Austin, TX
The Yogurt Shop Murders: Inside The 1991 Slaying Of Four Teenage Girls That Remains Unsolved To This Day
On December 6, 1991, four girls were brutally murdered at an I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! shop in Austin, Texas — and the case remains unsolved to this day.
HBOThe four victims of the Austin Yogurt Shop Murders, Eliza Thomas, Amy Ayers, Sarah Harbison, and Jennifer Harbison.
Shortly before midnight on Dec. 6, 1991, a patrol officer in Austin, Texas, noticed a fire at an “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt!” shop. When firefighters responded, they discovered more than a fire inside — they discovered the nude bodies of four teenage girls who’d been bound and shot to death. With that, the investigation into the Austin Yogurt Shop murders began.
To this day, the mystery still hasn’t been solved. Police have still not found the killer, or killers, who murdered 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison, her sister 15-year-old Sarah Harbison, 17-year-old Eliza Thomas, and 13-year-old Amy Ayers, on that terrible December night back in 1991.
Over the years, multiple people have confessed. But even though two men were convicted in the early 2000s, those convictions were later overturned. That said, investigators have not lost hope, and are determined to use modern technology like DNA testing to finally crack the case.
This is everything you need to know about the Austin Yogurt Shop murders, one of the most chilling cold cases in American history.
Inside The 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders
The story of the Austin Yogurt Shop murders began on Dec. 6, 1991. That evening, two girls were working at an I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! shop in Austin, Texas: 17-year-old Eliza Thomas and 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison. That night, Jennifer’s 15-year-old sister Sarah was in the shop, as well as Sarah’s friend, 13-year-old Amy Ayers.
HBOThe interior of the yogurt shop where the girls’ bodies were found.
No one knows exactly what happened to the girls that night. But shortly before midnight, a patrol officer making his rounds noticed smoke coming from the shop. He called in the fire department, and, inside, the firefighters found the bodies of Jennifer, Sarah, Thomas, and Ayers.
The girls had been stripped, bound and gagged, and shot in the head. At least one had been sexually assaulted.
But though investigators suspected that the murders could be the result of a robbery gone wrong — as money was missing from the store’s cash register — much of the evidence at the scene was destroyed by fire and water.
Austin Police DepartmentFire ripped through the store, destroying much of the evidence.
Not only had the fire torn through the entire shop, destroying crucial evidence, but it had also burned the girls’ bodies beyond recognition. Store manager Reese Price, who was then 24 years old, was called in to identify her employees and found that she couldn’t.
“There wasn’t anything there to identify,” Price stated in the HBO docuseries The Yogurt Shop Murders. “Fire is very destructive. It’s not forgiving.”
Despite these challenges, investigators set out to determine who had killed the girls.
Constructing The Profile Of The Killer — Or Killers
Given the destruction of the scene, investigators had very little to go on. They knew that the killer or killers had used two different guns: a .380 pistol and a .22 revolver, according to the Austin Chronicle. But much of the early investigation into the Yogurt Shop Murders was guesswork.
Austin Police DepartmentThe fire inside the yogurt shop destroyed crucial evidence after the girls were murdered.
The FBI ultimately developed a profile of the likely killer or killers, describing them as “underachievers” probably “in their late teens to early twenties” who resented “any form of discipline.” The profile suggested that the killers had committed the murders under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and that they likely had a past criminal history.
Boiling down the profile to a single word, police described their suspect as a “thug.”
HBOThe exterior of the yogurt shop where the four girls were killed in 1991.
But despite a cash reward for any information about the Austin Yogurt Shop murders, it would take years for police to make any arrests. When they did, it was because they’d circled back to some of their earliest suspects.
The Austin Police Arrest Four Men In Connection With The Yogurt Shop Murders
The first arrests in the Yogurt Shop Murders came after investigators examined one of their old leads. Just eight days after the quadruple homicide, police had arrested 16-year-old Maurice Pierce. Pierce had been caught wandering around Northcross Mall, near the I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! shop, carrying a .22 caliber revolver.
Pierce’s gun was the same type of weapon that had been used in the Yogurt Shop Murders. And, under questioning, Pierce claimed that he had participated in the homicides alongside three other boys: 15-year-old Forrest Welborn, 17-year-old Michael Scott, and 17-year-old Robert Springsteen IV. However, there was no evidence tying them to the crime scene and police ultimately concluded that Pierce “was lying and had just made up the whole story about the gun being used,” according to court records.
But eight years later, in 1999, police reexamined Pierce’s story. They re-interviewed Scott that September and, after a lengthy interrogation, Scott confessed to the murders and implicated the three others. Police then interrogated Springsteen, who also confessed, and claimed that he had sexually assaulted one of the girls.
Austin Police DepartmentPolice interrogated two suspects in 1999. Both confessed. And yet both convictions were eventually overturned.
With that, Scott, Springsteen, Welborn, and Pierce were arrested and charged with capital murder. Though charges against Welborn and Pierce were ultimately dropped due to lack of evidence, Scott and Springsteen went to trial.
Both men plead not guilty and claimed that their confessions were coerced. But they were found guilty. Springsteen was sentenced to death in 2001, and Scott was sentenced to life in prison in 2002.
But neither of the two convictions would stick.
The Case Against Scott And Springsteen Falls Apart
After Scott and Springsteen were found guilty for the Austin Yogurt Shop murders, flaws emerged in their conviction. Their separate confessions had been used against each other, but Scott and Springsteen weren’t permitted to question each other in court, a violation of the Sixth Amendment.
Austin ChronicleYearbook photos of Michael Scott and Robert Springsteen.
What’s more, it came out that Pierce’s gun was not a definitive match to the .22 used during the quadruple homicide, and that investigators had held a gun to Scott’s head during his interrogation.
In 2006, Springsteen’s conviction was overturned. In 2007, so was Scott’s. Hoping to retry the men, investigators then turned to DNA testing, which had advanced since the 1990s. But, to their surprise, an examination of male DNA found at the scene determined that it was not a match to Scott or Springsteen — or even to Pierce or Welborn.
With that, the Austin Yogurt Murder Case went colder than ever. But investigators are still hopeful that they’ll be able to one day solve it.
Will The Austin Yogurt Murders Ever Be Solved?
If Scott and Springsteen were not involved in the murders, who killed Eliza Thomas, Amy Ayers, and Jennifer and Sarah Harbison in 1991? The case remains unsolved. But investigators haven’t given up.
Although DNA at the scene did not match the four suspects, investigators are still hopeful that it will be a match to someone, some day. Though there are no matches right now, advances in DNA technology might help solve this cold case for good in the near future.
Indeed, Detective Dan Jackson, who took over the case in 2022, remains optimistic that it could be solved.
“If I didn’t think I could solve it, then why get up every day?” Jackson told USA Today in 2025. “I think that with new technology, new information that we have − that I can’t go into — even since I’ve taken the case over, the ability to do more with less when it comes to forensics is light-years ahead than it was a few years ago.”
“I am confident that I will solve this,” Jackson declared.
After reading about the unsolved case of the Austin Yogurt Shop murders, go inside the stories of mysterious disappearances that remain unsolved to this day. Or, discover the story of the unsolved murders at Lumber Baron Inn.
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Today’s Big Stories
1. Talarico plans to win over Black voters after winning primary tinged with racial tension
State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, claimed the Democratic nomination after defeating U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas. Talarico had strong support from Latinos in the primary, but he’s missing support from a key bloc of voters.
Their race was tinged with racial tension after a social media influencer alleged Talarico called former U.S. Senate candidate Colin Allred a “mediocre Black man.” Talarico’s response was that he was referring to Allred’s campaign. And Crockett called an attack ad that used a filter, which darkened her skin, racist. Talarico said he had no control over the ad, which came from a pro-Talarico PAC, which the campaign can’t legally coordinate with.
2. City of Pflugerville says ‘it’s going to be a while’ before Stage 3 water restrictions lift
The City of Pflugerville is working to repair its fourth waterline break since September as residents operate under Stage 3 emergency water restrictions until further notice.
In a City Council meeting Tuesday, city officials provided a timeline of breaks to the existing raw waterline, which is a 30-inch waterline that connects the Colorado River Pump Station up to Lake Pflugerville. The first happened in September and took 12 days to fix. The next came in November and took 17 days to repair, and the third came in January and also took 17 days to fix.
Officials identified a fourth break on Feb. 6 but didn’t actually locate it roughly 20 feet under a creek until Feb. 17. Work began on a 24-inch temporary bypass waterline on Feb. 10.
3. President Trump announces first new U.S. oil refinery in 50 years to open in Brownsville, Texas
President Donald Trump announced plans to build the first oil refinery in the United States in 50 years, and it will be in Brownsville, Texas, according to a Truth Social post.
Notes for Tomorrow
Thursday, March 12
- PGA Tour golf continues
- Court hearing for Lil Nas X charged with assaulting police during arrest
- 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Paralympic Games continue, with three gold medals decided in a single sport
- Billy Joel honored at Michael Dorf’s annual Music Of tribute concert
- South by Southwest Festival and Conference kicks off in Austin
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Smokable cannabis products must be removed from Texas stores by the end of the month under new rules adopted by the state’s health department.
Virtually all edible hemp products will still be allowed with stricter packaging and testing requirements. But sharply higher fees on retailers and manufacturers, while lower than initially proposed, could lead to more expensive products or force some companies out of business.
The sweeping regulations for the state’s hemp industry were first recommended in December. They were created based on an executive order issued by Gov. Greg Abbott after the Texas Legislature couldn’t agree whether to regulate THC products more strictly or ban them entirely.
Last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services adopted its final version of the rules and said they would take effect March 31.
The new regulations effectively ban the sale of smokable hemp and extracts by changing how DSHS measures Delta-9 THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.
Michael Minasi
/
KUT News
Under the state’s 2019 hemp law, cannabis with no more than 0.3% Delta-9 by dry weight is considered legal hemp.
The adopted DSHS regulation includes a new “total THC” rule, which counts a cannabis compound known as THCA in the Delta-9 calculation. THCA converts to Delta-9 when heated or smoked, which is why a product known as THCA flower has become widely popular in Texas.
During the public comment period, hundreds of people told DSHS they oppose counting THCA as Delta-9. THCA is not explicitly banned by state or federal law.
In its response, DSHS said the “total THC” policy follows existing state and federal regulations, which are the rules written by government employees tasked with interpreting law.
The Texas Agriculture Commission adopted regulations in 2020 requiring that tests account for the potential conversion of THCA to Delta-9. The U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed a similar rule on the last day of President Trump’s first term. The rule was adopted two months later by the Biden administration.
The state’s new hemp regulations slash a proposed 10,000% increase in the annual fees charged to retailers and manufacturers of what Texas calls “consumable hemp products.” But the adopted fees — $5,000 per year for each retail location and $10,000 per year for each manufacturing facility — are still 33 and 40 times higher, respectively, than existing levies.
More than 9,100 retail locations in Texas are registered to sell consumable hemp products, according to state health records.
Michael Minasi
/
KUT News
Some retailers say the fees are still crippling, especially coupled with the new prohibition on smokable products.
“It’s a high rate, but it would still be feasible, but then we come into the [THCA] regulations,” said Estella Castro, owner of the hemp store Austin Cannabis Co. “If you don’t have the flower, and the flower is going off completely, I don’t think you’re going to have the $5,000.”
Castro said smokable products account for about 40% of her sales.
Cannabis advocates say they are glad to see new product recall standards and a process to track consumer complaints, but they believe high licensing fees and a ban on flowers and extracts will power up the unregulated market.
“We know that consumers will be able to still acquire these products either from out of state operators who are not restricted by DSHS regulations or from the illicit market, which causes the most concern for us,” said Heather Fazio, who leads the Texas Cannabis Policy Center. “The illicit market doesn’t have age restrictions. It doesn’t have safety mechanisms and consumer protection.”
The new DSHS rules only affect the manufacture, distribution and sale of hemp products. They don’t affect state law allowing for possession of them.
Mark Bordas, head of the Texas Hemp Business Council, compared the $10,000 fee annual on hemp manufacturing facilities to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission’s fee on distillers: $3,000 every two years.
“Our concern is some of these measures are so draconian that you are going to drive people out of the business and then folks’ access to the products,” Bordas said. “Invariably, we’re going to have to bring forth a [lawsuit], and the state has to defend what it’s done, and that’s taxpayer money, and it’s a waste.”
The Texas Longhorns continue to do everything they can to better their team for the future, including dominating on the recruiting trail with some of the most sought-after prospects in the country.
Their latest installment comes after extending offers to offensive lineman Ty McCurry and Jayden Thompson, while also leaving a favorable impression on premier recruit Brayson Robinson.
As they continue to make a push for another top-10 class under head coach Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns made a staunch impression on three of their top targets for the 2028 cycle.
Forty Acres Stands Out
The Longhorns continue to make a push on the recruiting trail, hosting some premier targets on the first day of spring camp, and extending offers to McCurry and Thompson. Both players were impressed with what they saw, not just on the football field, either, but from the Forty Acres as well.
“They said I’m their top guy and that they want me back out for a visit soon. “McCurry tells me of his conversations with the Longhorns before continuing on where they stand in his rankings. “I’ve loved the past two times I’ve been in Austin to check out the Longhorns and can 100 percent see them being a contender in my commitment down the line.”
McCurry was a Sports Illustrated freshman All-American and currently stands at 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, currently holding 11 offers with many of them coming from the Lone Star State. The other offer from the first day of practice went to Jayden Thompson, number 15-ranked offensive tackle in the 2028 class according to 247Sports.
“My conversations with the coaches went very well, they were all very inviting and helpful,” Thompson told Texas Longhorns On SI of the Longhorns staff. “If I had one takeaway, it would be the tour of not just the football part of the school, but the campus as well.”
Another target for the 2028 cycle is Brayson Robinson, an edge defender out of Mavel, Texas. While he didn’t receive an offer yet, he has quickly garnered interest with some of the top programs in the country. The Arizona State Sun Devils and Alabama Crimson Tide have been on him mainly, but he’s hearing from a lot of schools, including the Longhorns, who impressed him.
“It went amazing and I like how every coach introduced themselves to my family and me,” Robinson told Texas Longhorns On SI about his visit. “I also love the culture.”
With still a while to go until the 2028 cycle becomes the forefront on the recruiting trail, Sarkisian and his staff continue to set themselves up to be at the top of the conversations regarding the premier talent on their target board.
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