Shivangi Sinha
Genevieve “Jenny” Zitricki had recently gone through a divorce and was beginning a new chapter of her life in Greenville, South Carolina. In April 1990, when she failed to show up for work, concern grew among those who knew her and a request was made to check on her apartment. Maintenance workers eventually entered the residence and discovered her remains in the bathtub. Investigators later concluded that Jenny had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death. The DNA evidence recovered from the crime scene would later become one of the most important pieces of evidence in the case and ultimately helped investigators identify her killer years later. HBO’s ‘The Yogurt Shop Murders’ explores Jenny’s case and the timeline of the investigation in detail.
Genevieve Zitricki’s Remains Were Found in Her Apartment by Maintenance Workers
Genevieve “Jenny” Hegedusich grew up in South Carolina alongside her brother, Philip Hegedusich. She was remembered as a bright and warm person who had a deep enthusiasm for life and big dreams of building a successful future for herself. With that same determination, Jenny attended Youngstown State University and worked hard toward creating an independent life. She eventually got married and took the name Genevieve Zitricki, but the relationship did not last. By 1990, Jenny was recently divorced and working as a systems programmer analyst at Michelin Tire Corporation. Around the same time, she had moved into the Hidden Lake Apartments, a complex that was considered a popular place for young professionals beginning their careers.
Jenny had started building a life on her own terms. She was active within her community and had many friends who frequently visited her apartment. When Jenny failed to show up for work on April 5 and 6 without informing anyone, people around her became concerned. Maintenance workers eventually entered her apartment and discovered her remains in the bathtub. The autopsy later determined that Jenny had died from blunt force trauma to the head and face. Investigators also found that she had been strangled with a pair of pantyhose tied around her neck. In addition to the violence she suffered, authorities concluded that she had also been sexually assaulted.
Genevieve Zitricki’s Killer Left a Message on the Bathroom Mirror
On the mirror inside Jenny Zitricki’s bathroom, investigators found the words “Don’t F*** With My Family” written in permanent marker. Because of this, they initially believed that the killer may have been someone Jenny knew personally or someone motivated by a deeply personal grievance. However, despite extensive questioning and investigation, months and years passed without any significant progress and the case eventually went cold. In 2005, with advances in DNA technology, detectives decided to resubmit the evidence for further forensic analysis. It was during this process that investigators were finally able to extract a DNA profile belonging to the perpetrator and upload it into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Even then, no immediate matches were found. In 2006, however, the investigation finally saw a major breakthrough.
Police in Missouri had extracted DNA belonging to the perpetrator in the March 1998 murders of Sherri Scherer and her daughter, Megan Scherer. Investigators were stunned to discover that the DNA matched the evidence recovered from Jenny’s case, meaning that the same man had committed crimes in two different states nearly eight years apart. Detectives believed they were getting closer to identifying the killer, but the answer still remained out of reach. The cases were later featured on ‘America’s Most Wanted’ and received widespread public attention. Then, in 2017, investigators learned that the DNA from Jenny’s case also matched evidence connected to an unsolved rape case in Tennessee.
Genevieve Zitricki’s Killer Was Connected to Several Other Cold Cases in Different States
Detectives subsequently partnered with Parabon NanoLabs and began building a genetic genealogy profile in an effort to trace the suspect through family DNA connections. By building an extensive family tree through genetic genealogy, the laboratory was eventually able to narrow the search down to a woman named Deborah Brashers. Investigators became increasingly hopeful because the composite sketches created over the years in connection with the various crimes appeared to align with her father, Robert Eugene Brashers. After obtaining Deborah’s cooperation, the lab ultimately identified the suspect as her father.
Although Brashers had died in 1999, his remains were exhumed in September 2018 so investigators could obtain a direct DNA comparison. The following month, in October 2018, police officially announced that Brashers was responsible for the murder of Jenny Zitricki and concluded that he had entered her apartment through the back door before carrying out the attack. In 1990, Robert Eugene Brashers had been living in an apartment on Pelham Road, less than a mile away from Jenny’s apartment complex in Greenville.
Investigators believed that he may have been watching Jenny for several days before ultimately deciding to attack and kill her while she slept. Over time, Brasher’s DNA was connected to several other violent crimes across different states, including evidence linked to the Yogurt Shop Murders in Texas. The identification of Brashers ultimately helped bring closure to multiple cold cases that had remained unsolved for decades across the country.
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