Austin’s infamous Yogurt Shop Murders appear to have finally been solved after 34 years, as authorities announced a major breakthrough connecting convicted killer Robert Eugene Brashers to the brutal slaying of four teenage girls in 1991.
The case, which has haunted Texas’ capital for decades, is now one step closer to closure thanks to advances in DNA technology.
Breakthrough in a Cold Case
On September 26, Austin police revealed that DNA evidence identified Robert Eugene Brashers as the suspect responsible for the murders of Amy Ayers (13), Eliza Thomas (17), Jennifer Harbison (17), and Sarah Harbison (15). The girls were killed in a north Austin yogurt shop, a crime that shocked the city and became one of Texas’ most notorious unsolved murders.
Authorities reportedly matched Brashers’ DNA under Ayers’ fingernails, finally tying him to the scene. CBS News reported that the firearm Brashers used to end his life during a 1999 standoff with police may also be linked to a bullet casing recovered inside the shop.
