Real Crime Stories/Paranormal Hauntings

1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders

The 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders is an open homicide case in Austin, Texas. On Friday, December 6, 1991, the yogurt dessert shop was robbed and set afire after four teenage girls -- 13-year-old Amy Ayers (sometimes spelled Ayres), 17-year-old Eliza Thomas, 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison and her 15-year-old sister Sarah -- were murdered inside the store.

Jennifer Harbison and Eliza Thomas were employees of the store; they were working the evening shift. Jennifer's sister Sarah and her friend Amy Ayers had spent the earlier part of the evening at nearby Northcross Mall and were looking forward to a sleepover planned for that night. They were in the shop to help Jennifer close it down and to get a ride home with her afterward.

The original investigation spanned nearly eight years. Two men who initially confessed to the quadruple slaying were thereupon tried and convicted; however, they were released from custody in 2009, for lack of evidence. No new charges have been filed, and local media coverage remains ongoing. As of 2016, the Austin Police Department's cold-case unit continues to pursue the identity of an unknown male, using DNA found on the youngest of the victims.

Murders

Shortly before midnight on Friday, December 6, 1991, a patrolling Austin police officer noticed a fire coming from an I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! Shop and reported it to his dispatcher. After the fire was extinguished, firefighters discovered four bodies, with three stacked on top of one another. All were found undressed but bound and gagged with their own clothes. Each victim had been shot in the head, thus leading police to determine that the teenagers had likely died before the fire was started.

Just before the murders, the girls had been seen alive at the yogurt shop as late as 10:00 p.m. They had planned a sleepover for that night.

Subsequent events

At the time of the murders, a known serial killer, Kenneth Allen McDuff, was in the area. He had a history of multiple murders involving teenagers but was soon ruled out of the crime. McDuff was executed for his crimes on November 17, 1998.

False confessions

Austin police admit that over fifty people, including McDuff on the day of his execution, had confessed to the yogurt shop murders. A confession in 1992 by two Mexican nationals, held by Mexican authorities, was soon disputed and finally ruled false.

1999: Four suspects arrested

On Wednesday, October 6, 1999, police in Texas and West Virginia arrested four suspects in connection with the murders. Robert Burns Springsteen, Jr., 24, was arrested in Charleston, West Virginia. Michael James Scott, 25, of Buda, Texas, was arrested in the Austin area. Maurice Pierce, 24, was arrested in Lewisville, north of Dallas, and Forrest Wellborn, 23, was picked up in Lockhart, Texas, southeast of Austin. The prosecution stated at one hearing that DNA evidence in the case had been tested against more than 70 people (including these four men) and failed to match. Charges against Wellborn were dropped when an Austin grand jury failed to indict him. Charges were later dropped against Pierce. Only the cases against Scott and Springsteen went to trial.

The investigation was complicated by matters internal to the Austin Police Department. Detective Hector Polanco was fired for allegedly coercing confessions. A relationship between Springsteen's father and Austin police data-processing employee Karen Huntley prompted her transfer. Polanco was later reinstated after suing the city for discrimination based on race. He would eventually be promoted and retire with a full pension. Hector Polanco was also involved in coercing a false confession in a previous murder case, which led to the false imprisonment of Christopher Ochoa and Richard Danziger. Both were released after 13 years in prison; Richard was assaulted in prison which resulted in permanent brain damage.