Austin police identify Robert Brashers as suspect in decades-old cold case using new DNA evidence
Breakthrough in 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders
Austin, Texas – More than three decades after four teenage girls were brutally killed in a yogurt shop, new DNA evidence has linked a deceased man, Robert Eugene Brashers, to the 1991 crime that stunned the state of Texas and puzzled investigators for years.
The announcement came Friday, just weeks after HBO aired its true-crime docuseries, “The Yogurt Shop Murders”, renewing public interest in the cold case.
Who Were the Victims?
On December 6, 1991, the bodies of:
- Amy Ayers (13)
- Eliza Thomas (17)
- Jennifer Harbison (17)
- Sarah Harbison (15)
were found bound, gagged, and shot inside the “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt” store in Austin. The building had been set on fire after the murders.
The crime scene revealed shocking details:
- The girls’ hands were tied with underwear
- Mouths were gagged with cloth
- Ayers was shot twice, the others once
Robert Brashers: The Newly Identified Suspect
Police now say DNA evidence links the crime to Robert Eugene Brashers, a convicted felon and serial offender who died by suicide in 1999 during a police standoff in Missouri.
Brashers was previously linked to:
- A 1990 murder in South Carolina
- The 1997 rape of a 14-year-old in Tennessee
- A 1998 shooting in Missouri
He had never been named publicly in connection with the yogurt shop case — until now.
Wrongful Convictions: A Troubled Legal History
In 1999, four men were arrested for the murders, including:
- Michael Scott
- Robert Springsteen
They confessed under pressure, later recanted, and were convicted. Their convictions were overturned, and by 2009, both were released after new DNA tests excluded them as suspects.
Brashers’ DNA has now been confirmed as a match, filling a decades-long gap in the investigation.
Case Still Open, Police Say
Although Brashers is deceased, Austin Police confirmed the investigation remains open. A news conference is scheduled for Monday to provide more details about the breakthrough.
“Our team never gave up working this case,” police said in a statement.
