Police Say They’ve Solved the Yogurt Shop Murders Case

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Austin police announced Friday they’ve identified a suspect in the infamous Yogurt Shop murders, thanks to advanced DNA testing. Robert Eugene Brashers has been linked to the 1991 crime, with no other ties to Austin. Investigators also connected Brashers to three other murders from the 1990s and a 1997 sexual assault. He died by suicide in 1999 during a confrontation with police. The connection was made using a technique called genetic genealogy.

In December 1991, firefighters found the bodies of four teenage girls – Jennifer Harbison (17), Sarah Harbison (15), Eliza Thomas (17), and Amy Ayers (13) – inside an I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt shop. They had been tied up, silenced, and fatally shot. A fire was deliberately set at the shop, damaging crucial evidence. Four men were initially arrested and one was even sentenced to death, but his conviction was later overturned. Ultimately, prosecutors dropped all charges in 2009 when DNA evidence proved the men weren’t involved. The unsolved murders, the initial police investigation, and the subsequent legal battles were recently detailed in a four-part documentary on HBO.

The Austin Police Department stated they have been relentlessly pursuing this case for nearly 34 years, determined to find answers for the families of Jennifer Harbison, Sarah Harbison, Eliza Thomas, and Amy Ayers – all victims of a senseless tragedy. The investigation is still active and ongoing, according to a statement obtained by Deadline.

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2025-09-27 04:54