DNA Evidence Identifies Suspect in 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders
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DNA Evidence Identifies Suspect in 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders

Summary

Austin police have identified Robert Eugene Brashers as a suspect in the 1991 murders of four teenage girls, following advancements in DNA testing.

Austin police have identified Robert Eugene Brashers as a suspect in the 1991 murders of four teenage girls at an "I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!" shop, following advancements in DNA testing. Brashers, who died by suicide in 1999 during a standoff with police in Missouri, had previously been linked to other violent crimes, including rape and murder across several states.

The victims—13-year-old Amy Ayers, 17-year-old Eliza Thomas, and sisters Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, aged 17 and 15—were found bound, gagged, and shot in the head inside the yogurt shop, which was then set on fire. The case remained unsolved for decades, with previous convictions overturned due to lack of physical evidence and the emergence of exonerating DNA in 2009.

The Austin Police Department stated that the case remains open and scheduled a news conference to detail their findings.

Source

Deadline

First reported

DNA Evidence Links Deceased Serial Killer to 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders

• CBS News

Fact-checking

Fact-check the facts of the article using external sources and databases.

✓
Confirmed

Austin police have identified Robert Eugene Brashers as a suspect in the 1991 murders of four teenage girls at an "I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!" shop, following advancements in DNA testing.

✓
Confirmed

Brashers, who died by suicide in 1999 during a standoff with police in Missouri, had previously been linked to other violent crimes, including rape and murder across several states.

✓
Confirmed

The victims—13-year-old Amy Ayers, 17-year-old Eliza Thomas, and sisters Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, aged 17 and 15—were found bound, gagged, and shot in the head inside the yogurt shop, which was then set on fire.

✓
Confirmed

The case remained unsolved for decades, with previous convictions overturned due to lack of physical evidence and the emergence of exonerating DNA in 2009.

✓
Confirmed

The Austin Police Department stated that the case remains open and scheduled a news conference to detail their findings.

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