AUSTIN, Texas — On Dec. 6, 1991, the bodies of four teenage girls were discovered at the scene of a fire inside North Austin’s I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! shop.
First responders discovered the bodies of the girls inside. They had been shot, they were gagged with their own clothing and some of them had been sexually assaulted.
The crime shook Austin, and despite investigations, developments, books and analysis, the crime remains unsolved 30 years later.
The victims were identified as Amy Ayers, 13, Eliza Thomas, 17, Jennifer Harbison, 17, and Sarah Harbison, 15.
Eliza and Jennifer worked at the shop; Sarah and Amy were at the shop in order to get a ride home with Jennifer.
Investigators believe the crime started as a robbery, but the four girls were killed and their bodies were stacked on top of each other. The store was then set ablaze.
In the ensuing years there were arrests and convictions, but they were tossed out for lack of evidence.
The case prompted several books, among them Beverly Lowry’s 2016 book, “Who Killed These Girls? Cold Case: The Yogurt Shop Murders.”