Herbert Richard Baumeister

Serial Killer

Herbert Richard Baumeister: The Fox Hollow Farm Murders

Herbert Baumeister and the Crimes at Fox Hollow Farm

Herbert Richard Baumeister was an Indiana businessman who became the central suspect in one of the most disturbing serial murder investigations in the state's history. Born on April 7, 1947, in Indianapolis, Baumeister lived for years behind the outward appearance of a married father and business owner. By the 1990s he and his family were living at Fox Hollow Farm, a large property on East 156th Street in Westfield, Indiana, north of Indianapolis. Behind the secluded home, investigators would eventually uncover thousands of pieces of human remains belonging to numerous men who had disappeared from the Indianapolis area. Baumeister was never brought to trial. He fled after authorities began searching his property in June 1996 and died by suicide in Ontario, Canada, on July 3, 1996. Because he died before investigators could fully question or prosecute him, many aspects of the case remain officially unresolved. Nevertheless, the location of the remains, witness evidence, the disappearances of men connected to Indianapolis gay bars, and the circumstances surrounding Baumeister made him the primary suspect in the deaths.

The Disappearance of Men in Indianapolis

During the early and middle 1990s, a disturbing pattern developed in Indianapolis. Men associated with the city's gay nightlife began disappearing. Several had last been seen at or near gay bars before seemingly vanishing without explanation. At the time, the disappearances were investigated individually, and families and members of the gay community became increasingly concerned that the cases might be connected. A major break came through a surviving witness who described meeting a man who used the name "Brian Smart." The witness said he had been taken to a large suburban residence and nearly strangled during an encounter there. He survived and later encountered the same man again. In 1995, information from the man's vehicle ultimately allowed investigators to connect "Brian Smart" with Herbert Baumeister. Police wanted to search Fox Hollow Farm, but Baumeister refused to consent. His wife, Juliana "Julie" Baumeister, initially declined as well. Investigators therefore had suspicions but lacked the evidence necessary to enter and conduct the extensive property search that would ultimately expose what had happened there. ...

Confirmed Victims: (8)

Johnny Bayer Age: (20), Date of Death: May 28, 1993

Suspected Victims:

Allen Lee Livingston Age: (27), Date of Death: August 6, 1993

Jerry Williams-Comer Age: (34), Date of Death: August 8, 1995

Daniel Thomas Halloran

Herb Baumeister - Wikipedia