Suspect Identified in Texas Cold Case of 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders

Over three decades after the tragic killings, authorities in Austin have connected a suspect to the 1991 murders of four teenage girls at a local yogurt shop through DNA evidence. The suspect, Robert Eugene Brashers, had previously died by suicide in 1999. He was also a person of interest at the time, suspected as a serial predator.

Brashers was convicted of attempted murder in 1985 after shooting a woman in the head and served three years of a 12-year sentence before his release in 1989. Following a police standoff at a motel—where he had been hiding with his family—Brashers took his own life.

Posthumous DNA analysis linked Brashers to three rapes and murders in Missouri and South Carolina—including the deaths of a mother and daughter—and a rape in Tennessee. The case previously led to convictions of two teenagers, Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott, in the early 2000s. Their sentences were later overturned due to lack of DNA evidence tying them to the crimes.

The victims included Amy Ayers, 13; Eliza Thomas, 17; and Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, aged 17 and 15. They were found bound, gagged, and shot in the head at the store where two of them worked. The building was subsequently set on fire.

In a statement, Austin police said, “Our team never gave up working this case.” Authorities are scheduled to hold a conference to discuss the new evidence soon, keeping the case active after all these years.