Solved: The Yogurt Shop Murders

Listen to my four-part coverage of this case on Apple Podcasts:

Part 1: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-yogurt-shop-murders-part-1/id1469338483?i=1000516356942

Part 2: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-yogurt-shop-murders-part-2/id1469338483?i=1000517340568

Part 3: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-yogurt-shop-murders-part-3/id1469338483?i=1000518299746

Part 4: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solved-the-yogurt-shop-murders/id1469338483?i=1000729773244

Or on Spotify:

Part 1: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0R7vpt80JxoNjkBu3SqywR?si=v7AlxpmQRmWljGh6kGlGBg

Part 2: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SR7vHo0zU0UsfrFY9QyCO?si=NiDS048FT2GZRoNw8z06Yw

Part 3: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6PTvFEEMq3TXNN5Np0xugV?si=kglFMizVQmi7oqLP3MCFNw

Part 4: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0zwsTBDpva9Ggle4TTyIeh?si=r7MpzoPwQRWLzByPJtNi6g

Solved: The Yogurt Shop Murders

In Austin, Texas, in 1991, the city was on the verge of becoming the place we know today, a tech hub, a cultural destination. But back then, it was still a big town that felt small, a place that believed itself safe from the kind of darkness that haunted bigger cities.

At the Hillside strip mall on West Anderson Lane, there was a little shop called "I Can't Believe It's Yogurt!" It was a symbol of everyday American life… a place for after-school treats, first dates, and a first job. A place of simple, ordinary innocence.

But on the cold night of December 6, 1991, this symbol of innocence became the scene of an unspeakable crime. An act of such brutal violence that it would steal four young lives and leave a wound on the soul of the city that would fester for nearly 34 years.

Amy, Eliza, Jennifer, and Sarah would become permanently etched into the city's memory. Their story became a decades-long quest, not just for a killer, but for the truth. It was a quest marred by false starts, thousands of dead-end leads, wrongful convictions that sent innocent men to prison, and ultimately, a scientific breakthrough that no one, not the investigators, not the families, not the city of Austin, ever saw coming.

What happened inside the yogurt shop on that cold December night? And how did one of the most infamous cold cases in Texas history finally find its answer?

Sources for part 4:

Alsharif, Mirna. "'Yogurt Shop Murders' Suspect Was Possible Serial Killer Now Linked to Cases across Country, Police Say." NBC News, 29 Sept. 2025.

Asch, Sarah. "Police Say They Have Solved Austin’s Yogurt Shop Murders after 34 Years." Texas Standard, 29 Sept. 2025.

Associated Press. "How Police Used DNA and Ballistics to Identify the Likely Killer of 4 Girls in a Yogurt Shop 34 Years Ago." CNN, 29 Sept. 2025.

Austin Police Share New Details in 'Yogurt Shop Murders' Case. YouTube, uploaded by KVUE, 29 Sept. 2025.

Austin Police Solved the 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders. YouTube, uploaded by KVUE, 29 Sept. 2025.

Austin Police Solved the 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders | Full Press Conference. YouTube, uploaded by KVUE, 29 Sept. 2025.

Austin Detective Shows How Victim Cracked Yogurt Shop Murders | 'Her Fighting Back'. YouTube, uploaded by KXAN, 29 Sept. 2025.

Ayers, Angie, et al. Families of Yogurt Shop Murders Victims Share Statements at Press Conference. YouTube, uploaded by KVUE, 29 Sept. 2025.

Brolley, Tara. "What Happened to the Original Four Suspects in the 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders?" CBS Austin, 29 Sept. 2025.

Cann, Christopher. "'Yogurt Shop Murders' Cold Case Solved? Suspect May Be a Serial Killer." USA Today, 29 Sept. 2025.

Castro, Johann, et al. "Austin Police Explain How DNA Analysis Solved 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders." KVUE.com, 29 Sept. 2025.

Cross, Bettie. "First Detective on the Yogurt Shop Murder Case Shares the Impact of Having the Case Solved." CBS Austin, 1 Oct. 2025.

Eubank, Britny. "'Our Families are Still Too Small' | Families of Yogurt Shop Murders Victims Share Statements." KVUE.com, 29 Sept. 2025.

Exclusive: Suspect ID'd in Texas Yogurt Shop Murders Case. YouTube, uploaded by 48 Hours, 29 Sept. 2025.

"Former APD Detective Wears Shirt from 1991 to Honor Promise to Yogurt Shop Murders Victims' Families." KVUE.com, 29 Sept. 2025.

Hauser, Christine. "Shell Casings and DNA on Fingernails Helped Crack ‘Yogurt Shop’ Murder Case." The New York Times, 29 Sept. 2025.

Kite, Amber. "Austin Yogurt Shop Murders Linked to Known Serial Killer, Rapist Through DNA." FOX 7 Austin, 29 Sept. 2025.

Martorano, Vincent. "Yogurt Shop Murder Case Closure Brings Relief to Victims' Families and Community." CBS Austin, 29 Sept. 2025.

McGrath, Morgan. "The 4 Young Men Previously Accused in the 1991 Yogurt Shop Murders." KVUE.com, 29 Sept. 2025.

Motley, Dante, and Julianna Duennes Russ. "How a New Ballistic and DNA Techniques Cracked the Austin Yogurt Shop Murders Cold Case." Austin American-Statesman, 30 Sept. 2025.

Perez, Brianna. "Men Wrongfully Accused of Yogurt Shop Murders Seek Formal Exoneration." KVUE.com, 29 Sept. 2025.

Plohetski, Tony. "Exclusive: ‘This Is Over:’ How Authorities Say They Finally Solved the Austin Yogurt Shop Murders." Austin American-Statesman, 29 Sept. 2025.

Plohetski, Tony. How Austin Police Helped Solve the Yogurt Shop Murders. YouTube, uploaded by KVUE, 29 Sept. 2025.

Price, Asher. "Cracking Austin's Yogurt Shop Case." Axios Austin, 29 Sept. 2025.

Sanders, Austin, and Tony Plohetski. "'Long Time Coming': Families Learn Truth in Austin Yogurt Shop Murders 34 Years Later." Austin American-Statesman, 29 Sept. 2025.

Shapiro, Emily. "DNA Helps Solve 'Haunting' Yogurt Shop Quadruple Killings More Than 3 Decades Later." ABC News, 29 Sept. 2025.

Shriner, Zoë. "30 Years Later: Serial Killer with Missouri Victims Linked to Texas Yogurt Shop Cold Case." KCTV, 29 Sept. 2025.

Simmerman, Alexis. "Behind John Jones' Shirt: Detective Keeps Promise to Families of Austin Yogurt Shop Murder Victims." Austin American-Statesman, 29 Sept. 2025.

Slifer, Stephanie. "Could a DNA Sample from More Than 30 Years Ago Solve the Infamous Yogurt Shop Murder Case?" CBS News/48 Hours, 26 Sept. 2025.

Stark, Sam. "Attorney for Yogurt Shop Suspect Demands Full Exoneration After DNA Breakthrough." KXAN, 1 Oct. 2025.

Sweeney, Kathy. "How Investigators Linked the 1991 Texas Yogurt Shop Murders to a Heartland Serial Killer." KFVS, 29 Sept. 2025.

Turney, Sarah. "Yogurt Shop Murders Episodes 1-3 Voices for Justice Podcast." Voices for Justice Podcast, 2025.

Waxman, Olivia B. "How Investigators Identified a New Suspect in the Yogurt Shop Murders Case." TIME, 29 Sept. 2025.

Weber, Andrew, and Katy McAfee. "New Details: How Austin Police Identified Yogurt Shop Murders Suspect." KUT 90.5, 29 Sept. 2025.