THE family of a teenager who was killed alongside her three friends and found in a burning frozen yogurt shop over three decades ago has received fresh tips since a documentary aired.
The dark story of the four Texas girls who were tied up and shot in the head has been thrust back into the light by the four-part HBO documentary series The Yogurt Shop Murders, which premiered earlier this month.
Amy Ayers was just 13 when she was murdered and left in a burning frozen yogurt shop in Austin, Texas[/caption]
Now, her family members Shawn and Angie Ayers say that they’re getting new tips[/caption]
The series covers the deaths of Jennifer Harbison, 17, Sarah Harbison, 15, Eliza Thomas, 17, and Amy Ayers, 13, whose bodies were found inside I Can’t Believe It’s Not Yogurt in Austin on December 6, 1991.
Three of the girls were bound with their own clothes and gagged, and they had all been shot in the head.
Amy was the only victim who had been shot twice in the head, suggesting she may have survived the first gunshot.
Four men were eyed as suspects years after the killings.
But all of them were eventually cleared of charges.
Despite enduring decades without answers, Angie Ayers, the now 49 sister-in-law of Amy from Fort Worth, Texas, said that renewed efforts sparked by the documentary have made her hopeful for justice.
“Personally, I have received information and some tips which I have passed on to the police department,” she said.
“I would imagine that there may be some more information coming our way.
“The documentary had such a wide reach that it has opened up more opportunities for people to get in touch with us.
“It has given us more hope than before that someone may be able to step up, be a witness, and give us information that we didn’t have before.”
Amy’s brother, Shawn, 52, an oil worker also from Fort Worth, added, “Someone knows something.
“I hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
“We will not stop fighting until we have answers.
“We have four girls depending on us to do the right thing.”
The mystery behind the murders still hasn’t been solved[/caption]
Shawn and Amy are seen as children[/caption]
The family said that they’ve received fresh tips[/caption]
‘FELT NUMB’
Shawn was 19 years old when Amy was murdered.
He said his parents got a knock on the door at 5:30 am and said he “felt numb” when he heard the news.
Shawn said, “You go through it all, my first reaction was shock, and then I went numb.
“Then I went to anger, which stays around until today, the disbelief, the denial of it all.
“I would walk past Amy’s room to get to mine, I would look in and notice she wasn’t there.
“You would walk past and realize she wasn’t there, then you’d go to the living room, see my parents, and people would start coming in.
“Then you realized it was all real and you weren’t dreaming.”
The Yogurt Shop Murders Timeline
December 6, 1991: Four teenage girls Jennifer Harbison 17, Sarah Harbison 15, Eliza Thomas 17, and Amy Ayers 13, are found murdered inside the I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! shop in Austin, Texas.
1992-1998: The case goes cold.
1999:
- After nearly 8 years, police announce arrests:
- Robert Springsteen, 24
- Michael Scott, 25
- Two other suspects, Maurice Pierce and Forrest Welborn, were also questioned but never convicted.
- Defense attorneys argue the confessions were coerced, and there was no physical evidence linking them.
2001-2002: Springsteen and Scott are convicted and sentenced. Springsteen gets the death penalty, and Scott gets life in prison.
2006:
- The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturns Springsteen’s conviction due to a Sixth Amendment violation – use of co-defendant’s statements in trial.
- Scott’s conviction is also overturned later for similar reasons.
2008: DNA testing on evidence from the crime scene reveals an unknown male DNA profile that does not match any of the four original suspects.
2009:
- Travis County prosecutors dismiss all charges against Springsteen and Scott.
- Both men are released from prison after spending years behind bars.
- Case returns to cold case status.
2010-2024:
- New DNA testing methods are applied, but the unidentified male DNA profile remains the key mystery.
- Austin police announce they are working with advanced forensic genealogy to identify the unknown male DNA.
- No arrests are made.
- A new true-crime documentary series is announced.
- Investigators confirm they are actively pursuing leads using family DNA databases.
SUSPECTS CLEARED
In 1999, four men, Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Maurice Pierce, and Forrest Welborn, were arrested and charged with the murders.
Charges were ultimately dropped against Maurice Pierce and Forrest Welborn due to lack of evidence, and Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott were the only two to go on trial.
They were both convicted and sentenced, but in 2006, their convictions were dropped based on an unfair trial.
A court determined that they had been coerced into their confessions and on June 24, 2009, the pair was released on bond.
Shawn said, “When the District Attorney had to release them on a federal technicality, it was like the justice system failed us and the girls.
“It was another heart-wrenching issue that has been associated with the case. It ripped another layer off the wound.
“All we have ever wanted was truth and justice.
“We want the evil monsters that are responsible, not anyone else.”
Shawn and Angie said they’re in constant contact with the police[/caption]
MYSTERY REMAINS
Shawn and Angie said it is “shocking” that nobody has been brought to justice for the yogurt shop murders.
Angie said she is actively in contact with the Austin Police Department.
She said, “Unfortunately, 33 years later, we are still trying to figure out who did this.
“We are very much in touch with the police. When I started this, I did not know what I was going.
“But I am determined to get answers, and I will not stop until we get them.
“We are not going to give up, and we will continue to be a thorn in the police department’s side.”
CALLS FOR JUSTICE
Through their campaign for justice, Angie and Shawn helped start the Attorney General’s cold case and missing persons unit in Austin – a unit tasked with following all leads and evidence in unsolved cold case investigations.
Through that, Shawn and Angie supported the 2021 Homicide Victims’ Families’ Rights Act, which allows families of federal murder victims to request a case review after all leads are exhausted.
Angie said: “Even though we have experienced the greatest loss and heartache.
“We helped start the Cold Case Unit, to try and help other families and victims get cases solved.
“We did that, which led us to get the Homicide Victims’ Families Rights Act passed as federal law.
“It doesn’t help our case, but it will help so many others.”
