Shawn Ayers and his wife, Angie, have initiated a national effort to address cold cases, motivated by the 1991 yogurt shop murders in Austin, Texas, where Shawn’s 13-year-old sister, Amy, was one of the victims. Alongside former prosecutors Mindy Montford and Anne Marie Schubert, they launched the National Cold Case Center to support unsolved homicide investigations, train investigators, and aid victims’ families.
The Austin Yogurt Shop Murders
On December 6, 1991, Amy Ayers, Jennifer Harbison and Eliza Thomas, both 17, and Sarah Harbison, 15, were attacked at the I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! shop. Jennifer and Eliza were closing the shop, while Sarah and Amy waited to head to a sleepover. A fire was reported just before midnight, and the scene was altered by the blaze and sprinkler system, complicating the investigation.
Inside, police found Sarah, Eliza, and Jennifer in the storage room, bound and shot with .22-caliber bullets. Amy was discovered separately, with a ligature around her neck and extensive burns. The investigation revealed multiple gunshots, including .22-caliber and .380-caliber bullets, and a .380 cartridge casing was found in a floor drain. DNA evidence later identified serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers as a suspect.
Identifying the Killer
The search for answers continued for years, with false confessions and overturned convictions preceding the identification of Brashers in 2025. Brashers, already linked to other violent crimes, had died by suicide during a 1999 standoff in Missouri. Yet the involvement of a second perpetrator remains questioned, as two weapons were used during the attacks.
Wrongful Convictions and Apologies
Prior to identifying Brashers, four local teens were wrongly arrested: Robert Springsteen, Michael Scott, Maurice Pierce, and Forrest Welborn. Both Springsteen and Scott made false confessions under pressure. Springsteen’s death sentence and Scott’s life sentence were later overturned due to lack of DNA evidence connecting them to the crime. Charges were dismissed following their release in 2009.
Welborn, who never went to trial, rejected a city apology for losing his business and enduring social ostracism. A $35 million settlement for the wrongfully accused and the families involved was approved in 2026.
Helping Other Families
The Ayers’ tragedy led to their ambition to support others facing similar struggles. Their partnership with Montford began in 2017, and they later collaborated with Schubert, who played a role in apprehending the Golden State Killer. The idea for the nonprofit was conceived in 2023 at a cold case conference.
The National Cold Case Center aims to provide financial and training resources for solving unsolved cases, fostering worldwide law enforcement collaboration, and establishing a support network for affected families. The Ayers have traveled to promote their cause, emphasizing the wider impact of unsolved cases potentially leaving criminals free in communities.