Westfield, Indiana. A renewed search is underway in labs to answer a long-standing mystery: Who were the hundreds of human bones and bone fragments that authorities discovered on the property of a suspected serial killer in Indiana decades ago?
Obtaining DNA samples from the relatives of men who disappeared between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s will be crucial to the success of a new team tasked with identifying the unidentified deceased.
Scientists are collecting DNA profiles from the remains, which were discovered on Herbert Baumeister’s expansive suburban Indianapolis property beginning in 1996, and those samples can then be compared to those profiles.
Based on evidence that included 10,000 bones and bone pieces, handcuffs, and shotgun shells, the original investigators concluded that at least 25 persons were interred at Baumeister’s 18-acre (7.3-hectare) Fox Hollow Farm home near Westfield.
Before authorities could question him, 49-year-old Baumeister, a married father of three and proprietor of a thrift business, committed suicide in Canada in July 1996. He took with him a number of secrets, including the identities of his alleged victims.
According to investigators, Baumeister, who frequently visited homosexual bars in Indianapolis, enticed men to his house where he killed and buried them while his family was away on vacation.
Using existing DNA technologies and dental information, police were able to identify eight men by the late 1990s. The remains of at least 17 persons may still be unidentified, although those efforts ceased after that.
The renewed identification effort, according to Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison, showed that county officials at the time chose not to provide funding for additional DNA testing, effectively stopping any further efforts to identify the victims and placing the burden of a homicide investigation on the relatives of those who went missing.
Jellison stated, “I can’t speak for those investigators, but it was just game over.”
An unfinished job
The University of Indianapolis Human Identification Center’s team assisted in the excavation of the remains, which were stored in boxes for decades.
That changed in late 2022 when Jellison received a Facebook message from Eric Pranger. For a long time, the family of the Indianapolis man had assumed that one of Baumeister’s victims was Allen Livingston, his elder cousin.
After getting into someone else’s car in downtown Indianapolis in August 1993, Livingston, then 27 years old, went missing. Three years after learning of Baumeister’s death, Allen’s mother, Sharon Livingston, and other family members started to assume that he was bisexual.
Just before Jellison started work, Pranger asked him if he might help his aunt, who was experiencing severe health issues, find some solutions.
How can you refuse that? According to the statute, it is our responsibility as coroners to identify the deceased, Jellison stated.
Police collected DNA samples from Sharon Livingston and one of her daughters at the end of 2022. Jellison started collaborating with a group that consists of local police enforcement, the FBI, the Human Identification Center, the Indiana State Police, and a private business that specializes in forensic genetic genealogy.
A family finds some closure
Some of the more promising bones were chosen for DNA analysis by staff at the Human Identification Center, where the remains are kept in a room with controlled humidity and temperature.
Sections of bone were taken out, frozen with liquid nitrogen, and then ground into a fine powder by scientists at the Indiana State Police Laboratory. Then, in order to get a complete DNA profile, they broke up bone cells using heat and chemicals.
In October 2023, almost a year after Pranger’s statement, Jellison revealed the identity of the ninth Baumeister victim: Allen Livingston.
At last, Sharon Livingston found some sort of closure. In November 2024, she passed away.
“Being able to do this for my aunt made me happy,” said Pranger, 34. I felt privileged since I started the process of bringing her kid home after 30 years.
I was ecstatic when Allen was recognized, but after the event I thought, “Now what?” I received responses, but what about every other family? Pranger went on.
The other victims
According to Jellison, approximately 40 DNA samples have been sent in by those who think Baumeister may have slain a missing male relative. According to him, those are only used to identify missing persons and are submitted into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS.
More DNA samples from family members of males who disappeared in the United States during the mid-1980s and mid-1990s are sought by the coroner and his associates. They pointed out that the men might have been on their way and made a detour in Indianapolis to see friends or take in the city’s nightlife.
Dr. Krista Latham, the director of the Human Identification Center, submitted more than 70 of the 100 bones to the Indiana State Police Laboratory, where eight distinct DNA profiles—all male—have been recovered thus far.
Livingston’s mother and sister gave one matched DNA sample. Four matched Richard Hamilton, Johnny Bayer, Manuel Resendez, and Jeffrey Jones, four of the eight persons initially identified in the 1990s.
Two DNA profiles are currently being tested, and the identities of the other three are still unknown. These three have increased the number of Baumeister’s alleged victims to twelve.
What s next?
According to Jellison and his associates, it may take a few more years to finish their identification process.
The majority of the bones were burned and crushed, which decreased the amount of useful DNA they could produce. According to biology and anthropology professor Latham, bone fragments judged to be in poor condition are being spared from the damaging testing procedure in the hopes that their secrets may be revealed by future DNA technology.
She pointed out that some of the guys might have experienced ostracism or alienation from family members due to their sexual orientation. They might have disappeared without anyone noticing.
These are people who experienced marginalization in their lives. Latham added, “We just need to make sure that’s not continuing in death as well.”
Jellison has acquired DNA reference samples from the family members of seven of the eight men who were first identified in the 1990s for the ongoing investigation. According to the coroner, attempts to find biological family have not been successful in finding the eighth guy, Steven Hale, who was adopted.
Families of missing men can call the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office at 317-770-4415 or the Indiana State Police missing people hotline at 833-466-2653 to donate family DNA reference samples for the search for the remains.
Honoring the victims
Families can choose to have the bones cremated and buried at a memorial service in August in Westfield when they are identified, piece by piece. The names of the nine victims who have been recognized are listed on a plaque, and further names can be added.
At the memorial’s dedication, Linda Znachko, whose nonprofit ministry He Knows Your Name, located in Indianapolis, funded for the monument, stated that the identification effort will remember those who perished in the Fox Hollow tragedy. White doves were released during the dedication, and Livingston and Jeffrey Jones’ remains were placed in the memorial’s ossuary.
Shannon Doughty, Livingston’s younger sister, went with a number of family members, including Pranger. Despite her brother’s untimely death, she stated it was a relief to finally know what happened to him.
“At least you know,” said 46-year-old Doughty. The worst dread, isn’t it the fear of the unknown? Knowing this, there are many different feelings. Although you didn’t want to know, you were curious. But you have to be aware.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!