DNA Breakthrough Links Late Robert Eugene Brashers to 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders

AUSTIN, Texas — September 27, 2025— After more than three decades of uncertainty, investigators say they have finally identified a key suspect in one of Austin’s most haunting unsolved crimes. DNA evidence has linked the late Robert Eugene Brashersto the brutal 1991 killings of four teenage girls at the “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt!” shop.

The victims — Amy Ayers (13), Eliza Thomas (17), and sisters Sarah (15) and Jennifer Harbison (17)— were found bound, shot, and burned inside the shop on December 6, 1991. Despite multiple suspects and years of investigation, the case remained unsolved until advancements in forensic DNA testing allowed authorities to revisit the evidence.

Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon called the development a watershed moment:

“This breakthrough offers long-awaited answers in a case that has haunted our community for more than thirty years.”

Brashers, who died by suicide in 1999, was already known to law enforcement as a convicted felon with a history of violent crimes across the Midwest and Southeast. Authorities began suspecting his involvement in the Austin murders in 2018 after his DNA was flagged in other cases. This year, additional testing provided a definitive match between crime scene samples and Brashers’ genetic profile.

Travis County District Attorney José Garzaemphasized the importance of the discovery, even though Brashers will never face trial:

“Though Robert Brashers will never stand before a jury, this announcement brings a measure of justice and closure to the victims’ families.”

The Austin yogurt shop murders traumatized the city for decades, sparking fear, media scrutiny, and multiple trials that ended in acquittals or overturned convictions. With Brashers now officially tied to the case, prosecutors have posthumously filed capital murder charges.

Authorities said they will continue providing resources and support to the victims’ families. For many, the DNA breakthrough closes one of Texas’s darkest chapters — while raising new questions about how such a violent offender evaded justice for so long.