FROM THE ARCHIVES: Four teenagers founds slain in yogurt shop mourned

Editor's note: This story was originally published Dec. 9, 1991.

Each of the four teenage girls slain in a Northwest Austin yogurt store had been shot twice in the back of the head and three of the victims were burned beyond recognition, the Travis County medical examiner said Sunday.

Police who investigated leads, meanwhile, said they had no strong suspects.

The victims, all from Austin, were identified as Jennifer Harbison, 17; her sister, Sarah Harbison, 15; Eliza Thomas, 17; and Amy Ayers, 13.

Their badly burned bodies were discovered early Saturday morning after firefighters extinguished a two-alarm blaze at the I Can't Believe It's Yogurt store at 2949 W. Anderson Lane.

The teens died before the store was set ablaze, said Travis County Medical Examiner Robert Bayardo.

Police, who believe the fire was set in an attempt to cover the slayings, shed little light on their investigation Sunday except to say they had no suspects. Investigators said some of the victims' bodies had been tied.

The bodies of the three older victims, all students at Lanier High School, were burned beyond recognition, Bayardo said. He said the body of Ayers, who had attended Burnet Middle School, was not as severely burned.

Bayardo said there was little doubt about identities and he expected to confirm them through dental records.

Though Bayardo said he did not suspect sexual assault, police ordered rape examinations on the victims.

"We felt in this case it was definitely the wise thing to do," Lt. Andrew Waters said.

Thomas had worked at the store for about a year and was employed as a shift leader, a store spokesperson said. Jennifer Harbison had worked as a counter helper since June 26.

Police Sunday said robbery still appeared to be the motive. Money was missing from the store, though investigators would not say how much was taken.

"That's the best theory, but it's possible there could have been something else and they attempted to make it look like a robbery," Waters said.

Police said the front door of the store was locked, but the back door was not.

Waters said calls from people who had been in the yogurt shop the day of the shootings had not produced strong leads.

People with information were urged to contact homicide investigators.

"This is a big puzzle and every little piece will help in the end," said homicide investigator Senior Sgt. John Jones.

Police, like many other Austinites, continued to express outrage over the slayings.

"Some of us were talking earlier about how this is one of the most notorious cases since James Cross killed those UT coeds (in 1965), because the victims were so young and fairly defenseless," said Waters, a 16-year law enforcement veteran who oversees the Austin Police Department's homicide, robbery and assault sections.

"There's really no use in this. I don't think anybody can think of any justification for any of this."

Meanwhile Sunday, Lanier High School faculty and staff met to discuss plans to provide counseling to students on campus today. Private counselors, as well as those with the police department's Victims Services team and counselors from local churches, will help students deal with the tragedy, said Lanier Principal Paul Turner.

"We have to help them process what they're feeling," he said. "There will be kids that are angry. There will be kids that are sad, and there will be kids that are mad and feel they ought to take revenge."

Kathy Leal, whose daughter Autumn was a friend of one of the victims, said the killings would affect all Austinites, especially those with children.

"The worst nightmare a parent has is to think your child is going to die a senseless death," she said.

Grieving friends and relatives of the victims were drawn to the Hillside Center strip mall.

Flowers piled up on the sidewalk and four red roses — with a large, spray-painted black heart as a backdrop — were tacked onto the front door.

"I did that heart on the door to show the person who killed them how low he was," said a McCallum High School student who asked not to be identified.

He and three friends, searching for a fitting memorial, struck upon the idea Saturday night. "It just shows people how much this hurt," he said.

Among those grieving at the store was Julie Mitchell, 16, a former classmate of Thomas'.

Mitchell started crying when she saw the flower pots and bouquets. Not knowing quite what drew her there or what to do, she scrambled in her purse for a piece of paper, scribbled on it and left the note among the flowers. "I love you, Eliza. I'll miss you," she wrote.

"This is happening too much," Mitchell said. "Our friends are dying."

Patrons described the I Can't Believe It's Yogurt shop as a comfortable, quiet spot that attracted a neighborhood crowd. After closing, employees and their friends would often clean up together to pass the time.

"I always felt safe there, at home," said Autumn Leal, 17.

She said such feelings of safety often led employees to count the day's receipts without locking the doors, as company policy dictates.

Waters warned merchants to "take advantage of all the security precautions they have available to them and to enforce them."

Employees should be encouraged to follow such rules, he said. "That's not to say these girls didn't (follow those rules). . . . (Even so,) any hardened, experienced criminal looking for a place to rob would consider a place with young girls a prime target."

A funeral Mass for all four victims is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at St. Louis Catholic Church at 7601 Burnet Road. A rosary will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at the church.

Staff writer Chuck Lindell contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: FROM THE ARCHIVES: Grisly scene revealed amid Austin yogurt shop fire