On Dec. 6, 1991, four girls were found murdered inside a frozen yogurt shop, which had been set on fire. For 34 years, their killer went unknown until Sept. 2025, when ballistics and DNA found on a victim’s fingernail revealed that a serial killer, with cases linking him all the way from Austin to Missouri, committed the crime. Now, McCallum forensic science students are taking a deeper look into the case.
On Dec. 6, 1991, 911 calls revealed that I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! was on fire. The frozen yogurt shop was located in Allandale, where a Fresh Plus now stands. When authorities arrived on the scene and the fire was extinguished, four teenagers–Jennifer Harbison, Sarah Harbison, Eliza Thomas and Amy Ayers—were found in the back of the shop tied together and shot in the head. Thomas and Jennifer Harbison were employed by the restaurant, while Sarah Harbison and Ayers were visiting the store the night of the murders. As they were closing up shop, they were killed, and the store was set on fire, destroying most of the evidence of the crime.
Multiple false confessions and calls threw the authorities off the killer’s trail. Eventually, they interviewed a group of four men, and after a long interrogation, two of them confessed to the crime. They were convicted of murder, but the trial was dropped later because of constitutional errors. From there, the case went cold. Sophomore Malina Lento, who had previously taken forensic science, was glad with this outcome, as she didn’t believe it was ever the suspected men.
“I agree with the decisions of the authorities to drop the retrial of the men,” Lento said. “However, I wish things would come to light sooner for the sake of those four men’s futures.”
Junior Ada De La Garza also believed that the four men were innocent, saying the level of crime was unreachable for their age.
“I had no idea who it was, but I was very confident from the beginning that it wasn’t any of the teenagers accused, because it seemed like too well executed to be committed by someone so young.” De La Garza said.
Things finally came to light when a detective found a .380 ammunition casing. From there, the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NBIN) traced it back to serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers. DNA from Ayers’ fingernails was also tested, and Brashers’ DNA was found on Ayers’ fingernails, proving that Brashers was present on the scene.
Brashers was connected to other cases around the United States. He committed a double homicide in Missouri against a mother and her daughter. The gun he used in Austin to kill the Harbison sisters, Thomas, and Ayers was used in a case in Kentucky, where Brashers was found guilty. Brashers had passed away in 1999 through suicide during a police standoff.
Although Brashers had no connection to Austin besides his DNA being found on Ayers, the police concluded that he was at fault for the quadruple murder. Even though it took 34 years to solve the case, Lento appreciates that the police took their time.
“I think that it’s important that authorities are transparent and thorough with their decisions, so we can trust that the right people were held accountable,” Lento said.
Students at McCallum were surprised by the outcome of the case, but felt relieved.
“It’s reassuring to know that there are answers now, and I’m glad it can bring some closure to everyone affected,” Lento said.
She learned about the case in her forensic science class at Lamar Middle School in eighth grade, yet she still remembers it two years later.
“The case stuck with me because of how tragic it was and how it happened so close to home,” Lento said.
Sophomore Anne Holland was also a part of the eighth grade Forensics class at Lamar. She was also shocked that the case had been solved.
“I was very surprised that the case had been solved because originally, there were so many suspects and fake confessions, and that it happened so many years ago,” Holland said.
The Forensic Science class at McCallum is just starting to research this not-so-cold case. For their coverage, the students are watching a documentary and completing multiple in-class assignments. Junior Presley Lansdale Peterson enjoyed covering the case.
“It’s just so fascinating to learn about,” Landsdale Peterson said.
The case still sticks with people to this day, even the city, where De La Garza states it taints Austin’s image.
“[The case] completely shattered Austin,” De La Garza said. “Previously to the yogurt shop murders, Austin was a pretty small city with very little crime, but these murders just destroyed the sense of ‘small-town safety’ there was.”
Despite the case being so altering to Austin, De La Garza remembers the girls and what they could have done.
“The girls were so young, and they all had such bright futures, and the heartbreaking nature of the case will always stick with me,” De La Garza said.
