In the spring of 1995, a 45-year-old man named Michael Frederick 'Mike' Kiern vanished. He was a male who was last seen on March 31, 1995, at a gay bar in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. For over a year, his whereabouts remained a mystery, a painful void for those who knew him. The quiet uncertainty was shattered in June of 1996 when a horrifying discovery was made at an 18-acre estate in the Indianapolis suburb of Westfield. The property, known as Fox Hollow Farm, belonged to a local businessman named Herb Baumeister.
During a search of Baumeister's estate, investigators unearthed a scene of unimaginable horror: over 10,000 charred and crushed bone fragments were scattered across the vast grounds. As forensic experts began the painstaking process of identifying the remains, the grim reality of a serial killer's hunting ground came into sharp focus. For years, the identities of many of the victims remained unknown. It wasn't until June of 1999 that some of the bone fragments, along with a jacket found on the property, were positively identified as belonging to Mike Kiern.
The prime suspect in the murders of Kiern and at least ten other men whose remains were found at Fox Hollow Farm was the property's owner, Herb Baumeister. Investigators believe he lured men from gay bars in the Indianapolis area back to his home, where he would kill them and dispose of their bodies on his estate. As the investigation closed in on him and a warrant was issued for his arrest, Baumeister fled to Ontario, Canada. Before he could be brought to trial and face justice for his alleged crimes, he took his own life. In a suicide note, he cited his failing marriage and business but did not confess to any of the murders.
In the years following the grim discoveries at Fox Hollow Farm, authorities have continued the arduous task of identifying all the victims. Through advancements in forensic science and genetic genealogy, more of the remains have been given a name, bringing a measure of closure to families who have waited decades for answers. Herb Baumeister is also the primary suspect in a separate series of killings from the 1980s and early 1990s, where at least a dozen men were strangled and their bodies dumped along Interstate 70 in Indiana and Ohio. The investigation into the full extent of his crimes continues, leaving a dark and tragic legacy in its wake.
