In the late summer of 1991, the body of a 41-year-old Caucasian male named Otto Gary Becker was discovered, leaving behind a mystery that would linger for decades. On August 7, 1991, a passerby found Becker's body in a ditch alongside a gravel road in a rural, southwestern part of Henry County, Indiana, not far from Greensboro. Investigators quickly determined that the circumstances were suspicious, suggesting foul play.
The investigation into Becker's death uncovered unsettling details.
Witnesses reported seeing Becker in his vehicle, a brown 1982 Honda Accord, on Interstate 465 near Shadeland Avenue in Indianapolis earlier that day. According to these accounts, Becker was not in control of the situation. He was being restrained by one white male while another white male drove the car. This observation pointed towards an abduction. The investigation took another turn when Becker's car was found abandoned in Columbus, Ohio, widening the geographical scope of the crime. It was also noted that Becker was known to frequent homeless shelters and motels on the east side of Indianapolis.
Despite these early leads, the case grew cold. No suspects were immediately identified or arrested in connection with Otto Becker's death. However, as years passed, his case became linked to a more extensive and chilling series of crimes. Authorities began to suspect a connection between Becker's murder and a string of other killings along the I-70 corridor, attributed to a possible serial killer dubbed the 'I-70 Strangler'.
This theory eventually led investigators to consider Herbert Baumeister, a Westfield businessman, as a potential suspect. Baumeister was under suspicion for the murders of numerous young men, with the remains of several victims discovered on his Fox Hollow Farm property. Investigators noted that the 'I-70 Strangler' cases seemed to cease around the time Baumeister purchased his property in 1991, the same year Becker was killed. While Baumeister was named as a prime suspect in the I-70 killings, he was never formally charged in connection with Otto Becker's murder. Before he could be thoroughly questioned in relation to these cases, Herbert Baumeister died by suicide. To this day, the death of Otto Gary Becker remains officially unsolved, a cold case that continues to leave his family without definitive answers.
