Yogurt Shop murders: More than three decades after four teenage girls were found bound, shot and left in a burned-out Austin yogurt shop, investigators announced a major breakthrough: DNA testing has now linked Robert Eugene Brashers to the crime scene. This post explains the new development, reviews the painfully tangled history of the case (including wrongful prosecutions), unpacks how modern forensic genealogy made the identification possible, and offers practical, trustworthy resources for readers who want to learn more. All facts below are verified and current as of the law-enforcement announcements and reporting published in late September 2025.
1) The headline — what authorities announced
Austin police said they have made a “significant breakthrough” in the 1991 murders at the “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt” shop in North Austin: DNA evidence links the crime scene to Robert Eugene Brashers, a violent offender who died in 1999. Police have not closed the file publicly — the investigation remains active — but the new genetic evidence changes the long-running narrative about who committed the killings.
2) Who was Robert Eugene Brashers?
Robert Eugene Brashers (born March 13, 1958) was a violent criminal whose offenses spanned several Southern states. He had prior convictions and a documented history of sexual violence, break-ins and attempted murder. Brashers died by suicide in January 1999 after a police standoff in Missouri. Modern forensic genealogy and re-examination of evidence in recent years have connected his DNA to multiple cold-case crimes — now including the Austin yogurt shop murders. Local reporting provides a multi-state timeline of his crimes and the post-mortem links investigators have uncovered.
3) A quick recap of the 1991 crime
On Dec. 6, 1991, four girls were found murdered at the I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt shop in North Austin: Amy Ayers (13), Eliza Thomas (17), and sisters Jennifer (17) and Sarah Harbison (15). The girls had been bound, gagged, shot in the head and the store was set on fire afterward. The brutality of the crime shocked Austin and launched a decades-long investigation that, until now, never produced a consensus on the perpetrator.
4) Why this is not yet a criminal prosecution
Important legal point: Brashers is deceased (he died in 1999). The announcement links his DNA to evidence from the crime scene, which provides investigators—and the victims’ families—long-sought answers. But because the suspect is dead, there will be no criminal trial. Authorities say their work is ongoing: they are continuing to validate evidence, notify victims’ families, and coordinate any remaining investigative steps. That matters both for closure and for public trust in the outcome.
5) How modern DNA and investigative genetic genealogy made this possible
Cold cases are increasingly solved through advanced DNA methods and genealogical research:
- Evidence re-testing: Biological material from the crime scene that could not be fully identified in the 1990s is now amenable to much more sensitive testing.
- Genetic genealogy: When DNA profiles don’t match a national offender database, investigators can use genealogical databases (and public family-tree research by genetic genealogists) to find relatives and build a family tree that points to a likely suspect. This method has solved many cold cases in recent years, including violent crimes once considered unsolvable. Police teams typically use these tools under strict legal and privacy protocols. Austin police say such testing led them to Brashers.
6) What this means for the men once convicted
The yogurt shop investigation has a fraught legal history. In 1999 and 2001 authorities arrested several local men; two — Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott — were convicted and sentenced (one to death, one to life). Those convictions were later overturned and, after years of appeals and additional testing, charges against them were dismissed in 2009. Defense teams and later reviews raised serious questions about interrogation methods, confession reliability, and the absence of DNA linking those men to the crime. The new identification of Brashers as a suspect underscores the reasons prosecutors ultimately dropped those charges.
7) The role of media and renewed public interest
The case returned to public attention recently thanks to renewed national media interest — notably an HBO documentary series about the Yogurt Shop Murders — which helped spur fresh examination of the cold-case evidence and prompted renewed investigative energy. Austin police said the recent media spotlight coincided with renewed forensic work that ultimately produced the DNA link to Brashers. That sequence — media attention triggering new forensic effort — is increasingly common in cold cases.
8) What investigators specifically pointed to (ballistics, casing, DNA)
Reporting about the breakthrough notes several technical threads investigators followed:
- A bullet casing recovered from a drain at the scene reportedly matches ballistics tied to other crimes connected to Brashers. Ballistics comparisons and DNA together reinforced the case pointing toward him.
Authorities are being deliberate about what they release publicly; forensic teams typically re-check chain-of-custody, testing methods and confirmatory matches before closing a case. That caution helps ensure the conclusions are scientifically sound and legally defensible in public statements.
9) Families, justice and community reactions
Victims’ families have waited decades for answers. Local reporting indicates they were briefed by police before the public announcement; reactions are understandably complex — relief at an identification that fits forensic facts, anger about the long decades of uncertainty, and renewed scrutiny of past investigative mistakes. The community’s interest is not merely historical: for survivors and families, accurate identification replaces a protracted limbo with specific facts, even if a trial is impossible. Austin leaders and advocacy groups have emphasized sensitivity, transparency and continuing support for the families.
10) Why some earlier leads and confessions failed to produce justice
The yogurt shop investigation included dozens of leads and even multiple confessions over the years. But the cases against local suspects were heavily contested:
- Defense attorneys and later appellate rulings highlighted coerced or unreliable confessions, questionable interrogation tactics, and the absence of physical evidence tying the convicted men to the scene. That led to the convictions’ reversal and ultimately the dismissal of charges in 2009. The presence of DNA from an unknown male at the scene — now attributed to Brashers — was one of the key scientific reasons prosecutors paused retrials in the 2000s.
Lessons in criminal-justice reform that arose from this case include the value of rigorous forensic standards, careful interrogation oversight, and the dangers of over-reliance on confessions without corroborating physical evidence.
11) What’s next — public briefings, forensic closure, and lessons
- Official briefings: Austin police scheduled a public press conference to lay out the forensic findings and next procedural steps; follow official Austin Police Department releases for the authoritative record.
- Case status: Investigators say the case remains open for follow-up work (confirmatory testing, inter-agency coordination and notification to next of kin). Expect police to publish a fuller technical explanation of the DNA matching and ballistics tie-ins as they finalize reports.
- Public lessons: The breakthrough underscores how modern forensic science can correct old errors and deliver answers — but it also reopens conversations about interrogation practices, wrongful convictions and the obligations of police and prosecutors to keep evidence and testing current.
Final read — closure without a trial, and why that matters
This identification of Robert Eugene Brashers as the likely perpetrator of the Yogurt Shop Murders brings long-awaited forensic clarity to one of Austin’s most painful crimes. It also reopens hard conversations: about the fragility of confessions, the limits of older forensic techniques, and the personal toll on families whose lives remained suspended for decades. While a living suspect will never face trial, the scientific match gives investigators and families a specific answer based on evidence rather than speculation — and it demands careful, transparent policing and accessible forensic explanations so the public can understand how that conclusion was reached.
Verified sources & working links (checked Sept 26–27, 2025)
All links below were verified available at the time this article was written. Use these for primary source reporting, official statements and historical context.
- Austin Police Department — APD news release: Austin Police Make ‘Significant Breakthrough’ in 1991 I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt Murder Case. (Austin Texas)
https://www.austintexas.gov/news/austin-police-make-significant-breakthrough-1991-i-cant-believe-its-yogurt-murder-case - Austin American-Statesman — Exclusive: Yogurt shop murders finally solved after 34 years, Austin police say. (Statesman)
https://www.statesman.com/news/article/yogurt-shop-murders-austin-robert-eugene-brashers-21069610.php
Disclaimer
This article summarizes public reporting and official statements available as of late September 2025. It is informational only and not a substitute for official law-enforcement releases, court records, or expert legal advice. Because this is an active, evolving investigation, readers should rely on the Austin Police Department and major wire services for final technical details and forensic reports. If you have tips or information relevant to the case, contact Austin Police or the appropriate local authorities. Images used in this article are royalty‑free or licensed for commercial use and are provided here for illustrative purposes.