1. Alleged serial killer Herb Baumeister identified victim
2. Herb Baumeister identified alleged serial killer victim.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
A bone fragment discovered on the Fox Hollow Farm, believed to be the site of serial killer Herb Baumeister’s gruesome crimes, has been identified as belonging to Jeffrey A. Jones, a man reported missing in August 1993. (Baumeister: Indianapolis police; Jones: Hamilton County Coroner’s Office; Screengrab: WHTR/YouTube)
A recent revelation by a coroner in Indiana has shed light on the identification of a bone fragment that belongs to another victim from the extensive collection of human remains unearthed at the farm linked to alleged serial killer Herb Baumeister.
Jeffrey A. Jones, who resided in Fillmore, Indiana, was reported missing in August 1993. Jones is now confirmed as the 12th victim among the multitude of remains initially discovered in 1996 at the 18-acre Fox Hollow Farm in Westfield, according to Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison. Leveraging advancements in DNA technology over the past three decades, Jellison and his team have been working tirelessly to identify more victims.
The endeavor has yielded three positive identifications thus far, with four additional DNA profiles forwarded to the FBI for potential matches, as per Jellison. A collaborative effort involving several law enforcement agencies, laboratories, and DNA experts from institutions such as the FBI, Indiana State Police Laboratory, University of Indianapolis, and Texas-based Othram Laboratory has been instrumental in advancing the identification process.
“Given the challenging nature of the investigation due to the condition in which many of the remains were found—burnt and crushed—the dedication of the law enforcement and forensic specialists involved in the case is truly commendable,” remarked Jellison.
As previously highlighted by Law&Crime, Allen Livingston, a 27-year-old queer man reported missing in 1993, was positively identified in October.
Baumeister, who took his own life in 1996 shortly after an arrest warrant was issued and he was under scrutiny by Indianapolis police regarding a series of disappearances of gay men in the region during the 1980s and 1990s, played a central role in the investigation.
Crucial to cracking the case was an informant known as Tony Harris, who disclosed encountering Baumeister at a local gay bar in 1994 and spending a harrowing evening at his residence. Harris, suspecting Baumeister’s involvement in the disappearance of his friend Roger Goodlet, notified the authorities. In an A&E documentary titled “The Secret Life of Serial Killers,” Harris recounted how Baumeister, posing as “Brian Smart,” exhibited suspicious behavior at the bar.
During a visit to Fox Hollow, Harris narrowly escaped a lethal encounter with Baumeister, who attempted to strangle him with a pool hose. Harris eventually aided law enforcement in identifying Baumeister through astute investigative measures.
By this juncture, Baumeister’s marriage to Julie, his wife of over two decades, was on the brink of collapse.
The couple’s 15-year-old son stumbled upon a human skull in the woods behind their Fox Hollow abode almost two years before their separation in 1996. Julie initially dismissed the finding as a remnant from her father-in-law’s medical practice, but upon initiating divorce proceedings, she permitted a search of the property, leading to the discovery of skeletal remains.
Law enforcement and members of the coroner’s office in Hamilton County, Indiana meticulously combed through the 18-acre Fox Hollow Farm in the 1990s in a quest for human remains. Their efforts unearthed over 10,000 bone fragments or pieces believed to be from victims of the suspected serial killer, Herbert Baumeister. YouTube screengrab courtesy of WTHR.
With Baumeister evading authorities and ultimately ending his life in Ontario, Canada, investigators uncovered 11 human DNA samples and bone fragments at Fox Hollow. By 1999, police had linked Baumeister to at least 16 missing men whose bodies were discovered in various locations across Indiana and Ohio.
In a bid to expedite the identification process, Coroner Jellison collaborated with the University of Indianapolis’ forensic laboratory and Indiana State Police in November 2022 to intensify DNA extraction efforts on the vast array of remains retrieved from Fox Hollow, CBS News reported.
Expressing a relentless commitment to providing closure to the victims’ families after more than 25 years of uncertainty, Jellison acknowledged the urgency conveyed by Allen Livingston’s cousin, who implored him to hasten the identification process due to Sharon Livingston’s declining health.
Sharon Livingston, Allen’s mother, steadfastly kept a landline in her home for over three decades as it was the only contact number her son knew at the time of his disappearance, given the absence of cellphones. Her unwavering hope for answers was met with a mix of relief and sorrow upon the positive identification of her son’s remains in 2022.
Jellison marvelled at the serendipity of identifying Livingston among the multitude of remains and underscored the bittersweet reality of unearthing yet another victim.
The current proprietor of Fox Hollow continues to uncover fragments and promptly notifies authorities, reflecting a commitment to ongoing cooperation with law enforcement.
Indiana Police and the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office urge individuals with information about missing persons from that era to reach out to the coroner’s office for assistance.
Contributions to this report made by Brandi Buchman
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
.
1. Victim alleged serial killer Herb Baumeister identified
2. Victim alleged serial killer Herb Baumeister identified.
