Fox Hollow Farm John Does are the unidentified victims of suspected serial killer Herb Baumeister. Baumeister is believed to have killed multiple men between the late 1980s and mid-1990s. Due to the condition of the remains, many of which were burned and heavily fragmented, the total number of unidentified victims may exceed a dozen.
Case[]
On June 24, 1996, Herb Baumeister, a local businessman whose behavior had drawn concern, was discovered to have sexually assaulted, killed, and disposed of the remains of at least 11 young gay and bisexual men at his Fox Hollow Farm estate in the Westfield suburb of Indianapolis. After an arrest warrant was issued for the murders at his estate, Baumeister fled to Ontario, Canada, and died by suicide in Pinery Provincial Park before he could be brought to trial. He did not confess to killing anyone in his suicide note and blamed his failing marriage and business for his death.
During the initial investigation, approximately 10,000 charred and fragmented bone pieces were recovered from the property. From these, investigators were able to develop eleven DNA profiles. Eight of the profiles were matched to identified individuals: Johnny Bayer, Jeffrey Jones, Richard Hamilton Jr., Manuel Martinez, Steven Hale, Allen Broussard, Roger Goodlet, and Mike Keirn.
A ninth victim, Allen Livingston, was identified in October 2023. Following Livingston's identification, Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison reported that four additional DNA samples were developed and that the remains found on the property could represent at least 25 people and encouraged families who had someone disappear between the 1980s and mid-1990s to contact the Hamilton County Coroner's Office. More than 30 families have come forward and provided DNA samples.
In January 2024, additional remains found on Baumeister's property were identified as belonging to Manuel Martinez. In May 2024, additional bone fragments found in 1996 were identified as belonging to Jeffrey Jones.
A tenth victim, Daniel Halloran, was identified in April 2025 during the renewed effort to identify remains recovered from the Fox Hollow Farm property.
Jerry Williams-Comer, a young gay man who disappeared in Indianapolis on August 8, 1995, is considered a possible victim of Baumeister, although his remains have not been located or identified among those recovered from the property.
Baumeister is also suspected of being the I-70 Strangler, who strangled 12 young boys and men and dumped their naked bodies near Interstate 70 in Indiana and Ohio between 1980 and 1991. Most of those victims were also members of the local gay community who disappeared within a four-block radius in Indianapolis, including Maurice Taylor and Mike Glenn.
Sources[]
- Associated Press
- Murderpedia
- People Magazine
- Herb Baumeister on Wikipedia
Footnotes[]
- ↑ Baumesiter purchased the Fox Hollow Farm estate in May 1988.