Bullet casing at yogurt shop links serial killer to the infamous murders

Exclusive 48 Hours Bullet casing in drain at Texas yogurt shop links serial killer to the infamous murders, says original investigator By Stephanie Slifer Updated on: February 19, 2026 / 3:38 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google CASE UPDATE: In September 2025, the Austin Police Department identified Robert Eugene Brashers , a serial killer and rapist, as the suspect in the Yogurt Shop murders. Brashers, who is deceased, was tied to the mu rder s through DNA testing . On Feb. 19, 2026, a judge declared innocent the four men who were wrongfully accused of the murders — formally exonerating them. Attorneys for the men indicated they are discussing restitution and considering a civil lawsuit. "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty has learned a suspect has been identified in the 1991 murders of four teenage girls in an Austin, Texas, yogurt shop . This is according to one of the original investigators who worked the case. That suspect is Robert Eugene Brashers, who is deceased, says retired Austin detective John Jones. Brashers is a serial killer and rapist who committed at least three murders between 1990 and 1998 in the states of South Carolina and Missouri. He died in January 1999 by suicide during a standoff with police. The gun he used to shoot himself is believed to be consistent with a bullet casing found in a drain inside the yogurt shop, says Jones. The connection between Brashers and the case was made through DNA, Jones told Moriarty. Moriarty has reported on the yogurt shop case since the very beginning. On Dec. 6, 1991, 17-year-old Eliza Thomas, 13-year-old Amy Ayers, and two sisters, 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison and 15-year-old Sarah Harbison, were found gagged, tied up with their own clothing, and shot in the head in an I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! shop in Austin. The person responsible had also set the shop on fire, compromising much of the evidence. Eliza and Jennifer had been working at the yogurt shop that night. They were getting ready to close w...