Every Town - 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders - Austin, Texas Unsolved Mystery

Episode Date: January 21, 2022

The 1991 Austin, Texas Yogurt Shop Murders is a Quadruple Murder Mystery that still remains unsolved to this day. The city of Austin was rocked by The Yogurt Shop Murders, when four young girls lives were taken in a brutal way. Today we'll dig deep into the Austin Unsolved Mystery from 1991 known as The Yogurt Shop Murders.🥇 Watch This Episode with like.....visuals! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcChiSlHWO8&ab_channel=ScaryMysteries🎉 Patreon (videos too hot for youtube) -  https://www.patreon.com/scarymysteries 🎧 More Podcasts, we got you - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1235579 Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you love true crime, grab your favorite mug and pour yourself a dose of creepy true crime every single morning with a morning cup of murder. This short daily show is the perfect podcast to incorporate into your morning routine, because in less than 15 minutes, you'll hear about a true crime that took place on a day's date in history. Each day's dark history lesson will kickstart your morning with intriguing tales of murder, abduction, serial killers, cults, and everything in between. With over 20 million downloads, Morning Cup of Murder has something for every true crime lover. One listener describes the show as a small package with a powerful punch of crime.

Another writes that the show is an absolute delight in the morning. Support yourself a piping hot cup of murder every single morning with Morning Cup of Murder. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every town has a dark side. Today we head to Austin, Texas, where we check out the unresolved quadruple yogurt shop murders. In the early 1990s, Austin, the capital city of Texas, wasn't what it has been in the last five years as the second most populous state capital city and the fastest growing large city in America. Back then, Austin was an ideal and quiet. place to raise a family without worrying about violent crimes, which were unheard of in large parts of the

city. But in 1991, many Austinites believe that their beloved city of the Violet Crown lost its incorruptibility when four teenage girls were savagely murdered inside the fancy sounding, I can't believe it's yogurt, frozen yogurt shop. What's more unbelievable is that the case has been unresolved for almost three decades, cold, and frozen. I'm Andrew Fitzgerald, and I'm excited to bring you another interesting episode here on Everytown. What could possibly raise the level of fury and fear in an otherwise peaceful city like Austin and Travis County, Texas? A brutal quadruple murder, no doubt. Imagine four bright, hardworking and clean living. teenage girls shot to death, execution style, then inhumanely set on fire.

The culprits surely didn't have hearts and souls, and they remained scot-free today. This is the blood-curdling, heinous crime that has become known as the Austin Yogurt Shop murders. The quadruple murders that forever sealed the bright future of four teenage friends was an unprecedented case. in Austin, Texas. Was it premeditated murder, or was it a random spur-of-the-moment crime? With the four young women just unlucky to be at the wrong place at the wrong time on that fateful night of December 6, 1991, the scene of the horrendous crime was an unexpected, as wholesome as it can get, yogurt shop. I can't believe it's yogurt, which was located inside the Hillside Center Strip Mall on West Anderson Lane frequented by patrons living in the more affluent

neighborhoods in the area. It's a familiar territory to two of the four victims, Eliza Thomas and Jennifer Harbison, both 17 years old, who were working part-time at the yogurt shop back then. The place was also a favorite hangout spot for Jennifer's 15-year-old sister Sarah and Sarah's 13-year-old friend, Amy Ayers. The four girls found a commonplace for their bonding, but perhaps it never crossed their minds, nor anyone else's for that matter, that the yogurt shop would also be the setting of their untimely demise. They were a profound loss as each of them was regarded as a great daughter or sister or friend by family and friends. Let's first get to know who Eliza, Jennifer, Sarah and Amy were, before they were discovered, shot dead and charred to the point of being

unrecognizable. Born on May 16, 1974 in Austin, Eliza Thomas was the eldest of James and Maria Thomas's two daughters. When Eliza and her sister Sonora were grade schoolers, their parents divorced and their dad, who was a social worker, soon remarried a professor at the University of Texas. The girls would split time between their parents. In high school, Eliza transferred from McCollum High School after her sophomore year to Lanier High School because she wanted to be involved in Lanier's chapter of the future farmers of America, or FFA. As attested by her dad, Eliza loved working with and caring for animals, so becoming a veterinarian was part of her future plans.

Eliza was also very mechanically inclined, excelling in the school's welding in small engine repair classes. This skill came in handy when she finally purchased her first car. A homely-looking, bright green 1971 Volkswagen Carmen Gia, which Eliza adored, using her mechanical skills to upgrade it. Eliza had managed to buy the car after starting her part-time job at the I-Campiope. believe it's yogurt shop. She had a few weekday shifts and worked during weekends. After months of working there, Liza successfully convinced her best friend Jennifer Harbison to work there as well. They became close as members of Lanier-Huy's chapter of FFA, and it extended at their weekend shifts at the yogurt store where they gossiped for hours, oftentimes closing the shop at night by

themselves. It's no wonder that Eliza Thomas and Jennifer Harbison clicked and became fast friends for their lives shared some parallels. Jennifer, born on May 9, 1974, just a week ahead of Eliza, was the eldest daughter of Mike and Barbara Harbison. She would be followed by younger sister, Sarah Louise, who was born on October 28, 1976. Just like the Thomas sister, the Harbison Girls became products of a broken family at a tender age. After their parents separated, Barbara relocated to Austin, bringing with her Jennifer and Sarah. While their father opted to stay behind in New Boston, a small town in Texas with his new wife, Debbie, Mike would remain close with his daughters throughout their lives.

In Austin, Jennifer and Sarah grew up with their mom and stepfather Frank, a computer technician for Dell. Both attended a private Christian school throughout middle school and later went to Lanier High. Jennifer was elected president of the school's chapter of the FFA and served as the student speaker of the house. The versatile Jennifer also ran in the 4,600 meter relay for the school's track team. She naturally won the admiration of all her teachers and the staff members. Her geography teacher, Ed Gifford, later wrote about Jennifer. She brought joy into the classroom.

She was more excited about life than any kid I've ever known. She was one of the best that Lanier has ever had. Jennifer was indeed a role model, especially to younger sister Sarah, who also made her mark at Lanier High. Sarah competed fiercely on the school's volleyball and basketball teams, became the leader of the school's JV cheerleading squad and served as a student council representative. Like Jennifer, Sarah was also heavily involved

in the school's chapter of the FFA. Lanier High's principal, Paul Turner, had said about Sarah. She had already established herself as assertive and enthusiastic, a vital member of the freshman class. She was a leader, clearly a kid who was going to make her own. a mark on the place. While in her senior year of high school, Jennifer wanted to earn money in preparation for college. So she first started working at Albertson's grocery store nearby. Later, she worked at I Can't Believe It's Yogurt, as recommended by Eliza, who told her what a

great job it was. The yogurt shop was one of the few jobs that allowed teenagers to have real responsibility, and they were able to work unsupervised. The youngest member of the group, was 13-year-old Amy Ayers, who was born on January 31st, 1978, and was the second child of Robert and Pam Ayers following her older brother Sean. Described by her father as an all-cowgirl having grown up on a ranch, Amy became accustomed to the farming culture, rode horses starting at age three, and loved country music and cats. Amy attended Burnett Middle School and when Sean got Amy involved in Lanier High's chapter of FFA, she became good friends with Eliza, Jennifer, and especially Sarah,

whose age was closer with Amy's. She was already a junior member, an incoming vice president of FFA, and planned to be involved in the coming years as she moved on from middle school to Lanier High. Since best friends, Sarah and Amy, studied in different schools in 1991, they hatched a plan for the four girls to have a slothed, sleep over and spend time catching up. Their much-awaited slumber party was set on December 6, 1991,

the second to the last Friday of the school semester, and kids throughout the Austin area were already preparing for the upcoming winter break. But it turned out to be such a devastating nightmare not only for the families and friends of Eliza, Jennifer, Sarah, and Amy, but also for the whole city of Austin. December 6th, 1991 was a usual Friday for Jennifer Harbison, who prepared for her 8 p.m. shift at I can't believe it's yogurt after school. After spending time at her boyfriend's apartment, she went home, got dressed for work, and left with her sister Sarah. They first picked up Amy Ayers, and then the two younger girls were dropped off at the North Cross Mall just down the road from the yogurt shop, where they would kill some time until Jennifer was off work. That night, Eliza was also

on duty at the yogurt shop, so she and Jennifer were in charge of closing the store at 11 p.m. After that, the four girls would be heading together to the Harbison House for a weekend slumber get-together. During Jennifer and Eliza's shift, multiple customers would come and go between 8, 15, and 11 p.m. Who later in the investigation of the quadruple murder testified, seeing suspicious individuals inside the shop. By 9 p.m., Jennifer fetched Sarah and Amy from the North Cross Mall. And they returned to the yogurt shop with a box of pizza,

which the four friends shared. Eliza's mom, Maria, dropped by the shop 30 minutes later and found everything fine as customers kept coming in even past 10 p.m. The final sale was registered at 1042 p.m. to a couple who wanted to grab some dessert after movie watching. They later reported seeing two men wearing jackets with thick sweatshirts, which obscured their faces so they didn't get a good look at them. One had lighter, dirty blonde hair, stood around 5'6 and was in his late 20s or early 30s. The other was a bigger man. Both were wearing bigger coats while one had a green army fatigue kind of looking jacket,

and the other wore a black one. The two men were sitting at the table closest to the cash register. On the couple left at 1047 p.m., they noticed the two men still sitting and not looking like they were leaving anytime soon. At least one customer saw Jennifer lock the front door and put up a clothes sign. Eliza and Jennifer started cleaning the tables and placing the chairs on top. It would later be reported that the two chairs that the obscured men were sitting in close to the cash register would be the only chairs that remained on the floor.

It was believed that Sarah and Amy helped clean up the store's back area so that they could leave earlier and enjoy their sleepover. But the four teenage girls never made it to the front or back door of the yogurt shop that night. Shortly before midnight, Austin Police District Patrol officer Troy Gay chanced upon the Hillside Center strip mall and immediately noticed that smoke was coming from the yogurt shop. He would call in to dispatch at 1147 p.m. and firefighters responded swiftly. They began battling the flames, which thankfully had been confined to a small enough location. The fire was moderate enough to warn a cautious response, but,

wasn't intense enough to begin spiraling out of control. Within a couple of minutes, the firefighters were able to quell the fire, making the back area of the yogurt shop more visible. As the flames started to dwindle, a fireman pointed towards an object at the back of the yogurt shop, asking his colleague, is that a foot? It was then that a horrifying discovery was made,

which would change not only the lives of everyone involved, but the city of Austin itself. Police officers at the scene call, Hall authorities, particularly Sergeant John Jones, the only homicide detective on duty that night. At the back area of the yogurt shop, he and other authorities made a dreadful discovery. Four bodies of teenage girls who had all been shot execution style with a 22-caliber pistol and then intentionally set on fire and severely burned beyond recognition. Sergeant Jones was the first detective to arrive at the crime scene, so it was now a

his case to handle. The four friends, who a few hours earlier, shared a box of pizza and looked forward to a rare sleepover, were now victims of a brutally unforgivable crime. The girl's legs were spread wide open, and an ice cream scoop was placed in between them. Sarah Harbison's hands had been bound with a pair of panties. She had also been gagged and presumably raped. Jennifer Harbison wasn't bound, but her hands were behind her back. Eliza Thomas was also gagged and her hands were also tied behind her back. All three had been severely charred and shot in the back of the head. Unlike the others, Amy Ayer's body was found in a separate part of the shop.

She wasn't scorched, but suffered from second and very early third-degree burns on 25% to 30% of her body. Amy had also been shot, however, the bullet had missed her brain. Sadly, a second bullet really damaged her brain as it exited through her lateral cheek and jawline. Police theorized that the killers had stacked all four bodies on top of one another, but Amy pulled herself off and managed to crawl to a different part of the store. Autopsy results show high levels of British thermal unit or BTU output, a unit of heat suggesting that an accelerant may have been used. It's believed the girls died before the fire's.

started. Immediate investigations quickly discovered that the shop's back door had been left unlocked, serving as the culprits getaway. It was later confirmed that a robbery had taken place, and following an audit, roughly $540 had been stolen from the cash register itself with a no-sale transaction recorded. A full-scale arson investigation was done that weekend. AFD arson investigator, Melvin Stahl, stated and his own. his December 7th, 1991 official report that the fire started in the kitchen area at approximately 1142 p.m. More than 40 minutes after the store had been closed, and exactly 39 minutes after the no-sale had been registered. This implied that the culprits remained in the building for about an hour

before starting the fire that would help end up destroying or contaminating most of the crime scene. Moreover, the report stated that the fire was so intensely hot that one of the victim's teeth easily burned away, as well as the girl's jewelry, cleaning supplies, and paint cans in the storage room. But what was nauseating was the side of the victim's bodies melting into the floor. Highly flammable supplies like styrofoam cups full of lighter fluid had been placed on or near the bodies which helped light the fire and increased the spread of the flames. Unfortunately, the excessive volume of water used to quell the fire

washed away a large amount of physical evidence from the victims and the scene itself, causing an essential damage to the investigation. Investigators also learned that numerous paper cups and bowls from the yogurt shop, which acted as an accelerant for the flames, were stacked on top of the girl's bodies. In addition, chocolate syrup and other ingredients

had been dripped on the bodies, likely meant to mix with the blood and pollute the crime scene. It would even be theorized that this might have been some kind of sick joke by the killers to get away with their evil crime. But what was really the motive in killing these innocent girls? Police speculated that this crime had started as a robbery, which had taken place during the closing of the yogurt shop but escalated very badly. It's also theorized that more than one, One culprit committed the crime since at least one 38 caliber shell and slug would be recovered

from the crime scene in addition to four 22 caliber bullets taken from the victim's bodies. But the theory that proliferated most early on in the investigation was the possibility that this crime had some kind of drug connection. Sergeant Jones speculated that most of the police department agreed that the girls were robbed at around closing time and that drugs had played a part in that. He theorized that the offenders might have been high at the time because of the chaotic crime scene they left behind. As the probe moved forward, Austin PD's phones rang off the hook as tips flooded in. Lead detective, Sergeant John Jones, and his partner, Sergeant Mike Huckabay,

were understandably overwhelmed when confronted with 342 suspects and dozens of false confessions. considering the horrific nature and intensity of the crime, they initially looked in the serial killers who may have been at work in the area like Kenneth Allen McDuff, a Texas serial killer suspected of at least 14 murders. On November 17, 1998, the day of his execution, McDuff confessed to the yogurt shop murders thinking that his last-minute confession was going to spare his life.

But his execution was carried out that, day is scheduled, and after McDuff's death, authorities investigated his confession but ruled him out when fingerprints and hair collected from Amy Ayers couldn't be linked back to him. Eight days after the murders, investigators got a tit to look into a 16-year-old teenager named Maurice Pierce, who was seen at the North Cross Mall with a gun on the very same night Sarah and Amy were hanging out there before heading to the yogurt shop. Maurice and his 15-year-old friend, Forrest Wellborn, were arrested, with the former confessing that his gun was the murder weapon from the crime. But Maurice also confessed that he had loaned the weapon to Forrest.

Police would later subject both Maurice and Forrest to polygraph tests which they passed. When Maurice's gun was tested, the ballistics showed it didn't match the murder weapon. detectives would later clear both boys of involvement in the crime believing that Maurice, a teenage dropout with a middle school education, had a mental problem that caused him to falsely implicate both himself and forced in the murders. Weeks later, the officer that solicited his confession, Hector Polanco, would be accused of coercing confessions through intimidation tactics. But eight years later, in 1999, both Moriorese,

and Forest, now 24 and 23 years old, respectively, would be back on the detective's radar. But this time, they were implicated by their two friends who decided to let the truth be finally let out into the light after the four of them were arrested on October 6, 1999. It was 25-year-old Michael Scott of Buda, Texas, who confessed to the killings of Eliza, Jennifer, Sarah, and Amy. But he wasn't alone. 24-year-old Robert Springsteen from Charleston, West Virginia also admitted murdering the girls and raping two of them. After the confessions, the police were convinced that they had their killers. The theory was that the Ford planned to rob the yogurt shop. Michael Robert and Maurice

entered the shop while Forrests waited outside and served as a lookout. While in there, the three culprits sexually assaulted at least two of the victims, forced them to undress and bound them with their own clothing. Their ex fatally shot the girls, set the crime scene on fire, and fled before help could arrive. Authorities tried twice to indict Forrest for the murders, but they lacked the evidence to link him to the crime, so all charges against him were eventually dropped. Maurice likewise was freed of the charges for the same reason. This was particularly hard for the police and the victim's families to take, as Maurice was considered the mastermind, behind the crime. In 2001, Robert Springsteen received the death penalty, but it would be commuted

to life after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roper v. Simmons that juvenile offenders could not be executed. Michael Scott was convicted in 2002 and sentenced to 99 years in prison after the jury could not unanimously agree on the death penalty. It seemed that Eliza, Jennifer, Sarah, Amy and their families have been served justice and victory, but issues pertaining to legal proceedings proved to be a hindrance. In 2006, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Robert Springsteen's conviction on the basis of an unfair trial citing the Sixth Amendment, particularly the right to face your accuser. Over, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to reinstate the conviction in February of 2007. Michael Scott later had his own conviction overturned, citing the exact same parameters.

In 2008, Robert and Michael's camps requested DNA testing of alternative suspects, which led to a surprising result. The DNA of an unidentified male had been found on a vaginal swab done on Amy Ayers, almost assuring that she had been raped by one of the offenders before her death. Shockingly though, the DNA was not a match for either Michael, Robert, Maurice, or Forrest. Their DNA wasn't present at the crime scene or on the girl's bodies in any way whatsoever. Thus, on June 24, 2009, Judge Mike Lynch ordered both Michael Scott and Robert Springsteen to be released from jail. In October of 2009, the charges against them were dismissed by the Travis County DA on a few officially exonerating them of the crimes that are consumed an entire decade of their lives.

So, until today, none of the four men have been officially acquitted in the Austin Yogurt Shop murders, and no new evidence has been presented that links them to this case. No charges have been filed against anyone in this case since 2009, and police activity has been scarce. The yogurt shop has been converted into a nail salon, and in the mall's part, parking lot is a plaque honoring Eliza, Jennifer, Sarah, and Amy, whose tragic legacy continues to live on to this day. So that's it for this week's episode of Everytown. Please tune in next week for another episode filled with scary, strange, and mysterious stories, because who knows, maybe your town will be next.