Police say they have linked Robert Brashers to the 1991 murders of four teenage girls in an Austin, Texas yogurt shop through genealogy DNA.
Brashers, a serial killer and rapist who committed at least three murders between 1990 and 1998 in South Carolina and Missouri, committed suicide in 1999.
Amy Ayers, 13; Eliza Thomas, 17; and sisters Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, ages 17 and 15, were bound, gagged and shot in the head at the “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt” store where two of them worked. The building was then set on fire.
The gun Brashers used to shoot himself is believed to be consistent with a bullet casing found in a drain inside the yogurt shop, retired Austin detective John Jones told CBS News.
“Our team never gave up working this case. For almost 34 years they have worked tirelessly and remained committed to solving this case for the families of Jennifer Harbison, Sarah Harbison, Eliza Thomas, and Amy Ayers, all innocent lives taken senselessly and far too soon,” the city of Austin said in a press release.
“We have identified a suspect in these murders through a wide range of DNA testing. The suspect is Robert Eugene Brashers, who committed suicide in 1999. This remains an open and ongoing investigation.”
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.