Sonora did as best she could, picking up some pieces of her sister's life. I was constantly fantasizing that she was going to come back." In 2021, Sonora told "48 Hours, "I remember fantasizing for days that my sister had somehow escaped and ran away and was hiding. In this photo taken a few months before her death, Eliza is seen with her younger sister Sonora who was 13 when her sister died. Eliza Thomas, right, was 17 when she was murdered inside the yogurt shop. Sonora Thomas: My family never talked about my sister after she died. Sonora Thomas: I remember the shock … I remember fantasizing for days that my sister had somehow escaped and run away and … she was going to come back … And so that's what I was kind of holding onto. Sonora Thomas, 13 years old when her only sibling, Eliza, was murdered, had a hard time dealing with the loss of the sister she looked up to. Gunshot wounds showed that two different types of guns were used, leading investigators to believe there were at least two killers on the loose.īob Ayers: I lost my daughter. John Jones: As soon as we knew what type of guns we were looking for, that information went out nationwide. Jones knew he needed help, and from the scene, contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, The FBI, and Texas Department of Public Safety. This was a crime like none Austin had seen before. John Jones: There was smoke and soot on every surface, kind of made fingerprinting kind of difficult. The yogurt shop had also been set on fire, destroying potential evidence. Investigators would learn at least one of the victims had been sexually assaulted. The four girls had been gagged, tied up with their own clothing, and shot in the head. The victims clockwise from top left, Amy Ayers, Eliza Thomas, Sarah Harbison and Jennifer Harbison. Inside the yogurt shop were the charred bodies of four teenage girls ranging from 13 to 17 years old. Jennifer's 15-year-old sister, Sarah, and their friend, 13-year-old Amy Ayers, had met them there to head home. Two had been working at the shop, closing up that night: Eliza Thomas and Jennifer Harbison were both 17 years old. … it was all muted grays, blacks there was no color in there with the exception of the girls. … there was still a lot of water in there … a lot of smoke still. John Jones: The fire department had just knocked down the fire. JOHN JONES (on radio): What place of business is this at?ĭISPATCH: It's the I Can't Believe It's Yogurt. John Jones: And then about halfway out there, they call again on the radio and said we found a fourth body.Ī local TV news crew happened to be filming Jones on a ride along that night. JOHN JONES: That's 10-4, we're en route (turns on siren). I'm copying the fire part, but you cut out on the first part of that though.ĭISPATCH: … apparently a robbery and homicide. JOHN JONES: What do you'll got out there? I'm en route … airport 35. It started with that call from dispatch to go to a scene of a fire, that would turn into something far worse: John Jones: I can definitely still see it. The images of December 6, 1991, remain all too vivid.
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