AUSTIN (KXAN)—The Yogurt Shop cold case is getting some resolve, in large part, because families kept pushing for answers.
Amy Ayers, 13, Eliza Thomas, 17, Jennifer Harbison, 17, and Harbison’s younger sister, Sarah, 15 were brutally killed in a north Austin yogurt shop in 1991. On Friday, police identified Robert Eugene Brashers, a serial killer linked to multiple cases around the country, to the case.
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Angie Ayers embraces her husband Sean after sharing emotional remarks about the fight for justice in the Yogurt Shop murders. (KXAN photos/Todd Bailey). -
Photos of young girls on display, as officials provide update on Yogurt Shop cold case. (KXAN photos/Todd Bailey).
On Tuesday, the late young teens photos sat on display in front of Austin City Council Chambers. It served as a bold visual, representing the painful losses.
“Our reality doesn’t change after today, our families are still too small, still missing an essential ingredient, and we are lesser for it,” Sonora Thomas, Eliza’s sister said.
Families have desperately sought the truth. It’s a truth that became convoluted after two young men were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned based on what their attorneys argue were coerced confessions. Two, never went to trial, and two others were convicted.
Then, in the early 2000s, those convictions were thrown out.
“One part of my brain has been screaming, ‘What happened to my sister?,’ and the other part kept repeating, ‘I will never know. I will die not knowing, and I have to be okay with that,'” Thomas said.
In the thick of desperation, yearning for peace, there was a relentless push for answers, led in large part by Angie Ayers. She’s Sean Ayer’s wife, who is Amy’s big brother.
“I have been here longer than most investigators involved,” Angie Ayers said. “I’ve been here longer than the district attorneys, the prosecutors and chief of police. I have been told no, to stand down, told to wait.”
Despite resistance, Angie Ayers would go on to work with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, helping create a cold case unit. And she’s also collaborated with legislators on bills for families and victims.
“Sean and Angie, thanks to your selflessness, you’ve not only helped other families, but you helped your own,” Mindy Montford the Senior Counsel for the AG’s Cold Case and Missing Persons unit said.
Neighbors are now paying their respects, re-visiting the site where the teens were killed. And there’s now some resolve.
“To my sister-in-law, Amy Ayers, I am so honored to have fought next to you, but you can rest easy now, sister, I’ve got it from here,” Angie Ayers said. “I will continue your fight to help other victims.”
Montford told the public the Yogurt Shop murder case is still open. She’s asked anyone to come forward, with any additional info they might have on Brashers.
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