Shivangi Sinha
In March 1998, when Tony Scherer and Steven Scherer returned to their farmhouse in Portageville, they were met with a horrifying scene. Tony’s wife and Steven’s mother, Sherri Scherer, had been murdered inside the home. Their daughter, Megan Scherer, had also been killed. What deeply confused investigators and the family was that Steven had called the house roughly 30 minutes before they arrived back, and everything had seemed completely normal at the time. HBO’s ‘The Yogurt Shop Murders’ explores the full investigation and examines the evidence that eventually led authorities to identify the perpetrator years later.
Sherri and Megan Scherer Were Killied Minutes After the Last Contact With Their Family
Sherri Ann Walker was born on August 18, 1959, in Portageville. Growing up in the small rural town, it was the only world she had really known. At the age of 21, Sherri married Tony Scherer, who was also from the same town, and the couple began building their life together there. Not long afterward, they welcomed their son, Steven Scherer and started as a family unit. On October 2, 1985, they welcomed their daughter, Megan Scherer. Life on their farm was filled with the everyday chaos of caring for animals and managing the property. While the farm itself was not very large, it kept the family constantly busy, and even the children helped out whenever they could.
On March 28, 1998, 15-year-old Steven went with Tony to work on a nearby farm while Sherri and 12-year-old Megan stayed home. Earlier that evening, Steven had called the house around 6:20 pm, and his mother answered as usual. About 20 minutes later, Tony tried calling to ask whether they wanted him to bring pizza home, but nobody responded. When Tony and Steven returned to the farmhouse around 7 pm, they discovered Sherri and Megan unresponsive in the living room. The 38-year-old woman had been shot in the head and was lying face down. Megan had also suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Authorities also found that Megan’s hands had been bound with an extension cord, and forensic examination concluded that she had been sexually assaulted.
Sherri and Megan Scherer’s Killer Left Behind DNA Evidence That Solved Many Cases
The detectives who first responded to the scene described it as extremely horrific. Since there were no signs of forced entry into the farmhouse, investigators believed that the perpetrator may have gained access simply by knocking on the door and being allowed inside. One of the detectives later stated that he believed the killer had likely brought tools or restraints with him to overpower the victims and then taken those items away afterward. They felt this was the mark of a prolific predator. Just a couple of hours later, police also received a report of another violent incident in Dyersburg, Tennessee. A man had attempted to force his way into the home of a 25-year-old woman, and when she resisted, he fired a shot that injured her arm.
The woman from Tennessee was able to clearly see the face of the perpetrator and helped investigators create a composite sketch. This became extremely important after ballistic testing revealed that the shell casings from the attempted home invasion matched the ballistic evidence recovered from the Scherer family farmhouse. Investigators soon began to believe that the same person could be responsible for both crimes. DNA evidence collected from the Scherer case, including hair fibers recovered from Megan Scherer’s hand and beneath her fingernails, was preserved by authorities. Detectives were able to develop a partial DNA profile of the perpetrator, but at the time, the technology available was not advanced enough for it to be immediately useful. For years, no major leads emerged, though the police department continued working the case and revisiting the evidence.
Sherri and Megan Scherer’s Killer Passed Away Before He Was Brought to Justice
Significant advances in DNA testing eventually led investigators to resubmit evidence from the murders of Sherri and Megan Scherer to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Laboratory. In 2006, detectives were finally able to develop a complete DNA profile of the suspect and entered it into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Investigators immediately received a match to DNA connected to the 1990 murder case of Genevieve “Jenny” Zitricki in Greenville, South Carolina. The FBI and local authorities working on the investigations began discussing the possibility that a serial killer had been operating across multiple states. The two cases were later featured on ‘America’s Most Wanted.’
In May 2017, investigators discovered that the DNA from the Scherer case also matched evidence connected to a 1997 rape case in Memphis, Tennessee. This development led authorities to work with Parabon NanoLabs, which began building a genetic genealogy profile to trace the suspect through family DNA connections. Their work eventually pointed investigators toward Robert Eugene Brashers. Although Brashers had died in 1999, his remains were exhumed in September 2018 so a direct DNA sample could be obtained. In October 2018, officials formally announced that the DNA matched the evidence from the Scherer case and concluded that Brashers was responsible for the killings. The long-standing case that had shocked everyone who heard about it was finally solved after two decades.
Read More: Eric Richins’ Murder Details and Investigation Timeline
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