Herb Baumeister
Indiana Serial Killer Case
CLASSIFICATION: Serial Homicide
LOCATION
Indianapolis, Indiana
TIME PERIOD
1980-1995
VICTIMS
11 confirmed
Herbert Richard Baumeister, an American businessman, is suspected of being a serial killer responsible for the murders of over a dozen men in central Indiana during the early to mid-1990s, primarily targeting individuals last seen at gay bars. The remains of eleven men were discovered on his property in Westfield, Indiana, between 1995 and 1996, with eight of the victims identified. Baumeister died by suicide on July 3, 1996, in Ontario, Canada, shortly after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Investigations have since linked him to additional murders along Interstate 70 in Indiana and Ohio from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, raising the total number of suspected victims to as many as twenty-five. Significant evidence includes the remains found on his property and witness testimonies connecting him to the victims.
Herb Baumeister is suspected of murdering over a dozen men, primarily targeting individuals seen at gay bars in central Indiana. There is speculation that he may also be linked to additional murders along Interstate 70 in Indiana and Ohio during the 1980s and 1990s. Some believe that his suicide was an attempt to evade capture and that he may have had accomplices or additional victims not yet identified.
The Chilling Case of Herb Baumeister: A Tale of Deception and Death
Early Life and Troubled Beginnings
Herbert Richard Baumeister was born on April 7, 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the first of four children to Dr. Herbert Eugene Baumeister, an anesthesiologist, and Elizabeth Baumeister. Despite a seemingly normal childhood, Herb's adolescence unveiled disturbing antisocial behaviors. Friends recounted his peculiar fascination with urophilia and his morbid curiosity about tasting human urine. Known for urinating on teachers' desks and playing with dead animals, his actions eventually led his father to seek mental evaluations for him. Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder, Herb received no further psychiatric treatment.
Herb's academic pursuits were inconsistent. He attended Indiana University in 1965 for a semester and returned briefly in 1967. In 1972, he spent a semester at Butler University. Despite a promising work ethic, his career was marred by bizarre behavior. In November 1971, Herb married Juliana "Julie" Saiter, and together they had three children. Julie later revealed the intimate nature of their relationship, or rather the lack thereof, mentioning they were sexually intimate only six times in their 25-year marriage. Shortly after their wedding, Herb's father committed him to a psychiatric hospital for two months.
Despite his personal struggles, Herb founded the successful Sav-A-Lot thrift store chain in Indianapolis in 1988, marking a brief period of financial stability.
The Murders: The I-70 Strangler
Herb Baumeister's name is often linked with the chilling moniker "I-70 Strangler," an unidentified serial killer believed to have murdered at least eleven young boys and men between June 1980 and October 1991 in Indiana and Ohio. The victims, mostly from the gay community, were found naked or partially clothed near Interstate 70, having been strangled and left in rural ditches, rivers, and streams.
The first victim, 15-year-old Michael Sean Petree, was discovered on June 16, 1980, in Hamilton County, Indiana. Maurice Allen Taylor, a 22-year-old vagrant, was found topless in Weasel Creek in 1982. The semi-nude body of 14-year-old Delvoyd Lee Baker appeared near a Hamilton County river, with eyewitnesses last seeing him with a mustached man in a blue van.
Over the years, more victims surfaced: Michael Andrew Riley, Eric Allen Roettger, Michael Allen Glenn, and James Boyd Robbins Jr., each meeting a similar fate. The discovery of Steven Lynn Elliott, Clay Russell Boatman, Thomas Ray Clevenger Jr., and Otto Gary Becker's bodies followed. Each case bore the harrowing marks of strangulation, often with a rope, and many victims were associated with Indianapolis' gay nightlife.
By April 1999, law enforcement officially named Herb Baumeister as a prime suspect. Notably, bodies stopped being found in 1991, coinciding with Baumeister's purchase of Fox Hollow Farm, a significant burial ground for his subsequent victims.
The Horrors of Fox Hollow Farm
In May 1988, Baumeister acquired Fox Hollow Farm, an 18-acre estate in Westfield, Indiana. The serene property soon harbored dark secrets. In 1994, Baumeister's young son stumbled upon a human skeleton while playing in their backyard. Herb casually dismissed it as a medical skeleton belonging to his father, which he had buried.
On June 24, 1996, investigators uncovered bone fragments from at least eleven people in the woods surrounding Fox Hollow Farm. A subsequent search in December 2022 revealed more human remains, totaling nearly 10,000 fragments from multiple victims. The Hamilton County coroner's office appealed for public help in identifying these remains, urging those with missing loved ones from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s to undergo DNA testing.
While ten victims were identified, three remained unknown. Victims included John Lee Bayer, Jeffrey Allen Jones, Richard Douglas Hamilton Jr., Allen Lee Livingston, Steven Spurlin Hale, Allen Wayne Broussard, Roger Allen Goodlet, Michael Frederick Keirn, Manuel Resendez, and Daniel Thomas Halloran. In notable developments, Livingston's remains were identified in October 2023, and Resendez's in January 2024.
The Investigation and Baumeister's Demise
The investigation into Baumeister began in the early 1990s when Indianapolis police noticed a pattern in the disappearances of gay men. In 1994, Tony Harris reported a suspicious encounter with a man named "Brian Smart," who attempted to strangle him during a sexual encounter. Harris suspected Smart was responsible for his friend Roger Goodlet's disappearance. In August 1995, Harris spotted Smart again, noting his license plate number and leading investigators to Herb Baumeister.
Despite Baumeister's and his wife's initial refusal to allow a property search, Julie eventually permitted it during their divorce proceedings in June 1996. The search revealed the remains of eleven men, eight of whom were identified.
Fearing arrest, Baumeister fled to Ontario, Canada, where he ended his life on July 3, 1996, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Pinery Provincial Park. In his suicide note, written on yellow notepaper, he lamented his failing business and broken marriage but made no mention of his victims. His last meal was a peanut butter sandwich.
Media Coverage and Legacy
The morbid tale of Herb Baumeister captivated the media. The A&E series "Investigative Reports" aired an episode titled "The Secret Life of a Serial Killer" in 1997. His story featured in various true-crime series, including History's "Perfect Crimes," TruTV's "The Investigators," and Investigation Discovery's "Behind Mansion Walls." Syfy's "Paranormal Witness" and "Ghost Adventures" also explored the haunting legacy of Fox Hollow Farm.
Though Herb Baumeister's life ended in tragedy and mystery, the pain and suffering he inflicted on his victims and their families echo through time, a chilling reminder of the darkness that sometimes lurks beneath the surface of ordinary lives.
Sources
For further reading, visit the Wikipedia article.
No Recent News
No recent news articles found for this case. Check back later for updates.
No Evidence Submitted
No evidence found for this case. Be the first to submit evidence in the comments below.
Join the discussion
Loading comments...
First Victim Found
The body of 15-year-old Michael Sean Petree is discovered, marking the beginning of a series of murders linked to Baumeister.
Baumeister Purchases Farm
Herb Baumeister purchases Fox Hollow Farm, which later becomes a burial site for his victims.
Remains Discovered
Investigators recover human bone fragments belonging to at least eleven people buried at Fox Hollow Farm.
Search of Property
Baumeister's wife allows police to search their property, leading to the discovery of remains linked to multiple murders.
Baumeister Commits Suicide
With a warrant issued for his arrest, Herb Baumeister flees to Ontario and dies by suicide.
Baumeister Named Suspect
Law enforcement officially names Baumeister as a prime suspect in the I-70 Strangler case.
Victim Identified
Remains found in 1996 are identified as belonging to Allen Lee Livingston, one of Baumeister's victims.
Another Victim Identified
Remains recovered from Fox Hollow Farm are identified as belonging to Manuel Resendez.
Herbert Richard Baumeister, an American businessman, is suspected of being a serial killer responsible for the murders of over a dozen men in central Indiana during the early to mid-1990s, primarily targeting individuals last seen at gay bars. The remains of eleven men were discovered on his property in Westfield, Indiana, between 1995 and 1996, with eight of the victims identified. Baumeister died by suicide on July 3, 1996, in Ontario, Canada, shortly after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Investigations have since linked him to additional murders along Interstate 70 in Indiana and Ohio from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, raising the total number of suspected victims to as many as twenty-five. Significant evidence includes the remains found on his property and witness testimonies connecting him to the victims.
Herb Baumeister is suspected of murdering over a dozen men, primarily targeting individuals seen at gay bars in central Indiana. There is speculation that he may also be linked to additional murders along Interstate 70 in Indiana and Ohio during the 1980s and 1990s. Some believe that his suicide was an attempt to evade capture and that he may have had accomplices or additional victims not yet identified.
The Chilling Case of Herb Baumeister: A Tale of Deception and Death
Early Life and Troubled Beginnings
Herbert Richard Baumeister was born on April 7, 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the first of four children to Dr. Herbert Eugene Baumeister, an anesthesiologist, and Elizabeth Baumeister. Despite a seemingly normal childhood, Herb's adolescence unveiled disturbing antisocial behaviors. Friends recounted his peculiar fascination with urophilia and his morbid curiosity about tasting human urine. Known for urinating on teachers' desks and playing with dead animals, his actions eventually led his father to seek mental evaluations for him. Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder, Herb received no further psychiatric treatment.
Herb's academic pursuits were inconsistent. He attended Indiana University in 1965 for a semester and returned briefly in 1967. In 1972, he spent a semester at Butler University. Despite a promising work ethic, his career was marred by bizarre behavior. In November 1971, Herb married Juliana "Julie" Saiter, and together they had three children. Julie later revealed the intimate nature of their relationship, or rather the lack thereof, mentioning they were sexually intimate only six times in their 25-year marriage. Shortly after their wedding, Herb's father committed him to a psychiatric hospital for two months.
Despite his personal struggles, Herb founded the successful Sav-A-Lot thrift store chain in Indianapolis in 1988, marking a brief period of financial stability.
The Murders: The I-70 Strangler
Herb Baumeister's name is often linked with the chilling moniker "I-70 Strangler," an unidentified serial killer believed to have murdered at least eleven young boys and men between June 1980 and October 1991 in Indiana and Ohio. The victims, mostly from the gay community, were found naked or partially clothed near Interstate 70, having been strangled and left in rural ditches, rivers, and streams.
The first victim, 15-year-old Michael Sean Petree, was discovered on June 16, 1980, in Hamilton County, Indiana. Maurice Allen Taylor, a 22-year-old vagrant, was found topless in Weasel Creek in 1982. The semi-nude body of 14-year-old Delvoyd Lee Baker appeared near a Hamilton County river, with eyewitnesses last seeing him with a mustached man in a blue van.
Over the years, more victims surfaced: Michael Andrew Riley, Eric Allen Roettger, Michael Allen Glenn, and James Boyd Robbins Jr., each meeting a similar fate. The discovery of Steven Lynn Elliott, Clay Russell Boatman, Thomas Ray Clevenger Jr., and Otto Gary Becker's bodies followed. Each case bore the harrowing marks of strangulation, often with a rope, and many victims were associated with Indianapolis' gay nightlife.
By April 1999, law enforcement officially named Herb Baumeister as a prime suspect. Notably, bodies stopped being found in 1991, coinciding with Baumeister's purchase of Fox Hollow Farm, a significant burial ground for his subsequent victims.
The Horrors of Fox Hollow Farm
In May 1988, Baumeister acquired Fox Hollow Farm, an 18-acre estate in Westfield, Indiana. The serene property soon harbored dark secrets. In 1994, Baumeister's young son stumbled upon a human skeleton while playing in their backyard. Herb casually dismissed it as a medical skeleton belonging to his father, which he had buried.
On June 24, 1996, investigators uncovered bone fragments from at least eleven people in the woods surrounding Fox Hollow Farm. A subsequent search in December 2022 revealed more human remains, totaling nearly 10,000 fragments from multiple victims. The Hamilton County coroner's office appealed for public help in identifying these remains, urging those with missing loved ones from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s to undergo DNA testing.
While ten victims were identified, three remained unknown. Victims included John Lee Bayer, Jeffrey Allen Jones, Richard Douglas Hamilton Jr., Allen Lee Livingston, Steven Spurlin Hale, Allen Wayne Broussard, Roger Allen Goodlet, Michael Frederick Keirn, Manuel Resendez, and Daniel Thomas Halloran. In notable developments, Livingston's remains were identified in October 2023, and Resendez's in January 2024.
The Investigation and Baumeister's Demise
The investigation into Baumeister began in the early 1990s when Indianapolis police noticed a pattern in the disappearances of gay men. In 1994, Tony Harris reported a suspicious encounter with a man named "Brian Smart," who attempted to strangle him during a sexual encounter. Harris suspected Smart was responsible for his friend Roger Goodlet's disappearance. In August 1995, Harris spotted Smart again, noting his license plate number and leading investigators to Herb Baumeister.
Despite Baumeister's and his wife's initial refusal to allow a property search, Julie eventually permitted it during their divorce proceedings in June 1996. The search revealed the remains of eleven men, eight of whom were identified.
Fearing arrest, Baumeister fled to Ontario, Canada, where he ended his life on July 3, 1996, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Pinery Provincial Park. In his suicide note, written on yellow notepaper, he lamented his failing business and broken marriage but made no mention of his victims. His last meal was a peanut butter sandwich.
Media Coverage and Legacy
The morbid tale of Herb Baumeister captivated the media. The A&E series "Investigative Reports" aired an episode titled "The Secret Life of a Serial Killer" in 1997. His story featured in various true-crime series, including History's "Perfect Crimes," TruTV's "The Investigators," and Investigation Discovery's "Behind Mansion Walls." Syfy's "Paranormal Witness" and "Ghost Adventures" also explored the haunting legacy of Fox Hollow Farm.
Though Herb Baumeister's life ended in tragedy and mystery, the pain and suffering he inflicted on his victims and their families echo through time, a chilling reminder of the darkness that sometimes lurks beneath the surface of ordinary lives.
Sources
For further reading, visit the Wikipedia article.
No Recent News
No recent news articles found for this case. Check back later for updates.
No Evidence Submitted
No evidence found for this case. Be the first to submit evidence in the comments below.
Join the discussion
Loading comments...
First Victim Found
The body of 15-year-old Michael Sean Petree is discovered, marking the beginning of a series of murders linked to Baumeister.
Baumeister Purchases Farm
Herb Baumeister purchases Fox Hollow Farm, which later becomes a burial site for his victims.
Remains Discovered
Investigators recover human bone fragments belonging to at least eleven people buried at Fox Hollow Farm.
Search of Property
Baumeister's wife allows police to search their property, leading to the discovery of remains linked to multiple murders.
Baumeister Commits Suicide
With a warrant issued for his arrest, Herb Baumeister flees to Ontario and dies by suicide.
Baumeister Named Suspect
Law enforcement officially names Baumeister as a prime suspect in the I-70 Strangler case.
Victim Identified
Remains found in 1996 are identified as belonging to Allen Lee Livingston, one of Baumeister's victims.
Another Victim Identified
Remains recovered from Fox Hollow Farm are identified as belonging to Manuel Resendez.