AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Authorities have made a breakthrough in the 1991 murders of four teenage girls at a yogurt shop in Texas. Police announced on Friday that DNA evidence has identified Robert Eugene Brashers, a deceased man, as a new suspect in the case. This announcement comes at a time when the case has gained renewed public interest, particularly following the release of the HBO documentary series 'The Yogurt Shop Murders' last month.
The Austin Police Department stated that the investigation remains active, emphasizing their commitment to solving the case. The four victims—Amy Ayers (13), Eliza Thomas (17), and sisters Jennifer (17) and Sarah Harbison (15)—were brutally murdered at the 'I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt' store where two of them worked. They were bound, gagged, shot in the head, and the store was subsequently set on fire.
The case has troubled investigators for decades, as they navigated through countless leads, false confessions, and degraded evidence from the fire. In 1999, four men were arrested in connection to the murders, but their confessions were recanted, prompting a lengthy court battle that ultimately led to their convictions being overturned.
In 2009, a judge ordered their release based on new DNA tests that pointed to another male suspect. Further investigation linked Brashers to multiple violent crimes, including a 1990 strangulation in South Carolina and the 1998 shooting of a mother and daughter in Missouri. He died in 1999 during a police standoff in Missouri.
As authorities prepare for a press conference to reveal more findings, the Austin community continues to grapple with the impact of these heinous crimes, which remain a significant part of local history.
The Austin Police Department stated that the investigation remains active, emphasizing their commitment to solving the case. The four victims—Amy Ayers (13), Eliza Thomas (17), and sisters Jennifer (17) and Sarah Harbison (15)—were brutally murdered at the 'I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt' store where two of them worked. They were bound, gagged, shot in the head, and the store was subsequently set on fire.
The case has troubled investigators for decades, as they navigated through countless leads, false confessions, and degraded evidence from the fire. In 1999, four men were arrested in connection to the murders, but their confessions were recanted, prompting a lengthy court battle that ultimately led to their convictions being overturned.
In 2009, a judge ordered their release based on new DNA tests that pointed to another male suspect. Further investigation linked Brashers to multiple violent crimes, including a 1990 strangulation in South Carolina and the 1998 shooting of a mother and daughter in Missouri. He died in 1999 during a police standoff in Missouri.
As authorities prepare for a press conference to reveal more findings, the Austin community continues to grapple with the impact of these heinous crimes, which remain a significant part of local history.
