Robert Eugene Brashers: A Detailed Account of His Crimes
Overview
Robert Eugene Brashers (March 13, 1958 – January 19, 1999) was a traveling serial predator whose known crimes span South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, and Texas between 1990 and 1998. Identified posthumously through investigative genetic genealogy in 2018, and later named by Austin police in 2025 as the suspect in the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders, Brashers combined sexual violence with blitz attacks inside victims’ homes. He died by suicide during a Missouri police standoff in 1999, years before DNA tied him to multiple cases.
Identification Through DNA & Genetic Genealogy
In October 2018, authorities in Missouri and South Carolina announced that exhumed DNA from Brashers matched evidence from multiple crimes, including a 1990 Greenville, South Carolina homicide and a 1998 double homicide in Portageville, Missouri. Genetic genealogy work (including efforts by CeCe Moore/Parabon) enabled the identification. In September 2025, Austin police publicly named Brashers as the suspect in the 1991 “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt!” quadruple homicide based on new forensic developments.
Confirmed & Attributed Crimes (Victims, Dates, Locations)
- Genevieve “Jenny” Zitricki, 28 — April 5, 1990 — Greenville, South Carolina. Found in her apartment bathtub; bludgeoned, raped, and strangled. DNA from the scene later matched Brashers.
- Amy Ayers, 13; Eliza Thomas, 17; Jennifer Harbison, 17; Sarah Harbison, 15 — December 6, 1991 — Austin, Texas (the “Yogurt Shop Murders”). All four girls were bound and shot; the shop was set on fire. In 2025, Austin police identified Brashers as the suspect.
- 14-year-old girl (name withheld) — March 11, 1997 — Memphis, Tennessee. Home invasion and rape; DNA evidence later tied the assault to Brashers.
- Sherri Scherer, 38 & Megan Scherer, 12 — March 28, 1998 — Portageville (New Madrid County), Missouri. Mother and daughter bound; Megan was sexually assaulted; both were shot to death. DNA linked the murders to Brashers.
- Surviving victim, 25 — March 28, 1998 (approximately two hours after the Scherer murders) — Dyersburg, Tennessee. Attempted home invasion; the young mother was shot and wounded during a struggle. Ballistics matched the weapon used in the Scherer murders.
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Account
