Yogurt Shop Murders: DNA Evidence Links Man to Case 30 Years Later

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Details surrounding an unimaginable tragedy have come to light.

After over thirty years since four teenage girls were killed in a fire at a frozen yogurt shop in Texas, officials have announced a significant development in the investigation.

According to a press release from the Austin Police Department on Sept. 26, investigators have named a suspect in the murders through extensive DNA analysis. The suspect is Robert Eugene Brashers, who died by suicide in 1999. The police state that this case is still active and under investigation.

According to the statement, our team persistently investigated this case. They have dedicated nearly 34 years to it, working with unwavering commitment to find a resolution.

Even decades after Brashers died in a four-hour standoff with police in Missouri, authorities were able to connect his DNA to other violent crimes. In 2018, Missouri police revealed that investigators had linked the 40-year-old man to three murders and also to the 1997 rape of a 14-year-old girl in Memphis.

In December 1991, Austin police and firefighters were called to a fire at an I Can’t Believe It’s Not Yogurt store. Inside, they found the severely burned bodies of Eliza Thomas, 17; Jennifer Harbison, 17; Sarah Harbison, 15; and Amy Ayers, 13, as detailed in FBI documents previously accessed by TopMob News.

According to court documents, the four victims were tied up and killed after someone robbed the business. Afterwards, a fire was deliberately set at the location, seemingly to eliminate all evidence, the filing stated. The fire appears to have been an attempt to destroy any/all evidence.

Oh my god, I can’t even talk about it. It was Jennifer and Eliza, those sweet girls working at the frozen yogurt shop. They were just trying to close up for the night, and then Sarah and Amy walked in, needing a ride home. Can you believe it? Someone just…snuck in through the back door, and…and shot them. Each one, right in the head. It’s just…horrifying. I keep replaying it in my head. It’s just awful.

As a lifestyle expert dealing with sensitive topics, I can share some details from the recent autopsy report obtained by the Associated Press. It revealed a truly disturbing scene – the teens had their hands bound with underwear, and their mouths were covered with cloth. Tragically, Ayers also sustained two gunshot wounds. It’s important to note the gravity of these findings and the need for justice. This is deeply unsettling information, and my thoughts are with the families involved.

The investigation into the murders-receiving fresh scrutiny after an August docuseries on HBO Max-was challenging because investigators had to sort through heavily damaged evidence, untrue statements, and a large number of potential clues.

At first, four men were arrested and accused of murder. Two of them, teenagers named Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott, eventually admitted to committing the crimes. But later, both of them took back their confessions, claiming they were forced to make them by the police.

Both men were eventually found guilty. Springsteen was initially sentenced to death in 2001, but this was later changed to life in prison. In 2006, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals threw out his conviction, finding that his confession had been used incorrectly because he wasn’t allowed to be cross-examined about it. Scott, who received his sentence in 2002, had his conviction overturned in 2007 for the same reason.

Okay, so the Austin PD is *still* digging into this case, and honestly, I can’t stop thinking about it! I’ve been researching all day, and I just *have* to share some other unsolved mysteries that completely blew my mind. You seriously need to keep reading – these cases are shocking! I’m obsessed, and I think you will be too. Seriously, more unsolved cases that shook the nation? I’m in! I need to know everything.

In December 1996, the 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant was tragically murdered in her home in Colorado. While her family – including her parents and brother – have been considered potential suspects, the identity of JonBenét’s killer remains a mystery even today. The case continues to be one of the most widely discussed unsolved crimes.

O.J. Simpson, who passed away in April 2024 after fighting cancer, was determined to be responsible for the 1994 murders in a civil court case. However, he was found not guilty in the criminal trial. Legally speaking, the former NFL player wasn’t convicted, meaning the person who committed the murders remains unidentified (and possibly still free).

Whether you believe it or not, some people claim Tupac is still living. However, the artist behind “Changes” was killed in 1996, and the case remains unsolved.

Roughly eighteen months after Biggie Smalls-also known as Tupac’s rival-was fatally shot in a drive-by incident, the identity of the person responsible remains a mystery.

Casey Anthony, the mother of Caylee, faced a very public trial but was acquitted of charges related to her daughter’s death. Because of this outcome, the question of who harmed Caylee remains unanswered.

Elizabeth Short, who was killed in 1947, and the unanswered questions about how she died quickly captured the public’s attention. She was later known as “The Black Dahlia“, but her murderer has never been identified. To this day, the case remains unsolved and a subject of much speculation. More information can be found online.

In 1892, a couple was violently killed with an axe. Though their daughter, Lizzie Borden, stood trial, she was found not guilty. The murders of Andrew Borden and Abby Borden remain unsolved to this day.

Back in 1888, a mysterious serial killer began terrorizing the streets of London. Even now, over a century later, the true identity of Jack the Ripper is still a mystery.

In 1982, Chicago experienced a series of deadly poisonings. Several people died after taking Tylenol acetaminophen capsules that had been tampered with and contained potassium cyanide. Tragically, the victims included children. Initially, seven people died, and later, several more deaths occurred in similar, copycat crimes. To this day, the perpetrator remains unidentified.

He was a serial killer active in Northern California from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, but his identity remains a mystery. The killer called himself “Zodiac” and first used this name in a series of mocking letters sent to newspapers in the Bay Area. These letters also contained four cryptograms (or ciphers). Of those four, only one has been definitely solved.

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2025-09-29 16:47