DNA Testing Identifies Serial Killer in 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders

Authorities have announced that DNA testing has identified Robert Eugene Brashers as the perpetrator of the 1991 murders of four teenage girls at an Austin yogurt shop, resolving a case that has remained unsolved for 34 years.

Brashers, a serial killer who died by suicide in 1999, had no known connections to Austin aside from this crime. The Austin Police Department utilized genetic genealogy—a method that has gained prominence in recent years—to link Brashers to the murders. This technique has also connected him to at least three other homicides across the United States.

The victims—Jennifer Harbison, 17; her sister, Sarah Harbison, 15; Eliza Thomas, 17; and Amy Ayers, 13—were found bound, gagged, and fatally shot inside the "I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!" shop on December 6, 1991. The assailant had set the shop ablaze, complicating the collection of forensic evidence.

In the years following the murders, multiple individuals were arrested and charged, including Robert Springsteen IV and Michael Scott, who were convicted but later had their convictions overturned due to issues with their confessions. Advances in DNA testing eventually excluded these men as suspects, leading to the dismissal of charges in 2009.

The recent DNA findings provide closure to a case that has deeply affected the Austin community for over three decades. A plaque at the former site of the yogurt shop commemorates the victims, reading, "Forever in our hearts," alongside their names.

The Austin Police Department is expected to officially close the case following this development.