Herb Baumeister.Photo:Indianapolis Police Department
Indianapolis Police Department
Herb Baumeister, a married father with three children, seemed like a normal and successful family man — until thousands of bone fragments were discovered on his property, unveiling that Indiana had one of the most infamous serial killers in its presence.
In 1996, Indiana officials began digging up the $1 million dollar property where Baumeister and his family lived. They made horrific discoveries: Hundreds — and then thousands — of bone fragments belonging to various missing men.
The remains are still being identified today, but authorities believe Baumeister — who they say lived a double life — picked up men at gay bars while his family was out of town, then brought them back to his Westfield, Ind., home where he murdered them and buried their remains on the 18-acre property.
This explanation reportedly calmed Julie’s nerves for the moment, but two years later, her biggest fears were realized when countless bone fragments were found on her and her husband’s property. Based on the remains, police estimate approximately25 victimswere buried at Fox Hollow Farm.
The search for remains began after Julie filed for divorce and learned her husband was a suspect in the disappearances of many men,The Timesreported. This is when she told authorities about the skull her son previously found, prompting the search. The majority of the bones were found in two dense areas of the woods, and some were partially burned, Julie’s lawyer, William E. Wendling Jr., toldThe Timesin 1996.
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Police have now linked Baumeister tonine victimswhose remains were found on his property located just outside of Indianapolis. He is also suspected of being the I-70 Strangler, who was responsible for the deaths of nine additional men and teens in the 1980s and 90s,The Indianapolis Starreported in 1998. Their strangled bodies were discovered dumped in ditches and remote areas in Indiana and Ohio, with the youngest being 15-year-old Michael Petrie, according to the newspaper.
“Our biggest question now is how he could have loved us and done this,” Julie told PEOPLE in 1996 about her husband’s crimes. “Happiness as we knew it is never going to return.”
Officials are still working to identify the “nearly 10,000 human remains recovered from Fox Hollow Farm,” theHamilton County Coroner’s Officein Indiana stated. On Jan. 25, the coroner’s office announced the identification of Manuel Resendez, whose remains were found on Fox Hollow Farm in 1996.
Manuel Resendez.Hamilton County Coroner’s Office
Hamilton County Coroner’s Office
Forensic experts are “continuing to process remains for DNA comparison,” Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellisonpreviously told PEOPLE.
In late 2022, Jellison asked family members of men who went missing in the Indianapolis area in the ‘80s and ‘90s to submit DNA samples to the coroner’s office to see if their loved one was a possible victim of Baumeister,USATodayreports.
One person who submitted their DNA was Eric Pranger. His DNA helped identify his cousin, Allen Livingston, as one of Baumeister’s victims, according toUSA Today.
“I am a ball of emotion right now,” Pranger told the outlet. “I am happy and sad. Happy he was identified and sad that it happened.”
source: people.com
