Indiana State Police have made a significant breakthrough in an ongoing investigation involving the late suspected gay serial killer, Herbert Baumeister. Baumeister, a wealthy Republican businessman, was married with three children but was suspected of luring over 20 boys and young men from gay bars during the 1980s and ’90s, leading to their deaths. His grim secrets came to light when he died by suicide in 1996 after a search warrant for his arrest was issued, and police discovered human remains on his sprawling 18-acre Fox Hollow Farm estate in Westfield, just outside Indianapolis.
Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison disclosed that two DNA profiles have been successfully extracted from the recovered human remains. With advancements in modern DNA analysis, investigators are now able to fast-track the comparison process. The remains consist of over 10,000 charred bones and fragments, possibly belonging to at least 25 individuals. During the original investigation in the 1990s, forensics identified and matched eight of the 11 human DNA samples extracted from the estate. The two new DNA profiles will be compared against samples provided by families of young men who went missing in the area during the same period.
Investigators believe that Baumeister was living a double life, presenting himself as a loving husband, father, and successful businessman while secretly frequenting local gay bars to lure unsuspecting young men back to his estate, where he allegedly strangled them to death. The shocking revelation has brought to light the possibility that Baumeister may also have been the infamous I-70 strangler, responsible for the deaths of 11 young men and boys whose bodies were found dumped throughout Indiana and Ohio between 1980 and 1991. Interestingly, the killings seemed to cease after Baumeister acquired Fox Hollow Farm, leading investigators to believe that he continued his deadly acts, using the estate as a new dumping ground.
Intriguingly, the discovery of human remains on the estate dates back to 1994 when Baumeister’s 13-year-old son stumbled upon a human skull and bones while playing. At the time, Baumeister explained that they were from an old medical skeleton belonging to his late father, who was an anesthesiologist. His wife, Julia, revealed in a 1996 interview that she had little knowledge of her husband’s sinister activities, having engaged in sexual intercourse with him only three times during their marriage and never seeing him fully naked. The couple ran the successful Sav-A-Lot chain of stores, which provided them the means to reside in the exclusive Fox Hollow Farms.
As investigations continue, the recovered DNA profiles offer hope in solving decades-old mysteries surrounding Baumeister’s alleged crimes and shedding light on the fate of missing young men in the area. The revelations also underscore the importance of unearthing and understanding historical cases to bring closure to victims’ families and the LGBTQ community impacted by these tragedies.