Amy Leigh Ayers, a 13-year-old girl from Austin, Texas, was tragically murdered on December 6, 1991. Amy, along with her friends Jennifer Harbison, 17, Sarah Harbison, 15, and Eliza Thomas, 17, were found dead in an I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! shop in Austin. The girls were discovered after a fire was reported at the shop around midnight. The victims had been shot in the head, and at least one of them had been raped. The perpetrators used a .22 and a .380 pistol to commit the murders.
Amy's body was found in a separate part of the shop, and she had received second- and third-degree burns on 25-30% of her body. She was found with a "sock-like cloth" around her neck.
The case, known as the "Yogurt Shop Murders," remains unsolved. The Austin Police Department has DNA evidence from an unknown male as a result of one of the rapes. A Y-chromosome match for the perpetrator DNA has been found in a research database of the Federal Bureau of Investigation , but the identity of the man remains unknown due to the law of anonymity for donors and the fact that thousands of men could bear this fragment of DNA. The organized method of operation, ability to control the victims, and destruction of evidence by arson pointed to an adult experienced in crime rather than teenagers.
Amy Ayers was a cowgirl who loved people and animals. She enjoyed outdoor activities such as fishing and showing horses. Amy was an eighth grader at Burnet Middle School and was involved in the junior Future Farmers of America. Her dream was to become a veterinarian, own a ranch, and continue showing horses. The families of the victims received a $12 million settlement, and the SAJE foundation was started to teach kids about safety in the workplace.
The investigation into the murders has seen various developments over the years, but no arrests have been made. The case remains one of Austin's most notorious unsolved crimes, and the search for justice for Amy Leigh Ayers and her friends continues.
