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AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Texas Attorney General’s Office estimates that the state has nearly 20,000 unsolved homicides. But there’s a break in one of the most notorious cold cases.
After 34 years, Austin Police named a prime suspect in the 1991 yogurt shop murders. APD identified serial killer Robert Eugene Brashers as the likely sole perpetrator of the murders of four teenaged girls.
“This is something that could not have happened until 2025,” APD Detective Daniel Jackson said during a Monday briefing. “I’m sorry that it took 34 years for us to get here, but we’re here now.”
Brashers wasn’t known as a serial killer during his lifetime, which ended in 1999 when he took his own life.
“After he died, DNA linked multiple unsolved murders and sexual assaults across the country to him between 2006 and 2017. They knew they had a serial killer in these different jurisdictions, but they didn’t know who he was,” Jackson said.
Jackson took over the case in 2022 and started looking into the DNA profile of the suspect. It wasn’t until late June 2025 when he experienced a breakthrough when analyzing a bullet casing found on the flood drain after the murders.
“I don’t know what made me go down that rabbit hole that morning, but I’m glad I did,” Jackson said. “What I found was that it had not been submitted into the NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistic Information Network) system in years.”
The information used by Jackson to link Brashers to the murders came about recently. Jackson asked all police departments across the nation to upload their cold case materials to databases to help law enforcement agencies across the country to connect the dots.
One of the victim’s families suggested there should be a federal policy to speed up this process.
“To law enforcement far and near, please hear this. Open the cold case boxes. Please put the evidence in the databases. Run the rape kits. Do not wait, do it today,” Angie Ayers said.
Ayers is the sister-in-law of Amy Ayers, who was killed at 13. “Today, with the technology, we should be solving more cases,” she added.
The yogurt shop murders led Congressman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, to co-author the Homicide Victims’ Families Rights Act. The legislation lays out steps for the reexamination of federal homicide cases that have gone cold for more than three years. If a federal investigator finds probative leads, a full investigation would then take place.
McCaul said his legislation gives families a path to request reopening of a cold case, potentially taking advantage of new technology to find leads.
“I do think DNA doesn’t lie,” McCaul said. “It’s not a forced confession. DNA will tell you the truth in every case.”
“I think the bottom line here is to get as much DNA evidence from the state and locals into the national database so that we can make these determinations more quickly. I mean, this took 35 years,” McCaul added.
Texas voters to decide whether state spends billions on dementia research
Texas voters will have the choice to vote on 17 different constitutional amendments in the upcoming November election, one of which could create a new state agency that would make the state a leader in researching how to prevent dementia.
Lawmakers passed Senate Bill 5 and SJR 3 during the regular session with overwhelming bipartisan support. It would create the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), similar to the existing Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) that was approved by voters in 2008. Since it is a constitutional amendment, Texas voters would have to approve the initiative during the Nov. 4 election. The initiative is Proposition 14 on the ballot.
The institute would be responsible for awarding $3 billion worth of grants to research, study, and develop techniques to treat and prevent dementia diseases. That money will be awarded over a 10-year period. The agency would face a sunset review at the end of the 10 years in 2035.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said Alzheimer’s disease, which causes dementia, is rising in Texas and becoming a public health crisis, according to a report from December 2024. More than 450,000 Texans over the age of 65 are living with Alzheimer’s.
State Rep. joins Republican race for Congress in redrawn district
Right now, the boundaries of 35th Congressional District stretch from east Austin south to San Antonio. The seat is currently held by Austin Democrat Greg Casar, and the district lines favor Democrats. But change is coming.
New congressional maps approved by Texas lawmakers made significant changes to the boundaries of the 35th District. The maps, which still face legal challenges, redrew the district to cover an area mostly south and east of San Antonio. It’s designed to skew Republican, and it’s led several GOP candidates to declare their intention to run.
One candidate drawing attention is State Rep. John Lujan, R-San Antonio. In a 2021 special election, Lujan flipped a Texas House district previously held by Democrats. He went on to hold the seat in the 2022 campaign, and won reelection in 2024.
“I had no intentions of running,” Lujan said, adding that others encouraged him to get in the race.
“I had some really good friends saying, John, if you really care about the country… this seat is super important so that we can continue to have the majority as a Republican Party on the federal level.”
Lujan said he discussed the idea of running for Congress with his family and prayed about it before making the decision to launch his campaign. Since then, Lujan said he has traveled to Washington to meet with congressional leadership and the White House team. In those meetings he said he highlighted his connection to the community that propelled his previous campaigns.
“I had a lot of people say I voted for you, not because you’re a Republican or you’re Democrat, or whatever your beliefs. It’s because of you,” Lujan said. “I never planned on running. But just living life prepped me for the run, and I think that’s why I’ve been successful.”
Candidate touts experience on Capitol Hill in District 35 campaign
Josh Cortez of Guadalupe County announced his candidacy on Aug. 25, just days before Gov. Greg Abbott signed the redistricting map into law. He was the first Republican to formally announce his campaign for the newly-redrawn district.
Cortez highlighted his experience working as an adviser for U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, and his deep roots in the new district.
“I’m an eighth generation Texan, this is my background, this is my home. These are the people that I know and love, and I have the experience to be able to serve the people of the new 35th District. In my mind, if I’m able to step up to the plate, given my background and my experience both in the private and the public sector, why wouldn’t I?”
Cortez and Lujan are part of a crowded primary field. Since August, two other Republicans announced their intent to run in the redrawn district: trucking business owner Christopher Schuchardt, and Carlos De La Cruz, brother of U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz.
Three other Republicans announced their intent to run before the redistricting fight: pastor Ryan Krause, Lauren Peña and Deputy Sheriff Steven Wright. However, Peña’s posts on social media indicate that she will now campaign for the 37th Congressional District seat.
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