Yogurt Shop Murders Victim's Brother Launches National Cold Case Center
Nearly 34 years after his sister's death, Shawn Ayers co-founded a nonprofit to fund unsolved homicides and support victims' families.
Shawn Ayers, whose sister Amy was one of four teenagers murdered in the 1991 Austin, Texas, yogurt shop massacre, has co-founded the National Cold Case Center to aid unsolved homicide investigations nationwide.
Amy Ayers, 13, was killed alongside Jennifer Harbison, 17, Eliza Thomas, 17, and Sarah Harbison, 15, on December 6, 1991, at the I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! shop. The victims were found murdered after a fire at the location, with evidence compromised by the fire and subsequent water from sprinklers. Sarah, Eliza, and Jennifer were bound and shot, while Amy suffered gunshot wounds and burns.
After decades of investigation, serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers was identified in September 2025 as the perpetrator. Brashers died by suicide during a police standoff in January 1999, before he could be brought to trial for the yogurt shop murders. The .380-caliber handgun Brashers used to kill himself was the same weapon used in the Austin murders.
Despite Brashers being identified, questions linger for the Ayers family about whether an accomplice was involved, particularly since two different caliber weapons were indicated in the crime. "There's never been an instance where he [Brashers] used both of those guns in his other cases," Shawn's wife, Angie Ayers, stated.
Wrongful Convictions and Exonerations
Prior to Brashers' identification, Austin police had focused on four local teenagers: Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Maurice Pierce, and Forrest Welborn. Springsteen and Scott confessed under duress but later recanted, leading to convictions that were eventually overturned due to DNA evidence not matching them to the crime scene. They were released in 2009, and charges were dismissed.
Pierce's charges were dismissed in 2003 due to insufficient evidence after he spent over three years in jail. He was later fatally shot by police in 2010 during a confrontation. Welborn, who maintained his innocence and passed a polygraph test, was never indicted. In February 2026, a Travis County judge officially declared Welborn, Scott, Springsteen, and Pierce (posthumously) innocent.
Following these exonerations, Travis County approved a $35 million settlement for the three surviving men and Pierce's family. While Welborn acknowledged the settlement brought some closure, he expressed lingering anger toward the investigators involved.
The National Cold Case Center
The Ayers couple established the National Cold Case Center with former prosecutors Mindy Montford and Anne Marie Schubert to provide resources for unsolved homicide investigations. The nonprofit aims to fund investigations, train law enforcement, and support victims' families.
"The frustrating part is being told no, but yet someone somewhere leaks the information and you're the last one to know when you should have been first and that is still happening today," Shawn Ayers said, reflecting on his family's experience. The center seeks to provide funding, training, and a platform for law enforcement agencies and families to connect and share information, aiming to bring resolution to countless cold cases and potentially identify individuals who pose ongoing threats.