Eliza Thomas was one of the Yogurt Shop murder victims in 1991.

In 1991, the burnt corpses of four young ladies aged 13 to 17 were discovered inside the yogurt business. The heinous act has scarred their families, the neighborhood, and the investigators.

However, the discovery of unidentifiable DNA at the crime scene 30 years ago has generated new hope in the unresolved case. The latest development will be detailed in “The Yogurt Shop Murders,” an episode of “8 Hours” that airs on CBS and Paramount+ on February 5 at 10/9c.

Who Was Eliza Thomas From The Yogurt Shop Murders?

Eliza Thomas was one of the four girls brutally killed at a yogurt store in Austin, Texas, in 1991. The other three girls were Jennifer, Sarah, and Amy. 

Eliza and Jennifer were employees in the shop, whereas the other two girls were there to get a ride back home with Jennifer. Then, a police officer reported a fire at the shop around midnight.

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The first responders discovered the remains of the girls inside. Some of the victims had been assaulted, while others had been shot in the head. As per the police, the killings were carried out using a.22 and a.380 handguns.

And they concluded that the perpetrator(s) most likely fled through an unlocked rear door. Likewise, one of the initial investigators on the case deduced that an adult might have carried out the crime rather than a teenager.

As per the investigator, it was the systematic style of operation; the murderer could control the victims and destroy the evidence by arson.

In addition, as a result of one of the assaults, the Austin Police Department acquired DNA from an unknown male. But the search for the murderer is still going on as the police have not been able to find the man whose DNA matches the one found at the scene.

Was The Suspect Of Eliza Thomas Murder Arrested?

Authorities had arrested four suspects in Eliza Thomas’s murder in October 1999, eight years after the incident. However, only two people were put on trial. Robert Burns Springsteen IV and Michael James Scott were found guilty.

Springsteen was sentenced to death, while Scott was sentenced to life in prison. But, their convictions were reversed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals based on an unfair trial.

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Thus, Springsteen and Scott were freed from prison in 2009, and all allegations against them were dropped. Since then, there has been no arrest related to the case. 

48 Hours To Disclose Latest Development In The Yogurt Shop Murders

CBS, 48 hours disclosed the latest development in The Yogurt Shop Murders. Eliza Thomas’s sister, Sonora Thomas, appears and shares about her elder sister.

She was 13 years old when her elder sister Eliza was brutally murdered at 17. She and her family waited for justice to be served, but every new clue led to a dead-end. 

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However, Texas Reporting reported that people saw hope for the unsolved case in 2017. An Austin detective entered DNA evidence discovered in one of the victims into a database that examines Y-STR DNA samples.

It is a type of DNA profile used by forensic investigators to identify suspects’ male relatives. A match was discovered. The Austin Police Department then asked for further information regarding the matching donor’s identity.

On the other hand, the FBI declined to disclose any information, claiming that it is prohibited by federal law from releasing the identities of anonymous donors.