I-70 Strangler

Overview

The I-70 Strangler is a haunting moniker for an unidentified American serial killer who prowled the Midwest, claiming the lives of at least twelve boys and men from 1980 to 1991. This chilling figure has left a trail of unsolved murders along Interstate 70 (I-70), and while the case remains officially unsolved, many investigators have pointed fingers at the now-deceased businessman Herb Baumeister, who was linked to multiple homicides in Indiana.

Quick Facts

• Wanted Since: June 16, 1980 (over 45 years)
• Victims: At least 12
• Span of Crimes: June 1980 – October 1991
• Country: United States
• States: Indiana, Ohio
• Date Apprehended: N/A

The Murders

The I-70 Strangler exhibited a disturbing pattern, targeting young boys and adolescents he encountered in popular gay bars and establishments around Indianapolis. Each victim was found either naked or partially clothed, often discarded near rivers, streams, and ditches in rural areas. The common thread that bound these tragedies was strangulation.

Victims

1. Michael Petree (15)
   Discovered naked in rural Hamilton County, Indiana, on June 16, 1980, Michael was a male prostitute frequently seen around Indianapolis' gay bars. He had been reported missing on June 7, and just days later, witnesses spotted him in a stranger's car. Autopsy results revealed he had been strangled, with no drugs or alcohol in his system.

2. Maurice Taylor (23)
   Taylor's topless corpse was found in July 1982 in Weasel Creek, Hamilton County. Though the exact cause of death was undetermined, coroners suspected strangulation. Living in the boiler room of an Indianapolis apartment complex, Taylor struggled financially and provided sexual services. He remained unidentified for eight months due to his mother's hospitalization.

3. Delvoyd Lee Baker (14)
   An 8th grader, Baker was found semi-nude by a river in Hamilton County. Witnesses recalled seeing him board a blue van driven by a young white man with a bushy mustache on the night of his disappearance, October 2. Baker had been seen cruising gay bars and allegedly engaged in prostitution for $20–23 a night. His case was controversial; being the youngest and only black victim led some investigators to initially dismiss it as unrelated.

4. Michael Andrew Riley (22)
   Last seen on May 28, 1983, after visiting The Vogue Theater, Riley's body was discovered in a ditch on June 5 in Hancock County. Strangulation marks indicated he had likely been killed with a towel or similar fabric.

5. Eric Allen Roettger (17)
   Roettger vanished on May 7, 1985, and his shirtless body was found near a stream in Ohio shortly after. He had been planning interviews for a summer job but instead accepted a ride from a passing car. His body bore a burn mark on his shoulder and showed signs of strangulation with a rope.

6. Michael Allen Glenn (29)
   Found in August 1986 near Eaton, Ohio, Glenn’s body was clad only in underwear, with strangulation marks suggesting a rope had been used. He lived in a trailer park and worked as a handyman, making it difficult to ascertain when he had gone missing.

7. James Robbins (21)
   Robbins disappeared on October 15, 1987, after leaving his mother’s home. His naked body was found in a ditch in Shelby County two days later, with strangulation marks. Witnesses provided conflicting descriptions of a vehicle seen near the crime scene.

8. Jean Paul Talbot (26)
   Like his predecessors, Talbot was found strangled in May 1989, near a stream in Defiance County, Ohio.

9. Steven L. Elliott (26)
   Elliott’s body, found in August 1989 in Preble County, bore signs of strangulation and was discovered near I-70. His father noted that Elliott had turned to prostitution after coming out as gay in 1979.

10. Clay Russell Boatman (32)
    A licensed practical nurse, Boatman was last seen heading to Our Place, a local gay bar, in August 1990. His body was found by children in a ditch, showing signs of strangulation.

11. Thomas Clevenger, Jr. (19)
    Clevenger's semi-nude body was found at an abandoned railroad track near Greenville, Ohio. He had a troubled upbringing and resorted to prostitution, which his family denied.

12. Otto Gary Becker (42)
    Becker's body was found on October 7, 1991, in rural Henry County, Indiana. Witnesses reported seeing him with two men in a car shortly before his death, but the investigation yielded no leads on the suspects.

Investigation

In response to these harrowing murders, the Indianapolis Police formed a task force of eight officers in 1982. The investigation intensified after Riley's body was located in June 1983, prompting the inclusion of four more potential victims who also frequented gay bars. The FBI joined the fray, employing profilers who suggested that the killer exhibited volatile behavior during the murders.

Investigators ultimately surmised that two different perpetrators may have been at work, leading to the exclusion of some victims from the I-70 Strangler's profile. They theorized that the primary killer was a white male in his 40s who was likely overweight and held a respectable job, living in a state of self-hatred due to his attraction to young men.

Initial Suspects

The investigation presented a number of initial suspects.

• Duncan Patterson (47) was a Florida native arrested in 1982 on statutory rape charges involving young boys. A witness claimed Baker was seen entering Patterson’s van, but Patterson maintained he let Baker go after paying him for sex. After passing a polygraph test, he was excluded as a suspect.

• August "Gus" Caito was briefly detained in 1983 but released due to lack of evidence.

• Larry Eyler, a convicted serial killer, became a point of interest. Eyler had murdered 21 young men in Indiana and Illinois, but the discrepancies in their methods of killing raised doubts. Eyler’s eventual plea deal in exchange for information about his murders did not implicate the I-70 Strangler.

Herb Baumeister

In a twist that adds even more intrigue to this case, Herb Baumeister emerged as a prime suspect in February 1998. A local resident reported seeing Baumeister leaving The Vogue Theater with Michael Riley, one of the victims. Before his suicide in 1996, Baumeister was linked to the murders of at least seven men in Indianapolis, with their remains found buried on his property. Investigators speculated that he ceased dumping bodies along I-70 after he purchased Fox Hollow Farm, where he buried his later victims.

However, no physical evidence has conclusively tied Baumeister to the I-70 Strangler victims. Some, like Ted Fleischaker, have suggested that police misconduct led to Baumeister being named the scapegoat to close the case ahead of an election.

Conclusion

The I-70 Strangler case remains one of the most haunting mysteries in American true crime. With a killer still at large and the lives of vulnerable young men tragically cut short, the search for justice continues, leaving behind a chilling legacy of fear and unanswered questions.

Sources

• Wikipedia: I-70 Strangler
• Hundley, Wendy (November 10, 1996). "The 'gay slayings' mystery" . Dayton Daily News.
• "UPI Focus: Sheriffs link 9 deaths to Indiana man". United Press International. April 28, 1998.
• "Confessions of alleged serial killer". Chicago Tribune. March 9, 1994.