Suspect Identified in 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders, Police Say

A suspect has been identified in the 1991 killings of four teenage girls at an Austin frozen yogurt shop, police announced Friday. Authorities said Robert Eugene Brashers has been linked to the unsolved murders through a wide range of DNA testing. The victims were Eliza Thomas, 17; Jennifer Harbison, 17; Sarah Harbison, 17; and Amy Ayers, 13, who were found December 6, 1991, inside the storage room of the I Can't Believe It's Yogurt shop in Austin. The four teenagers were found naked, gagged, tied up and stacked on top of one another, with each shot in the back of the head. At least one of the teens had been raped, and the shop was later set on fire, destroying much of the evidence.

The case has long haunted Austin and stood as one of the city’s most notorious crimes. Investigators and prosecutors waded through thousands of leads, several false confessions and heavily damaged evidence from the burned crime scene as they pursued answers for decades. The Yogurt Shop Murders gained renewed attention after the release of an HBO documentary series on the killings earlier this year.

Austin police described the latest development as a significant break in a case that has remained open and active. In the years since the slayings, investigators have examined more than 1,200 possible suspects and secured dozens of confessions. The four victims were workmates or friends who stopped by the shop after closing, with two of them working there and the other two visiting with hopes of catching a ride to a slumber party after the store closed at 11 p.m.

Historically, the investigation has focused on four teenage boys—Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Maurice Pierce and Forrest Welborn. Springsteen and Scott confessed to the murders while in custody, with Springsteen later convicted and sentenced to death in 2001 and Scott to life in prison after convictions in 2002. Those convictions were ultimately dismissed by the Texas Court of Appeals on constitutional grounds, and both men were released in October 2009.

Mexican authorities briefly arrested two Mexican nationals, Porfirio Villa Saavedra and Alberto Jimenez Cortez, in connection with the slayings in 1992, but they were later ruled out as suspects. Saavedra recanted two days after his initial confession, claiming police coerced him.

Brashers, who died by suicide in January 1999 during a four-hour standoff with law enforcement in Kennett, Missouri, had a long criminal history that included attempted murder, burglary, impersonating a police officer and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to records cited in prior reporting. While his death precludes new charges, Austin police say the DNA link remains a factual update in the ongoing, open investigation.

Officials said Friday’s briefing would detail how the DNA work connects Brashers to the case, and they scheduled a press conference for Monday to outline the latest breakthrough. The case’s renewed attention comes amid interest sparked by the documentary and ongoing public interest in one of the city’s most enduring unsolved crimes. The Yogurt Shop Murders remain a focal point of local culture and memory, illustrating how cold cases can resurface with modern science and fresh scrutiny.