On a typical Friday night in December 1991, a patrol officer alerted emergency services about a fire at a yogurt shop around midnight. Upon entering the premises, responders were shocked by a grim discovery.
The yogurt shop had closed at 11 pm, but inside, four teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 were found murdered. Among the victims were 17-year-olds Jennifer Harbison and Eliza Thomas, who were working at the shop that evening. Jennifer’s 15-year-old sister Sarah and their 13-year-old friend Amy Ayers had visited to get a ride home after closing.
The victims had been bound, shot, and the shop was set on fire to cover up any evidence of the crime, as per reports from Crime+Investigation. Investigators revealed that two firearms were found, and at least one victim had been sexually assaulted.
Witnesses disclosed details from an hour before closing time, mentioning a man who had used the back-room restroom for an extended period and another couple who noticed suspicious behavior from two men just before the shop closed.
Detectives faced challenges in gathering evidence due to the fire and water damage in their pursuit to solve the case of the four murdered schoolgirls in Austin, Texas. In the late 1991, forensic tools were less advanced compared to today’s standards.
It wasn’t until 1999 that four young men – Maurice Pierce, Michael Scott, Robert Springsteen, and Forrest Welborn – were apprehended. Scott and Springsteen confessed to the murders, but charges were dropped later when new DNA testing excluded the original suspects.
Over the years, more than 50 individuals reportedly confessed to the Yoghurt Shop Murders, but none led to prosecution. Advancements in forensic science allowed investigators to revisit the case and identify partial male DNA linked to one victim.
Although Y-chromosome testing initially showed promise, it failed to pinpoint a specific suspect. Prosecutors declared they would not retry the case until the unknown male DNA could be connected to a potential suspect in the future.
The families of the victims persisted in seeking justice, leading to the enactment of the Homicide Victims’ Families’ Rights Act in 2022, which mandates federal agencies to review cold cases upon request using the latest technology. The act drew inspiration from the Austin Yogurt Shop Murders.
The investigation into the case remains ongoing, with Austin police leveraging advancements in forensic testing against preserved evidence when applicable. Decades later, the unsolved case continues to captivate interest due to the youth of the victims and the ordinary setting of the crime scene. Interested individuals can explore the case further by watching “The Yogurt Shop Murders” on Amazon Prime.