Posted on 09/27/2025 7:42:00 AM PDT by TheDon
AUSTIN, Texas — More than three decades after four teen girls were found dead inside a burned-down yogurt shop in North Austin, investigators say they finally know who killed them.
Law enforcement sources confirmed to KVUE Senior Reporter Tony Plohetski that the 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders have been solved using genetic genealogy technology. The perpetrator has been identified as American serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers, who died by suicide in 1999.
Brashers’s DNA profile has previously been connected with a 1990 murder in Greenville, South Carolina; the 1997 rape of a 14-year-old in Memphis; and the 1998 double murder of a woman and her 12-year-old daughter in Missouri.
The Austin Police Department said the investigation remains open and ongoing, and investigators ask for the public's patience "as we continue this process and remain mindful of the many people whose lives have been deeply affected by this case."
What are the Yogurt Shop Murders? On Dec. 6, 1991, four teen girls were bound, gagged and killed at an I Can't Believe It's Yogurt shop off West Anderson Lane in North Austin. The building was then set on fire, destroying what could have been a trove of forensic clues.
The victims were identified as 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison and her younger sister, 15-year-old Sarah Harbison; 17-year-old Eliza Thomas; and 13-year-old Amy Ayers. Thomas and Jennifer Harbison both worked at the yogurt shop, while Ayers and Sarah Harbison stopped in before closing time on the night of the crime.
The quadruple murder had a significant impact on the growing city of Austin and left many hungry for answers for decades.
Four men were arrested and charged with capital murder in 1999, but two of their cases were overturned. The other two never went to trial.
In recent years, there have been numerous pushes for additional investigation of the case, including testing of DNA evidence found on Amy Ayers’ body, as reported by KVUE in 2020.
A docuseries centered on the murders, called "The Yogurt Shop Murders," was released on HBO Max earlier this year.
One of the worst murder cases I’ve ever heard about.
HBO has a recent documentary on this, almost couldn’t watch it.
Glad it was finally solved but too bad the killer won’t face justice - Texas style, execution.
Robert Eugene Brashers, who died by suicide in 1999.
Enjoy hell
I suspect he’s facing justice, in a very bad place.
He’ll face a justice beyond anything we could exact.
All those resources used to solve a case where the perps dead and hundreds more are piling up. great job.
And deservedly so.
Exactly.
Teenagers Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Maurice Pierce, and Forrest Welborn were also victims. Their lives were ruined by the cops charging them with the murders and one was sentenced to death. Many years later they had the charges dropped without compensation so the shadow was still on them. One later died in a confrontation with a cop. Imagine if they hadn’t been put through hell they would have had better lives.
One that is really horrific, the Ogden HiFi murders is far more gruesome. Look it up, but do so on an empty stomach.
BTW, the killers were all Zoomies from the local Air Base. This was in Ogden Utah.
I saw the fire and fire trucks that night. We thought it was just a fire until the next day. Sickening. Glad that this is solved as I know it gives the families some peace, especially that he is not hurting any more families.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.