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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Melody Schreiber

Break in 1991 Texas yoghurt shop murders sparks hope for cold cases: ‘There are other victims out there’

A plaque on the ground with flowers laid on it
A plaque in north Austin where the quadruple murder occurred 34 years ago. Photograph: Bob Daemmrich/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock

On 6 December 1991, a Friday, Jennifer Harbison and Eliza Thomas, both 17, were closing the frozen yoghurt shop where they worked while Jennifer’s sister, 15-year-old Sarah Harbison, and 13-year-old Amy Ayers, her friend, waited for a ride from Jennifer.

Moments before midnight, a fire at the shop drew first responders, who discovered the four girls had been bound and murdered, with signs of sexual assault. The fire destroyed nearly all evidence, save for a shell casing that had rolled into a drain and trace amounts of DNA, including under Ayers’ fingernails.

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