More than 30 years after four teenage girls were murdered inside an Austin, Texas yogurt shop, investigators remain haunted by two never-identified men who were seen in the store just before the killings — customers who never purchased anything and whose descriptions have never matched any suspect charged in connection with the case.
Background
On December 6, 1991, 17-year-old Eliza Thomas, 13-year-old Amy Ayers, 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison, and 15-year-old Sarah Harbison were tied up, gagged, and shot in the head inside an "I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!" shop in Austin. The victims included two sisters — Jennifer and Sarah Harbison — with Eliza and Amy visiting the store that night.
The case shocked the city. Investigators determined at least two men entered the shop and committed the brutal crime before setting the building on fire, destroying much of the physical evidence. Four suspects were eventually arrested in 1999: Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Maurice Pierce, and Forrest Welborn. Two of them — Springsteen and Scott — were convicted based largely on confessions, but those convictions were later overturned on constitutional grounds.
In September 2025, Austin police identified Robert Eugene Brashers, a deceased serial killer and rapist, as the suspect in the murders through DNA testing. On February 19, 2026, a judge formally exonerated the four wrongfully accused men. In May 2026, the City of Austin agreed to a $35 million settlement with those men.
The Investigation
But even before Brashers' identification, defense attorneys working on behalf of Springsteen and Scott had developed an alternative theory about who might be responsible for the killings: the two mystery customers never identified by police.
John Jones, who served as lead investigator on the case before retiring from the Austin Police Department, told CBS News correspondent Erin Moriarty that his team tracked down dozens of customers who were in the yogurt shop on the night of December 6, 1991. Multiple witnesses described two men who "looked out of place" sitting in the shop just before closing.
"They never have been identified. And we did everything… We even hypnotized some folks," Jones said.
According to attorney Amber Farrelly, who worked on both Scott and Springsteen's defense teams, police interviewed 52 people who were inside the yogurt shop that day — yet several witnesses mentioned the same two men who were observed sitting near closing time. Neither man purchased frozen yogurt; they reportedly only had a drink.
"We have no names to them," Farrelly told Moriarty during an episode of "48 Hours." "When you step back and look, they've talked to 52 people and didn't miss one person from 4:30 until 11 at night. And several people talk about a guy or two guys, describing them in the same manner? And we don't know who those two guys are? That raises, in my opinion, the suspicion that these are the gentlemen who did it."
Farrelly said witnesses described one of the men as having light, short hair "like a dirty blonde," approximately 5'6" tall, and appearing to be in his late twenties or early thirties. The other man was described as larger, with both observed wearing big coats — one reportedly in a green "Army fatigue kind of looking jacket" and the other in a black jacket. Witnesses believed the men were driving a green car that evening.
The descriptions aligned with witnesses' accounts that the men appeared to be leaning over the table, whispering to each other as if they didn't want anyone overhearing their conversation.
Key Takeaways
- Four teenage girls — Eliza Thomas (17), Amy Ayers (13), Jennifer Harbison (17), and Sarah Harbison (15) — were killed inside an Austin yogurt shop on December 6, 1991
- Two unidentified men seen in the store just before closing have never been identified despite police interviewing 52 customers who were present that day
- DNA testing ultimately excluded the four men who had been arrested and convicted; Robert Eugene Brashers was later identified as a suspect through DNA evidence
- Defense attorney Amber Farrelly believes those two mystery customers may be the actual perpetrators, noting their descriptions never matched any charged suspects
What's Next
While Brashers has been identified as a suspect in the case through DNA, questions remain about whether the two unidentified customers could provide additional context or evidence relevant to the investigation. Jones said he still wonders about those unidentified individuals.
"Is that evidence that they did it? No, but that's evidence that we really need to talk to them," Jones said.
Anyone with information about the yogurt shop murders is asked to call 512-472-TIPS.