An Indiana serial killer’s property was littered with 10,000 “burned and crushed” skeletal remains that kept many of his victims faceless for decades.
Herb Baumeister, a successful businessman and father of three, is believed to have killed at least 25 victims between the late 1980s and early 1990s.
He preyed primarily on gay men in the Indianapolis suburb of Westfield, Indiana, where he lived on an 18-acre property known as Fox Hollow Farm.
Four decades later, authorities continue to uncover the secrets buried beneath this vast property. Jeffrey A. Jones, reported missing in 1993, became the latest victim identified by the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.
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Jeffrey A. Jones, who went missing from Fillmore, Indiana, in 1993, has been identified as the latest victim of serial killer Herb Baumeister. (Hamilton County Coroner’s Office)
Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison has renewed the investigation into the thousands of human remains that law enforcement recovered from Baumeister’s property after his 1996 death.
Investigators have four other DNA profiles that have not yet been identified, bringing Baumeister’s body count to 12, according to Jellison.
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“As many remains were found burned and crushed, this investigation is extremely difficult,” the county coroner said in a statement. “However, the team of law enforcement and forensic specialists working on the case remains engaged.”
Jones became the third Baumeister victim identified by the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office in the past six months.
Herb Baumeister is suspected of having killed at least 25 victims. So far, 12 victims are linked to Baumeister. (Indianapolis Police Department)
In December 2023, the coroner’s office identified Allen Livingston, who was 27 when he disappeared in August 1993, and Manuel Resendez in January. Resendez was 34 when he apparently disappeared in 1996.
Baumeister and his family moved into the now-infamous $1 million Indiana home in May 1988.
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He used the vast area and adjacent trail to hide thousands of decomposed remains, charred bone fragments, and the human skull discovered by Baumeister’s teenage son, who showed it to his mother (Baumeister’s wife ).
It’s the beginning of the end of Baumeister’s reign of terror.
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Manuel Resendez, who was 34 when he apparently disappeared in 1996, was identified as one of Herb Baumeister’s victims in January 2024. (Hamilton County Coroner’s Office)
Baumeister’s wife, who initially blocked law enforcement from searching their property, eventually divorced Herb when it became clearer that he was a wanted killer.
Authorities searched the property while Baumeister was not home and dug up the remains of several victims.
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In 1996, a warrant was issued for his arrest, so he fled to Ontario, where he committed suicide. He was 49 years old when he died.
He was never charged with the murders and he admitted no crime in his suicide note.
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About 10,000 remains of Indiana serial killer Herb Baumeister were found on the 18-acre property in Westfield, Indiana. (Google Street View)
While alive, Baumeister led a double life, a trait common to serial killers, according to a 2005 FBI report.
In one life, he was a seemingly ordinary husband and father. He went to work and came home.
In his secret life, law enforcement said Baumeister went by the fake name “Brian Smart” and primarily targeted young gay men he met at bars.
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“The majority of serial killers are not loner misfits who live alone,” the 2005 FBI report said. “They are not monsters and may not appear strange. Many serial killers hide in plain sight. of all within their communities.
“Serial murderers often have families and homes, are gainfully employed, and appear to be normal members of the community. Because many serial murderers can blend so easily into society, they are often overlooked by the forces of order and the public,” the report continues.
About 10,000 remains of Indiana serial killer Herb Baumeister were found on the 18-acre property in Westfield, Indiana. (Google Street View)
The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office is still examining the remains.
The FBI, the Indiana State Police Laboratory, Dr. Krista Latham of the Department of Biology and Anthropology at the University of Indianapolis, and DNA experts at the Texas-based Othram Laboratory all contributed to identify the remains.
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Othram, which is the nation’s largest forensic genetic genealogy laboratory, partnered last year with the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office to bring closure to Baumeister’s victims.
“Othram scientists have developed a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown man using forensic-grade genome sequencing.” Othram said in a statement. “After successfully completing the process, the DNA profile was forwarded to the FBI’s Forensic Genetic Genealogy Team and the FBI team performed the genealogical research necessary to generate new investigative leads in this case .”
