DNA evidence links dead man to 1991 killings of 4 girls in Texas 'Yogurt Shop Murders'

Police named a dead man Friday as a new suspect in the 1991 unsolved killings of four teenage girls at an Austin yogurt shop, saying DNA evidence led to a “significant breakthrough” in the brutal crime that has haunted Texas’ capital and stumped investigators for decades.

AUSTIN, Texas — Police named a dead man Friday as a new suspect in the 1991 unsolved killings of four teenage girls at an Austin yogurt shop, saying DNA evidence led to a “significant breakthrough” in the brutal crime that has haunted Texas’ capital and stumped investigators for decades.

In a statement, Austin police said DNA tests led investigators to Robert Eugene Brashers, who died by suicide in 1999 during a standoff with law enforcement. He has since then been linked to several killings and rape in other states.

The announcement came amid renewed attention on the case with the release last month of “The Yogurt Shop Murders,” an HBO documentary series. Police said the case remains open and scheduled a Monday news conference to detail their findings.

The murders stunned Texas’ capital city and became known as one of the area’s most notorious crimes. Austin police investigators and prosecutors had stumbled over the case for years as they waded through thousands of leads, several false confessions and badly damaged evidence from the burned-out crime scene.

“Our team never gave up working this case,” Austin police said.