being tossed into the river. The coroner estimated time of death as 4-8 days and 1-4 days as the length of time the body was in the water.
Brewers father reported her missing on Monday, November 17. She was last seen by her parents on Friday, November 7, when they dropped her off at her apartment at 2021 1st Street.
Three days after Brewer was recovered, police publically stated that they had several leads but would not elaborate." Articles reported that police were questioning family and friends of the victim.
At the time of her death, Brewer worked as a housekeeper/cook. She was twice divorced with four children. A native of Oklahoma, she had called Napa home since 1948.
The case remains unsolved.
An autopsy revealed numerous bruises and several broken ribs that occurred prior to death, injuries that suggested a physical confrontation. Police believed the victim had probably been roughed up before she was stabbed to death and bled out before being tossed into the river. The coroner estimated time of death as 4-8 days and 1-4 days as the length of time the body was in the water.
Brewers father reported her missing on Monday, November 17. She was last seen by her parents on Friday, November 7, when they dropped her off at her apartment at 2021 1st Street.
Three days after Brewer was recovered, police publically stated that they had several leads but would not elaborate." Articles reported that police were questioning family and friends of the victim.
At the time of her death, Brewer worked as a housekeeper/cook. She was twice divorced with four children. A native of Oklahoma, she had called Napa home since 1948.
The case remains unsolved.
