Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder - Ep. 67 | The Horrors Of The Fox Hollow Farm Serial Killer

Episode Date: August 20, 2025

Go to https://surfshark.com/kallmekris and use code kallmekris at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! Fox Hollow Farm, a quiet Indiana estate, held secrets far darker than its serene... façade suggested. When missing men began to connect back to the property, investigators uncovered eerie clues that hinted the home itself might be hiding a predator’s legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 It began with bones. In the quiet woods behind a wealthy Indiana estate, investigators made a grisly discovery. Scattered fragments of human remains buried beneath the leaves, burned, broken, and forgotten. What they uncovered in that soil would unravel the facade of a man who, by all appearances, had it all. A thriving business, a loving family, a mansion hidden among the trees.
Starting point is 00:00:26 But behind closed doors, something unthinkable was happening. He was charming, respected, a devoted husband, and he was stalking young men and dragging them into the dark. This is not just the story of a killer. It's a story of an entire community that wasn't heard, a survivor who refused to stay silent, and the horrifying truth buried beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect life. This is a story of Herb Baumaster. Crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder, all things that I love to consume and I know you, due to you sick, twisted, beautiful, intellectually minded. Freak. Kind of sounded like a burp. Sorry about that.
Starting point is 00:01:09 Yeah, today we're getting into a big case, a case that was highly recommended. I saw dozens of comments requesting this case. It has taken a while to get done, but we are here. It is absolutely horrifying. So trigger warning there. But without further ado, let's unbuckle our seatbelts. Go Mach 5 down the highway, slam on the brakes and bustle this windshield into this horrifying case together.
Starting point is 00:01:48 So Herbert Richard Baumeister was born in Indianapolis on April 7, 1947, and he was the oldest of four children in a comfortable middle-class family. And his father, Dr. Herbert E. Baumeister, was an anesthesiologist, and his mother, Elizabeth, was a homemaker. So outwardly, Herb's early childhood seemed pretty normal. But as he entered adolescence, disturbing behavior began to emerge, like we see with many serial killers in their early adolescence just doing the most fucked up shit. So classmates and teachers noted that young herb developed morbid fascinations. One being he was
Starting point is 00:02:25 intensely curious about the taste of human urine. Yeah, we're really getting into it really quick with this one so you know buckle up. And also you guessed it had a tendency to play with dead animals. Just we're making that serial killer stew real quick. And in one incident, he placed a dead crow on a teacher's desk at North Central High School. Kid was fucked up two ways to Sunday. And on another occasion, he urinated on his teacher's desk, just shocking his entire classroom. It's like he needed that shock factor,
Starting point is 00:02:59 he needed to be the center of attention in the most morbid, fucked up ways. And such bizarre antics went far beyond typical teenage rebellion and hinted at a deeply, deeply troubled mind. I mean, we had some jokesters in high school, but nobody was pissing on the teacher's desks and leaving, you know, effigies of dead crows there, too. It's just like a little too much. So alarmed by his son's behavior, Herb's father arranged for a psychiatric evaluation during
Starting point is 00:03:29 Herb's teens. Good on dad. Usually we don't hear this. We just hear the parents ignoring this. So that's good at least. And he was a doctor, so that makes sense. And the doctors diagnosed Herb with paranoid schizophrenia as well as antisocial personality the disorder. So, you know, we have nature, nurture. There's both going on here. He's got an excuse,
Starting point is 00:03:49 but also not okay. It's not an excuse. It's not an excuse as to, it's to harming things and doing horrible things, you know, but at least, you know, they nipped it in the bud. Great, he's going to get some medication maybe and he'll be great, right? Right? No. No, we wouldn't, we wouldn't be here talking if that were the case. So having these disorders meant that Herb might suffered delusions or extreme paranoia and had a diminished sense of empathy or regard for social norms. So something quite literally out of his control. So again, I'm not going to give him anything, but there is something that he can't control, on his own at least, without therapy or medication or anything like that. But despite this diagnosis, there was no evidence Herb received sustained
Starting point is 00:04:33 treatment at that time. And that's the big issue, because it could have been a different story if he actually got the real help that he needed or actually stayed with some sort of treatment, but he did not. And instead, he was eventually just returned to school. The kid didn't know what's going on, he's got a fucked up brain, and they're just like, ah, you'll be all right. So for a brief period, Herb's behavior improved enough to appear socially acceptable, and he managed to graduate high school in 1965.
Starting point is 00:05:03 However, his reputation had already been tainted by his earlier outbursts and Maccab. interests and classmates shunned him remembering the boy who toyed with dead creatures and caused classroom disruptions so herb became increasingly withdrawn and reclusive during his late teens you have the the nature where it's like he can't help but have this these awful disorders that he can't help and then there's the nurture which is like he's he's clearly not being nurtured through this he's not being treated for this and he's just kind of being thrown to the wolves in a very vulnerable fucked up state. Again, I'm not, I am by no means justifying what he's going to do in the future because I think he should burn in hell. But when you're a kid, hopefully you can get that help.
Starting point is 00:05:50 And this kid did not get any meaningful help. And I'll leave it at that. It's part of the reason why I actually like looking into these cases, because I like looking at the psychological aspect and nature versus nurture and how they were raised and what caused it and all that kind of stuff and and sometimes there's just a tiny tiny little inkling of sympathy here and there when they're like kids and they can't do anything about it, but it's all gone when they're adults. You know, you learn societal norms and, you know, you might suffer with these kinds of things, but unless you get help, what do you? I don't know what you can do. I'm not a doctor. I'm just a stupid YouTuber. But Herb, like many other serial killers, had those early warning signs that are
Starting point is 00:06:32 almost all there for most cases we go through, and that is obsession with urination or wetting the bed and obsession with death and volatile emotional outbursts. All we're missing at this point is arsony, basically. But in the conservative 1960s, such behavior was often quietly swept under the rug, different time. So her bellmeister was a troubled young man who learned to mask his oddities when needed. A skill he would later use to hide far darker. impulses, knowingly, and this is where we get into the, oh, he knows what he's doing is wrong. That's wrong, and that's terrible, and that makes you evil. So after high school, Erb's attempts at higher education and steady employment were checkered. And he would enroll in Indiana University
Starting point is 00:07:20 in 1965, but would drop out after one semester. And he returned to IU in 1967, where he would meet his future wife, Juliana, or Julie Sater. But again, left before complete. a term. So in 1972, Herb tried taking classes at Butler University with similar results, quitting after a single semester. Guy has commitment issues. And during this period in November of 1971, 24-year-old Herb Baummeister married Juliana Sater, who was a former high school journalism teacher who he had courted in college. And Julie, by all accounts, was a smart and patient woman, which you needed to be if you were with this fucking guy. And notably, a fellow young conservative. So the two had bonded in part overworking together at the university's young
Starting point is 00:08:07 Republicans club. And to Julie and others, Herb could seem eccentric, but essentially harmless. So nobody really saw those red flags because nobody knew about these outbursts that happened when he was younger. I mean, it was a 60s. It's not like he was posted online or anything if he was able to quite literally shove all that under the rug. So they would settle into a home in an Indianapolis suburb and would go on to have three children together in the coming years. But Herb's personal eccentricities did not disappear during this time. Because it was only six months into the marriage, his mental health faltered very badly. And he became so depressed and erratic that his father had him committed to a psychiatric hospital for about two months in 1972.
Starting point is 00:08:52 Quote, he was hurting and needed help, unquote. Julie later explained of that period. So again, At least he's getting help at this point that he really didn't get as a kid. So Herb would recover enough to assume a normal life. Yet he continued to exhibit unusual behavior and struggled to hold jobs. Similar to him dropping out all the time. He just got tired of stuff really fast. And that could be very much a part of the disorders he already has. And part B, that he just thought he was too good to be a part of anything that was going on in society.
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Starting point is 00:10:23 1-800-545-979. So in the 1970s, he worked as a copyboy at the Indianapolis Star newspaper, and later landed a position at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which was BMW. And at the BMV, Herb initially impressed colleagues with his strong work ethic, but his bizarre conduct soon resurfaced.
Starting point is 00:10:43 Because see, again, his guy didn't last long. And people would start to notice that Herb had a dark, offbeat sense of humor and a tendency to flout norms. And at one point, he sent his coworkers an inappropriate Christmas card showing himself and another man dressed in drag, which is like, today, Sly Queen, you know. But in the 1960s, like psychiatric prison, you know?
Starting point is 00:11:08 So the prank did not go over well in the conservative office environment, shockingly. So as time went on, Herb grew domineering and aggressive with his colleagues. He started to get an ego. The breaking point came in 1985 when BMV officials discovered that someone had urinated on the manager's desk. You guessed it. Ysol Herb loves pissing on shit like a dog, which is what he is.
Starting point is 00:11:35 Just a dirty, disgusting dog, as we will see. So Herb was caught having urinated on a letter addressed to the governor, and it was determined he was likely responsible for the earlier incident of urine left on his manager's desk. So this utterly shocking misbehavior obviously got Herb fired in 1985, and it was just a humiliating end to his government job, and it just foreshadowed the increasingly erratic pattern of Herb's adult life. So by his late 30s, Herb Baumaster was outwardly a married father of three,
Starting point is 00:12:10 but he was also a man grappling with mental illnesses and concealed desires. And unbeknownst to his wife, Herb began spending time in Indianapolis' gay nightlife scene after losing his BNV job. So on top of everything else, paranoid schizophrenia, personality disorder. He's also, by all accounts, gay, but he has to internalize it, whether it's just because of the time period or that he's embarrassed or because he has a family and he's cheating on his wife, all this stuff. So he's got a lot of things internally building up, which is really bad with somebody who tends to be violent and have outbursts. So he would go out drinking at gay bars, likely exploring a side of himself, that he kept hidden at home.
Starting point is 00:12:54 And in 1985 and 1986, he had two run-ins with the law. One for a hit-and-run while driving drunk, and another for conspiracy to commit theft. And both charges were eventually dropped, but these incidences just show Herb skirting the edges of criminal behavior years before his killing spree even began. So we already had this superiority complex building inside of himself. Because he could get away with everything,
Starting point is 00:13:20 you know, besides pissing on his manager, desk or whatever he got fired for that at least and this is when friends and family notice changes as well because at home in the suburban Steinmeyer neighborhood neighbors found her odd and unpredictable because it could be generous in one moment handing out free magazines and concert tickets to neighbor kids and then the next moment he'd get explosively angry over trivial things and this is this is with the personality disorder coming to head probably on top of the paranoid schizophrenia and julie later revealed an intimate detail that spoke volumes about their marriages. Because in over 25 years together, she and Herb had only been sexually intimate only six times, and she had never even seen him fully nude. So this lack of
Starting point is 00:14:07 physical closeness suggests Herb's sexual interests lay elsewhere. As we know, I mean, he liked to go to gay bars. I can safely assume was just using Julie as a beard, as the kids may say nowadays, which is basically a cover, Like he wanted to appear like he had straight life when in actuality he was gay and internalizing all sorts of horrible feelings. Like the violent ones, not that you're gay, you can be gay, that's totally fine. But in the 60s, it was a different story. So indeed, Herb was living a closeted life, maintaining the appearance of a straight, conservative family man while secretly engaging with men at gay bars. So the conflict between his public persona and private desires would only intensify in the coming years. setting the stage for his double life as a serial killer.
Starting point is 00:14:55 So by the late 1980s, Herb Baummeister seemed to find his footing as an entrepreneur, even as his personal oddities persisted. And in 1988, with financial help from his mother, Herb opened a thrift store called Save a Lot in Indianapolis. It's a great name, Herb. And Herb would just pour his energy into this store, like he hadn't done with any other job before. And his hard work would pay off,
Starting point is 00:15:21 because Save-A-Lot was clean, well-organized, and stocked with quality-used goods, quickly setting it apart from other thrift shops. And it became a modest success. And Herb's confidence would just grow from this because it didn't take much for this guy's head to just blow up with ego. So over the next few years, he expanded, eventually operating two, and by some reports three, Save-A-Lot thrift store locations in the Indianapolis area. So with this business boom, it came a significant lifestyle upgrade. And in November of 1991, despite recent marital strains, Herb and Julie made a bold purchase,
Starting point is 00:15:57 which was a sprawling 18-acre estate in Westfield, just north of Indianapolis. And the estate, which Herb named Fox Hollow Farm, yeah, yeah, this is the place, featured a 1,000-plus square meter tutor-style mansion completed with elegant features like stained glass windows, multiple fireplaces, and an indoor swimming pool. And the property was reportedly worth nearly $1 million, which was a testament to the outward success the Baumeister's projected. And to neighbors and friends, the Baumeister's family now seemed to be living the American dream, a booming business, a country manor home, and three happy children.
Starting point is 00:16:38 And Julie continued to stand by her, working in the business and raising their son and two daughters. So few could have guessed the turmoil and secrets that festered behind closed doors. at Fox Hollow Farm. Because despite the beautiful new home and thriving stores, Herb's double identity was intensifying. And as coworkers and employees began noticing that their boss's behavior grew more volatile in the early 1990s.
Starting point is 00:17:05 Because Herb would be absent from work for long stretches during the day without any sort of explanation and became increasingly irritable and erratic when present. And financial problems also started to mount. And by 1994, the same, Save a Lot Enterprise was faltering because the second store had not replicated the success of the first, and debts were starting to pile up, and vendors were suing for unpaid bills.
Starting point is 00:17:30 Guy pulled the trigger before he actually reached like a state of success. It was all about image for Herb. He needed to have that manner to have that outward appearance of being like the perfect American family, but in actuality was much different. And under all this strain, Herb's marriage was deteriorating to say, least. And in early 1991, and just months before buying Fox Hollow Farm, Herb had briefly moved out of the family home and even filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, which for Herb means he likes men and not women, but I don't think Julie knew that, or maybe she
Starting point is 00:18:06 did know that, I don't really know. Yet, he and Julie reconciled later that year, deciding to give the marriage another try while moving into the new Westfield estate. But still, the relationship remained very rocky. And Julie noticed Herb's mood swinging wildly. And former colleagues later describe Herb as a, quote, perfectionist given to sudden unprovoked rages. Sounds awful, just recalling how the smallest thing could just set him off. And these fits of anger just combined with Herb's secretive habits
Starting point is 00:18:39 made life at Foxhole a farm increasingly tense for his family. And Julie would later admit that her husband was becoming, quote, erratic and difficult to live with during this period. And crucially, Herb's hidden life continued alongside his family life. Because at night, or when his wife and kids were out of town, Herb frequented gay bars in downtown Indianapolis, introducing himself to strangers as Brian Smart. Even called himself smart.
Starting point is 00:19:07 He got to make up a name for himself, and he called himself smart. What a fucking dumbass. But during this time, he was living out urges he could not openly ignore. knowledge in his conservative household. So this clandestine behavior just suggested that Herb felt he had to compartmentalize his identity, and the respectable heterosexual family man in one compartment and the gay man seeking anonymous encounters in another. And it is within the secret nocturnal world that Herb's darkest tendencies began to manifest.
Starting point is 00:19:39 Because Herb's ability to maintain his facade of normalcy kept suspicions at bay for a while, because by day he was a store owner and dad driving his kids to school and at night he prowled gay bars at night with the fake name brian smart so he just straddled these two worlds and for a time he managed to keep each from discovering the other and in hindsight the contradictions in her baumeister's life were very stark because he lived in a mansion yet his businesses were verging on bankruptcy and he presented as a devoted husband yet had almost no physical intimacy with his wife and you know cheated on with a mother men, and he championed family values in public, yet spent his free hours cruising gay clubs in secret. And friends and family who knew Herb in the early 90s would later struggle to reconcile the duality that they observed. So by the early 1990s, gay men in Indianapolis were quietly vanishing without explanation.
Starting point is 00:20:36 And in May of 1993, the trend became alarming, because one by one, young men who frequented Indianapolis gay bars were reported missing. And at first, these disappearances attracted little public attention, because there was no bodies immediately found, just men who went out for the evening and never returned home. And within the LGBTQ plus community, word spread that something was terribly wrong. And amid this backdrop, Herb Baummeister was about to begin his killing spree in earnest. So investigators now believe Herb's murderous activity started around the 1980s,
Starting point is 00:21:09 possibly as early as the mid-80s, and then escalated in the 1990s. So authorities suspected that Baumeister may have been an uncought serial killer known as the I-70 Strangler, which we've briefly talked about in one of my three-part video series. But I feel like I should do like a full-blown video on that person, which could have been for Baumeister. Because throughout the 1980s, between 1980 and 1991, at least 11 men were found strangled and dumped in rural areas near Innestatee 70 in Indiana and Ohio. And these victims were mostly young, gay men who had last been seen at Indianapolis gay bars. And their not clothed or partially clothed bodies were discarded off highways in streams or ditches. And the killings mysteriously stopped in 1991.
Starting point is 00:21:58 The same year, Herb purchased Fox Hollow Farm. And in 1998, investigators noted that once Herb had his secluded 18-acre property, he no longer needed to risk dumping bodies along the interstate. That's the theory. And there's reasons why we can't confirm this, but I'll get into that later. But if all true, Herb Belmeister's murder career had begun well before he ever killed on his own property. And as possible, he honed his methods on those highway killings. And then, once he had Fox Hollow Farm as a private murder ground, he brutally reached new heights.
Starting point is 00:22:32 So by 1993, Bellmeister was actively hunting victims in Indianapolis, specifically the Indianapolis gay bars. And he typically targeted men in their teens to 20s or even 30s, though one victim was as old as 46. And usually Herb's victims were white males. And Herb's M.O. was both cunning and predatory. Because he would spend the evening cruising popular gay bars like the 501 Club or others along Massachusetts Avenue. And he presented himself as a friendly, fun-loving man named Brian Smart. And Baummeister would single out a potential victim. often someone who was alone and he would strike up a conversation.
Starting point is 00:23:13 And he had a practical charm and was generous with free drinks as well. And eventually he'd invite the target out to his home, mentioning the indoor pool or promising a private after party at his estate. And the offer must have sounded tempting. A trip to a mansion with an apparently friendly, successful man. I mean, sounds like a dream, right? Never go to a second location with a stranger. Because tragically, accepting the offer was a fatal mistake for many young, unfortunate men.
Starting point is 00:23:45 Because at Fox Hollow Farm, Herb had carefully prepared a killing ground that hid behind the trappings of luxury. And the indoor swimming pool area in his mansion was decorated with mannequins posed in festive positions. Psychotic! As if a never-ending party were happening. This is... It's so disturbing to even think about. Like, it sounds made up. It sounds like a hormone, but it's real, and it is horrifying.
Starting point is 00:24:15 And this specific detail suggests Herb's peculiar sense of atmosphere and perhaps an attempt to put his guest at ease or disorient them when they first walk in or close. They could see maybe shadows and they could see that maybe there's, oh, there's people in here, so it's chill, it's fine, everything's fine. And he gets them to put their guard down. But in actuality, their fucking storm. mannequins. And once alone with his victim, Herb would initiate sexual activity and introduce a
Starting point is 00:24:42 dangerous twist because he loved erotic exfixiation. Of course, of course, of course you like this. And according to later testimony from a survivor, Herb, known as Brian, would suggest they choke each other during intimate acts to heighten the pressure. And again, if you're in a, you know, a consenting situation, it doesn't seem that crazy, I guess, whatever you're into, I don't know. It's just, it's so incredibly sad for these men. I just, I can't even imagine the fear that would come upon them like during these acts. It's so incredibly horrible. But this particular practice involves temporarily cutting off oxygen for arousal. And it's a risky act even when consensual. But for Herb, however, it was more than a game. It was his means to a kill. And he would
Starting point is 00:25:33 encourage the victim to let him tighten something around their neck, such as a pool hose or a belt. And this was under the pretense of a consensual kink. And then at the crucial moment, Herb would refuse to release his gripe. And he would derive gratification from the act of doing this to someone until they were dead, just exerting total control over the victim's life. And detectives later concluded that Baumeister likely murdered his victims right there by the pool. where the sound of struggle would be muffled by the walls and waters acoustics. And Herb was a very hands-on killer, literally feeling the life drain from his victims
Starting point is 00:26:13 as part of his just fucked up sadistic satisfaction. And after the victims stopped breathing, Baumeister set about the grim task of disposing of the body. And as we know, he had 18 acres of isolated land at his command and he used it to its full advantage. And under the cover of darkness, Herb would take his now deceased victim out into the wooded sections of his property behind the house. There, he engaged in what investigators believe were post-mortem, quote, rituals to prevent
Starting point is 00:26:44 identification of the victim in case they actually were dug up. And evidence suggests Baumister dismembered some victims and burned many of the bones using the farm's remote grounds as his personal dumping site. Just an absolute fucking monster. And years later, forensic teams would find shards of charred bone and ash in fire pits and scattered through the dirt, indicating attempts to cremate the bodies in open air.
Starting point is 00:27:10 But Baumeister was thorough, and he likely crushed some of the larger bones to fragments and even pulled out some of the teeth from skulls to hinder identification. And one investigator learned through a confidant of herbs that he allegedly had a habit of using particular tools to extract his victim's teeth, then tossing the teeth down a hallway like tick-tacks in a grotesque display of triumph, which is beyond words fucked up. It's vomit-adducing, it's sick. But all these details just paint a picture of a man reveling in the aftermath of murder,
Starting point is 00:27:47 taking steps to ensure his victims became anonymous piles of forgotten bones. A neighbors would never report anything terribly amiss. Baummeister orchestrated his crimes around his family's schedule. Julie and the children were nearly always away when the murders took place. Because during summer breaks, Julie would take the kids to visit her mother at a lake cottage in northern Indiana, leaving Herb alone at Fox Hollow Farm for weeks at a time. And those lonely stretches of summer were Herb's opportunity to hunt. And investigators later determined that each known victim's disappearance coincided with
Starting point is 00:28:24 when Herb's wife and children were out of town, which, again, is just so sick to know that your husband and your father was doing this kind of stuff when you were gone. Oh, God, it just, I just don't know how you, how do you even get over that? Or you probably don't at all. And on some occasions, Herb likely also exploited business trips or claimed to be working late to cover his lethal outings.
Starting point is 00:28:48 And this pattern just shows deep, deep calculation, like murder in the first, first, degree. He's always planning it out. But Baumeister just compartmentalized his life so effectively that he could strangle a man to death in his pool one night, then cheerfully host a family barbecue in the same spot the next week, as if nothing happened. Just no sense of remorse. So from 1993 to 1995, the disappearances continued uninterrupted. And young men would vanish from downtown Indianapolis and were never seen alive again. No bodies were immediately found, as we know.
Starting point is 00:29:26 So the link between these missing persons was not obvious. But within the gay community, fear was mounting because someone who met men in bars was praying on them, and police seemed slow to catch on. And although Herb seemed to really hone in his perfect killing scheme, mistakes were starting to be made, and close calls were bound to accumulate. Because the more he killed, the greater chance
Starting point is 00:29:51 that eventually something or someone would blow his cut. And by late 1994, events were set in motion that would lead to Herb Baummeister's downfall. Zootopia, too, has come home to Disney Plus. Let's go. Get ready for a new case. We're going to crack this case and prove for a decoranist partners of all time. New friends. You are Gary Desnake.
Starting point is 00:30:12 And your last name? The snake. Dream team. Hit new habitats. Zootopia has a secret reptile population. You could watch the record-breaking phenomenon at home. You're clearly, Morgan it. Zootopia 2.
Starting point is 00:30:27 Now available on Disney Plus rated PG. So the known victims of Herb Baummeister's Foxhole Farm murders were all men who vanished in the mid-1990s, leaving behind distraught families and friends. And it took years for investigators to piece together their identities from the bone fragments found on Baumeister's property. And as of 2025, 10 victims have been positively identified, and several more are suspected. And these men's lives and tragic ends illustrate the horrific scope of Baumeister's crimes. And I want to go over these key victims and their fates as understood from the investigation.
Starting point is 00:31:06 So first we have Roger Allen Goodlett, who was 33 years old and was a resident of Indianapolis. And Roger was reported missing on July 22nd, 1994. And he was last seen leaving a downtown gay bar heading out with a man who introduced himself as Brian Smart. And Roger's disappearance deeply alarmed his family. And frustrated with the police's slow progress, Roger's mother and friends plastered the city with missing persons posters, and Roger's case would become pivotal. Because a friend of his was turned amateur sleuth under the alias Tony Harris ultimately would help crack the mystery. But sadly, Roger never came home. And years later, authorities confirmed that some of the remains recovered at Fox Hollow Farm belonged to Roger Goodlet. And he is believed to be one of
Starting point is 00:31:54 Baumeister's victims strangled on the estate in the summer of 1984. And then there's Alan Wayne Broussard, who's 28 years old. And Alan was also from Indianapolis and had disappeared on June 6th of 1994. And like Roger, Alan was last seen at an Indianapolis gay bar and never returned. And Alan's mother grew concerned and also reached out for help. And she and Roger Goodlet's mother enlisted the aid of a private investigator because the police weren't doing shit. And this private investigator was Virgil Vandigriff. And it wasn't until the Foxhole of Farm bones were analyzed that the truth would emerge, that Alan Broussard's remains were found among the thousands of fragments,
Starting point is 00:32:33 confirming he had fallen victim to the killer as well. And then there was Johnny John Bayer, who was 20 years old, and one of the youngest identified victims. Johnny Bayer was an Indianapolis man who went missing on May 28, 1993. And he was reportedly working at a fast food restaurant at the time. And Johnny said goodbye to his mother on his way to work one day and then just vanished. And for years, his family heard nothing. And only a single ribbone of Johnny's was eventually recovered at Foxhole a farm
Starting point is 00:33:03 found among the thousands of pieces of remains. And that rib would be DNA match to Johnny in the late 1990s, finally giving his mother an answer. And in a heartbreaking statement, Johnny's mother said in 1999, 9, one ribbone. Even though they gave me his ribbone and we had the services, it's not real to me. I can still see him someday coming up to the door.
Starting point is 00:33:26 And her hope for her son's return had been cruelly destroyed by the confirmation of his death. And Johnny Bayer's name was among the first confirmed in the investigation. And he represents the many young men whose lives were cut short just as they were starting out. And then there was Richard Douglas Hamilton, who was also 20 years old.
Starting point is 00:33:46 He was also a local to Indianapolis, and his last sighting was on July 31st in 1993. And little is publicly recorded about the circumstances of Richard's disappearance, but by September 1996, Richard Hamilton's remains had been confidently identified by forensic anthropologists sorting through all the bones found at Vauxhall a farm. And then there was Stephen Sperlin Hale, who was 26 years old, and vanished on April 1, 1994. And he was also from Indianapolis and was working as a custodian. Estonian at a restaurant at the time. And on the night of April 1st,
Starting point is 00:34:20 he was last seen in Indianapolis Central Library, a known gay meetup spot. But unfortunately, his bones would also be analyzed from Foxola Farm and it would be confirmed that he had been killed on the property. And then there was Manuel Mani Resendez. And Mani was a bit different from the other victims in that he was from Lafayette, Indiana,
Starting point is 00:34:39 which was about an hour north from Indiana. And he was reported missing in early August of 1993. And for decades, Mani's fate was unknown, and in a testament to dogged work of forensic experts, Manuel's remains are finally DNA confirmed in 2024, nearly 30 years after he vanished. But at least his family could get some semblance peace in knowing that he was found, but obviously it's still horrible. But this would make headlines in 2024, bringing closure to the Resendez family after so many years. And then there was Jeffrey Allen Jeff Jones, and he was also an Indianapolis man who went missing
Starting point is 00:35:18 on July 6, 1993, at the age of 31. And he was suspected early on as a possible victim of the Fox Hollow killer via earlier identification, but it wasn't until May of 2024 that Jeff's remains were conclusively identified through genetic genealogy. And then there was Michael Frederick Mike Kern, who was 46 years old, one of the oldest victims. And he would go missing on March 31st, in 1995. And Mike's disappearance came relatively late in Baumeister's spree, and it suggests Herb had not yet been deterred even after a suspicious incident in 1994.
Starting point is 00:35:52 And we'll say more on that soon because it is fucked up. And then there was Alan Livingston who was 27 years old, and he was last seen getting into someone's car in downtown Indianapolis in August of 1993. And Sharon, Alan's mother, began to suspect that he was among the Fox Hollow farm victims when news broke about Baumeister in 1997. but she would continue to hold on to hope that her son would maybe return.
Starting point is 00:36:17 And she allegedly kept her home phone line connected for decades in the hope that Alan might call, which is so heartbreaking, because this was the only number he would have known to call. But his remains would finally be identified in 2023. And then there was Daniel Thomas Hollerin, whose age is unknown. And Daniel wasn't reported missing nor even suspected as a victim. Yet his remains were discovered amongst the bones in Fox Hollow Farm. And then there was Jerry Williams Comer, who was 34 years old, and he would go missing on August 8th, 1995.
Starting point is 00:36:51 And while Jerry was confirmed to have been a victim of Baumaster, this discovery was not from the Fox Hollow Farm remains. His vehicle was discovered after his disappearance, and he fit the victim profile as a young gay man in Indianapolis. But these names, excluding Jerry, are only the identified victims from Fox Hollow Farm. In total, more than 10,000 bone fragments were recovered on the property, which represents an estimated 25 or more individuals that Baumeister may have murdered, which is sickening. And that means over a dozen victims remain unidentified to this day. And their families might still not know what became of their loved one who disappeared in the 1980s or 1990s. And among those still unnamed could be some victims of the I-70 strangler kill. that are now attributed to Herb.
Starting point is 00:37:42 Again, unconfirmed, but it's likely it seems. And it's also possible Baumeister killed additional men who remains have not been found at all. And if he chose to dump a body elsewhere or if some evidence on the farm was completely missed. But the full extent of his carnage might never be known, but authorities firmly believe at least 25 murders can be laid on Herb Baumeister's feet.
Starting point is 00:38:06 And the impact of these murders on the Indianapolis LGBTQ community was profound and traumatic. Because during the early 1990s, as gay men kept going missing, fear spread that a serial killer was specifically targeting their community. And many also felt that the police were not taking the disappearances seriously enough
Starting point is 00:38:25 because the victims were gay. And at the time, relationships between law enforcement and LGBTQ plus citizens were often strained by prejudice and mistrust. And a former publisher of a local gay magazine, Josh Thomas, voice the community's frustration bluntly, saying, quote, if somebody were killing cheerleaders at a suburban high school, nobody would rest until the killers were found, unquote. And he would tell the press
Starting point is 00:38:49 this in 1996. But because it was only, quote, only gay men, the urgency was lacking. And families of missing gay men sometimes encountered apathy or harmful assumptions. And police might suggest that a missing man had simply run off to, quote, live the gay lifestyle somewhere else rather than treat it as a potential crime that it was. And in Indianapolis, this dynamic led several families to take matters into their own hands, hiring private investigator Virgil Vandegryff to look for their loved ones. And as mentioned, Vandergriff quickly noticed the pattern, multiple gay men disappearing in the same area in a short time frame. And the mountain community pressure eventually forced the police to acknowledge the possibility of a serial killer to do their fucking job.
Starting point is 00:39:36 But sadly, by the time the case broke open, many lives had already been lost. But the fact that the members of the LGBTQ plus community banded together to demand action was significant. And it ensured that these victims were not forgotten and helped bring a killer spree to an end. So let's get into that. So throughout the early 1990s, as young men vanished in and around Indianapolis, their families grew desperate for answers. And missing persons reports piled up, but initial police response, was sluggish and fragmented. And part of the challenge was that multiple jurisdictions were involved.
Starting point is 00:40:12 Some men disappeared from Indianapolis, while others from surrounding areas or even other cities like Lafayette, in the case of Manuel. And without bodies or crime scenes, police departments had little evidence to go on, and the pattern tying the cases together wasn't immediately recognized or cared about clearly. And additionally, the aforementioned fact that many victims were gay
Starting point is 00:40:33 may have contributed to a lack of urgency on the part of the investigators. Who assumed the men just might have left town voluntarily? So 1993 turned into 1994 and the list of missing persons just started to lengthen. And it became harder to ignore that something sinister was afoot. And a major turning point in the investigation
Starting point is 00:40:52 came thanks to the determination of a private investigator and a brave survivor. So former Marion County Sheriff's Detective Virgil Vandigriff had retired from law enforcement and started a private investigation firm. And in 1994, he was hired by the families of Roger Goodlett and Alan Bussard, just two mothers who refused to let their son's disappearances be shrugged off. And Vandergriff took their concern seriously, you know, like the police should have.
Starting point is 00:41:19 And he began comparing notes with police and other families and realized at least eight young men had gone missing under similar circumstances in a short span of time. So sensing the hallmarks of a serial offender, Vandergriff coordinated an informal task force. He and his associates visited the gay bars, distributed, quote, missing flyers, and interviewed patrons to gather any clues. And this grassroots sleuthing paid off, because they learned that many in the gay community felt a predator was lurking in their midst. And one name, or rather, alias, would surface. And that was Brian Dumbass, I mean smart.
Starting point is 00:41:57 Because some bargoers recounted encounters with a middle-aged man who called himself Brian, and who was friendly. if a bit odd, and who sometimes invited people out to his quote, a state. And it sounded benign at first. But at least one man had a terrifying story about Brian Smart, and he lived to tell the tale. And that man is known by the pseudonym Tony Harris. And in 1994, Tony Harris approached authorities with a haunting account. He believed he had survived an encounter with a serial killer. Tony was a good friend of Roger Goodlet, and after Roger vanished, Tony grew determined to find out what happened.
Starting point is 00:42:37 So he spent time at the bars Roger used to frequent, on the lookout for any information. And in the course of this investigation of his own, Tony met a man calling himself Brian Smart. And Brian was sociable and allegedly said he was from out of town, temporarily living at a client's farm estate. And one night, Brian invited Tony to go for a swim at the place. he was staying. And Tony accepted, hoping he might learn if Brian was involved in Roger's disappearance, which is extremely brave but also terrifying, but it's like a movie. It's absolutely insane.
Starting point is 00:43:13 But also, like, the police are doing shit. So Tony is just, like, main character. Like, what a fucking guy. Absolutely insane, but amazing at the same time. Just wanting to get justice for his friend and figure out what the fuck's going on. But Tony Harris' decision almost cost him his life, because he would ride out with Brian out to this unfamiliar property in the suburbs, which we know is Fox Hollow Farm.
Starting point is 00:43:39 And it was dark when they arrived, but Tony noticed that the home was large and very isolated. And inside, Brian led him to the indoor pool, where mannequins stood around as if attending an endless cocktail party with statues. The fuck? I can't even imagine just seeing that. being like, okay, I need to run. I need to close line and run the fuck out of here.
Starting point is 00:44:07 But he didn't. I guess Brian Smart somehow explained that away, or Tony just wanted to figure up more information, and they would swim and engage in some consensual, sensual activity. And Tony's accounts actually vary during this, but this is like the main one that I'm giving you right now. So Brian would offer Tony a drink which Tony switched out with water when Brian wasn't paying attention, which is so smart because he had just a weird vibe from the whole situation. Then Brian suggested something unexpected.
Starting point is 00:44:43 And he asked Tony to choke him to enhance the experience, as we know, erotic exfixiation. And Tony would go along with this. And Brian's eyes would light up with excitement as he did so. And when Brian then wanted to reciprocate to Tony, because if you do this thing where Brian or Herb would let them choke him first to kind of gain that trust, and then he'd be like, okay, no, I'll do it to you. It's like this really fucked up psychological thing, just planning. Like he's, he knows what he's doing. It's all part of his plan. But Tony would feel uneasy and decline the offer.
Starting point is 00:45:17 And that's when the mood shifted. Because according to Tony's account, Brian suddenly wrapped a pool hose around Tony's. throat and began to try to strangle him. And there were allegedly multiple attempts like this throughout the evening, and it's mentioned in a few accounts that Tony even faked passing out to cause Brian to stop. But at some point, for reasons unknown, perhaps because Tony was a larger man than Brian, which made killing him difficult or that Tony was not incapacitated from the drink he avoided, Brian then drove Tony back to Indianapolis. So he was now certain that Brian's was the one responsible for Roger's disappearance and likely many others.
Starting point is 00:46:01 And Tony Harris immediately went to the police with the story. And he provided a description of Brian Smart and recounted the location as best he could, because he hadn't known the actual address since he was driven there. But unfortunately, locating both Brian and the farm proved to be very difficult, because it wasn't until several months later that Tony would cross paths with Brian again. And this time, he made sure to get Brian's license plate number, which is again, so smart. And when police ran the plate, it came back registered to Herb Bellmeister of Westfield, Indiana. And this was the break they desperately needed, a concrete lead linking the pseudonyms to a real individual.
Starting point is 00:46:42 And at this point, Herb Belmeister, a man with no criminal record of violence, popped up on the radar of authorities investigating the missing men. And detectives from Hamilton County Sheriff's Department and the Indianapolis, Police Department quietly began looking into Herb's background. And what they found was intriguing to say the least, because Baumaster owned Fox Hollow Farm, matching Tony's description of the estate with an indoor pool. And Herb also had a history of mental instability and erratic behavior, which fit the profile of a disturbed vendor.
Starting point is 00:47:14 However, the police knew that suspicions were not enough. It's circumstantial, but also they have the account of Tony literally getting strangled by this guy, so I don't really know why they can't just jump in, but what do I know? You know, I'm not a cop, I'm just a stupid YouTuber. But they would need evidence to search the Bellmeister property. So in late 1995, they approached Herb directly, asking for permission to search Fox Hollow in connection with the missing men. And Baumeister, he was pissed. He was outraged and very uncooperative. And he would just flatly refuse the search request. Just adamantly denying any involvement and likely feigning shock at the implication.
Starting point is 00:47:58 Oh, what? Me? What? No, I have a family and a large property and I'm bankrupt and I'm and I'm in the closet and I'm very sad and I like to kill people. What? What was that? Oh, nothing. I trailed off. I blacked out for 20 seconds. What's going on? Again, just a fucking monster. Just a piece of shit. So without a warrant or consent, law enforcement was stuck because they didn't have enough for a judge to grant a search warrant at the time, which again, I don't understand because they literally have a victim saying he was like attempted murder.
Starting point is 00:48:29 I don't really know why that, that should be a reason, you know? I don't really understand that, but again, I'm what do I know I'm a stupid YouTuber? During this time, Herb surely realized that as long as he didn't allow a search, the police had nothing concrete on him because it was only a survivor's word versus his.
Starting point is 00:48:46 So investigators would then turn their heads over to his wife, Julie Bellmeister, in hopes of gaining an ally. So in late 1995, two detectives met with Julie and delicately informed her that her husband was under investigation for quote, homosexual homicide. Why is that different than regular homicide?
Starting point is 00:49:06 Why is it called homosexual homicide? It's just fucking homicide. Anyway, different time, really not that long ago, whatever, but it was a phrase that Julie didn't even understand it first. And Julie was incredulous and certain that Herb, her husband, of over two decades couldn't possibly be a violent killer, which like, you know, I'm always just like, how do you not know?
Starting point is 00:49:30 But, you know, I don't know. I don't know. He seemed to be very, very premeditated, very calculated, and he put on quite the facade. So I feel like there is absolutely a possibility. She literally had no idea. Like she knew he was a bit crazy, but like, other than that, she was just blissfully unaware, I guess.
Starting point is 00:49:49 But she would say, quote, you're wrong, that can't be true, and she would be extremely angry with the detectives. And it was a unnatural response, because as far as we know, she'd only ever known her as a quirky, difficult man, but not someone capable of murder. And the investigators persisted describing the pattern of missing men and the incident with, quote, Brian Smart. And Julie asked them what, quote, homosexual homicide even meant. and the concept that her straight-laced husband might be secretly gay and murdering people was almost beyond her comprehension, which I can't even imagine. First, you find out that your husband's been cheating on you with men, and then you find out that he's also been murdering these men. Like, it's a lot to take on, you know, if she didn't know, that's horrible. I mean, it's horrible. It's all horrible.
Starting point is 00:50:37 And you want to be like, how did you not know? How did you not know? But, you know, some people just aren't as observant and they're just living in their life and they're just not. Not caring, I guess, but that's two fucking blows for sure. Can't even imagine the thought process there. So this whole thing was just an exceedingly frustrating time for law enforcement, just explaining this to Julie. And they had very strong circumstantial evidence against Herb, but no physical evidence. And meanwhile, Herb surely sensed the heat. So police likely surveillance to Fox Hollow Farm when they could, just hoping Herb might slip up.
Starting point is 00:51:14 but Herb kept a very low profile. And notably, no known murders occurred after late 1995, suggesting Baumeister may have stopped killing once he knew he was under suspicion. And Michael, Mike Kearns, disappearance in March of 1995 and Jerry Williams Comer in August of 1995 are the latest victims linked to him. But still, the stalemate continued into the spring of 1996. An investigators periodically checked in with, Julie Baumeister, gently urging her to reconsider and allow a search of the property,
Starting point is 00:51:49 that each time she declined, torn between loyalty to her husband and the disturbing allegations she was hearing. If somebody came up to me and told me that my husband was just all this stuff, I'd be like, yeah, check the property to rule that out. Like, put my pride away, fucking check that shit out. There was a chance I was living with a murderer. It's, I just doesn't make sense to me, but whatever, what do I know? I'm just a stupid YouTuber. I don't know anything.
Starting point is 00:52:13 So then, as they kept contacting Julie, she recalled thinking, quote, What if the police are right? And I'm wrong. There we go, Julie. She's getting it now. And, you know, benefit of the doubt, I can't even imagine getting that news and just like hoping. Just that hope that there, it's the wrong guy, couldn't be him. That's all she's ever known is this guy that's been a good husband. And then, I don't know, you probably just start watching him and being like, yeah, maybe he could be. So I'm not, I'm never going to victim blame. And in this situation, if she didn't know, absolutely a victim in this. It's just all like looking on it.
Starting point is 00:52:50 You're like, what? But we don't know. We weren't there, you know? So the breakthrough finally came from within the Bellmeister family. And by early 1996, Herb and Julie's marriage had reached a breaking point. And the financial strain from the thrift stores had worsened. One store was severely struggling. And Herb's behavior was getting more.
Starting point is 00:53:12 and more erratic. And in early 1996, after police approached her with the allegations, Julie decided to file for divorce. Nice, Julie. High five. Hell yeah. This was a bold move signaling that her faith in Herb was waning. And importantly, as part of the divorce and custody process, Julie took steps that gave her more leverage over the property, because she's turning into a boss-ass bitch now. So by June 1996, Julie had found herself reflecting on the detective's warnings and shared a number of worrying incidences with her lawyer and one in particular had been nagging at her memory and this is where i go back and i'm like how didn't you know but again i'm just i'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt because what do i know but it's because a skeleton was found on the property
Starting point is 00:54:00 by her son two years earlier and she she knew about this incident and she just was like mah it's probably a dog even though it's a human skull i don't know. So that's where I go back and I'm like, no, I don't think she, I think she just really wants to be in a nice house and maybe just not, not want to hold her husband accountable. But again, like, I feel like that can't be possible with her, like knowing he was a murderer. But anyway, I'm digressing deeply. Let me know what you think in the comments, but really strange. Kid found a human skeleton on the property. And this whole skeleton finding incident from 1994 suddenly seemed a little bit more sinister than I guess it did back then. So the unraveling of Herb Baummeister's
Starting point is 00:54:47 deadly secrets began with a gruesome discovery at his home. And that was a discovery that incredibly was overlooked. Because in the late fall of 1994, Herb's then 13-year-old son was playing in a wooded area in the Fox Hollow Farm when he stumbled upon a human skull lying on the ground, and not far from the skull where several more bone fragments were found later on. from a human skeleton. And this boy, his son, would bring the skull home to show his mother. And when Julie confronted Herb about this morbid find,
Starting point is 00:55:20 Herb had a ready explanation. And this is where I'm back to, you know, he was really good at talking. Julie, like, why would Julie, why would you think that your husband can do that, you know, you'd like to, so I'm back with, I'm back, I'm back with Julie. But he calmly told his wife that the skull was an old medical specimen,
Starting point is 00:55:39 likely part of a skeleton used in anatomy study that his late father, remember, Dr. Baummeister was a physician, had owned and left among his belongings. And Herb even suggested that perhaps his father's medical skeleton had been stored in their garage and animals dragged it into the woods. So animals don't eat bones or skulls, usually it's left because there's no meat on it, but okay. So it was an odd story, but Herb delivered it earnestly. And astonishingly, Julie believed him, or at least accepted the explanation at the time, which again, I'm just going to give it the benefit of the doubt. But she later said Herb was so matter of fact and reassuring about it that she saw no reason to suspect otherwise, which okay, sure. And Herb then took the skull from her and said he would
Starting point is 00:56:29 dispose of it. And likely, he threw it back onto the pile of remains in the woods or hit it elsewhere on the grounds. And this incident in 1994 was perhaps the closest herb came to being exposed during his act of killing years. And it's chilling to realize that if things had gone differently, the case might have been blown open then. Or he could have hurt his family. So it's almost, I don't know.
Starting point is 00:56:54 I mean, so many lives would have been saved if there was some deeper thinking going on. Just so horrifying and unfortunate. However, the seed of doubt was planted, and even if Julie didn't fully realize it, because that skull sighting effectively ended Herb's killing spree for a time. And investigators believe Herb was so alarmed at his son's discovery that he stopped murdering in late 1994, at least until the spring of 1995, because he had come perilously close to being caught and likely become more cautious.
Starting point is 00:57:28 So fast forward to June 1996, Julie Baumister, now in the midst of divorce proceedings, was reflecting on her life with Herb and all the peculiar unsettling moments including that skull. Meanwhile, the police were still politely knocking on her door, armed with new urgency after hearing that Herb's business was failing and the marriage was collapsing. Stressors that might prompt Herb to flee or destroy evidence. So Julie finally reached a tipping point. And on June 24, 1996, she contacted her attorney and authorities and gave them the green light they'd been waiting for. And that was permission to search Fox Hollow Farm. And critically,
Starting point is 00:58:08 she chose a moment when Herb was out of the house. So with Herb safely away, Julie met with Hamilton County detectives and allowed them onto the property. And one can only imagine her dread and resolve in that moment. She likely hoped nothing would be found, yet part of her must have feared the worst. And investigators would waste no time. Because now armed with consent, and by extension, a property search warrant, teams from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and the Indianapolis' police, along with forensic anthropologists from the University of Indianapolis, descended onto Foxhole Farm in the last week of June 1996. And what they found was beyond anyone's imagination. Because in that wooded area near the back of the house, an officer spotted what looked like a human leg bone,
Starting point is 00:58:57 just laying on the ground almost immediately. like bones were just laying on the property. And upon closer inspection, the surrounding soil glinted with white fragments of bone shards and they were everywhere. And as they ventured further, investigators found a sort of dumping ground, just a pile of burned charred bone pieces.
Starting point is 00:59:21 Didn't even care enough to bury them. And two main clusters of remains were identified in the woods. And another section of the property to the west of the house revealed yet more bones. The sheer volume of these bones were staggering. And over the next several days, evidence technicians collected bone after bone teeth and even personal items. And they uncovered handcuffs suggesting restraints were used on victims. They found shell casings from a firearm, though it's not believed Herb ever shot any of his victims. So the casings might have just been
Starting point is 00:59:56 from shooting on the property. But by the end of the two-week search, more than 10,000 human bones and fragments had been recovered. And these remains would later be analyzed and found to represent at least 11 distinct individuals and possibly up to 17 more. Though only the 10 that we went over earlier are confirmed as of 2025. So for a quiet Indianapolis suburb, this discovery was the stuff of nightmares, a serial killer's burial pit right in their backyard. And Julie Baumeister, who was present during some of the search, was absolutely distraught
Starting point is 01:00:30 as the evidence mounted that her husband had indeed been killing men on their property. And the realization that she and her children had lived alongside this horror was almost too much to bear. I can't even imagine finding that out. Like, how horrible. And as the news of the find broke, Herb Baummeister got wind that the police were searching Foxhole Farm. And Herb's reaction was swift. And he would flee Indiana almost immediately.
Starting point is 01:00:56 So on June 29th, police formally issued a warrant for Herb's arrest. on multiple homicide charges. But they were too late. And Baumeister had already driven north, crossing the border into Ontario, Canada. So a multi-state and international alert went out for him, but his exact whereabouts were unknown for a few days, which is so scary.
Starting point is 01:01:16 And then on July 3rd, 1996, two days after my birthday, campers in Pinery Provincial Park, a large park on Lake Huron in Ontario, found a man's body inside a parked car. And it was her Baumeister. taking the easy way out like the piece of shit he is, just avoiding any sort of consequences. Bautmeister's body was discovered
Starting point is 01:01:37 just as law enforcement back home was closing in, and he chose to take his own life rather than face any sort of consequences or capture. So Herb's taking of his own life meant that he would never stand trial for his crimes, never answer the questions that so many had, so many family members had. However, he did leave behind a note,
Starting point is 01:01:58 which was just a rambling, three-page letter addressed mainly to his wife and children. But in it, Herb oddly apologized for, quote, messing up the scenery of the Canadian park where he took his own life. And he expressed regret over the breakup of his marriage and the failure of his business, citing those as reasons for his impending ending of life. And tellingly, what Herb's note did not mention was anything about the 11-plus men whose remains had been found at his home, and he made no confession or reference to the murders at all.
Starting point is 01:02:34 And this omission infuriated investigators and just devastated the victim's families. His Baumaster died without ever acknowledging or taking responsibility for the lives he had brutally taken. It was as if in Herb's mind, those young men simply just did not matter. And even in death, he stuck to the narrative that he was the victim of the circumstance. with his failed marriage and business woes and that he was not a murderer. So police and prosecutors publicly voiced frustration that Baumeister's final act was one of cowardice and silence, robbing the families of any chance at answers or justice in court. And with Herb dead, the case moved from a manhunt to a massive forensic identification effort.
Starting point is 01:03:19 So throughout late 1996 and into 1997, anthropologists and law enforcement worked tirelessly. to identify the bone fragments recovered from Fox Hollow Farm. And it was painstaking work, because the burned, crushed, and intermingled bones made it extremely challenging to match pieces to specific individuals. And still, progress was made, and by 1999, authorities announced
Starting point is 01:03:44 they had confidently identified the remains of several men from the property. And the identifications were done via methods, like dental records, DNA comparisons with family members, and personal items found. And each identification brought a mix of sorrow, and relief to the families. Sorrow to have confirmation of death,
Starting point is 01:04:01 but relief to finally know, and to be able to hold funerals. For instance, when bones belonging to Alan Broussard were identified, his mother Sharon felt vindicated in her long-held intuition that, quote, I know he's there at Fox Hollow. I just know it. A mother always knows,
Starting point is 01:04:19 and the scope of Baumeister's crimes had fully come to light for the public. And the case would just shock Indiana and the entire nation. revealing that a serial killer had been active and under the radar targeting gay men in the heart of the Midwest. And the search of Fox Hollow Farm didn't end with Herb's death, because over the years, additional searches were conducted as technology improved or as new tips emerged. And remarkably, as late as December 2022, investigators returned to Fox Hollow with cadaver dogs
Starting point is 01:04:50 and located yet another bone fragment and several new spots of interest on the property. And this shows that even decades later, the ground at Fox Hollow may still hold secrets and small pieces of young men who never made it home. And a renewed effort in the 2020s spearheaded by Hamilton County Coroner, Jeff Jellison, has focused on using modern DNA techniques like forensic genetic genealogy to identify the remaining unknown victims. And in 2023 and 2024, these efforts paid off. And they would identify Alan Livingston, who had vanished in 1993, and the aforementioned
Starting point is 01:05:24 Vresendez and Jones. Angelison emphasized that it was, quote, not acceptable for these people to remain nameless, essentially left on a shelf in storage for years. So thanks to improved DNA testing, he said, quote, we need to make every effort possible to identify these people and return them to their loved ones, which is just amazing. It's amazing that technology has become what has become and people are so determined to bring family's peace. I think it's so incredible. So the case officially remains open and an unsolved homicide investigation in the sense that not all victims are accounted for and no charges were ever filed
Starting point is 01:06:05 due to Herb's taking of his own life. And for the detectives and scientists involved, there is a commitment to continue working until as many of the victims as possible have their names restored. And Herb Baummeister's death marked the end of a criminal case against him, but it did not end to the haunting questions, which is why did he do it and how did no one notice and could it have ever been stopped sooner? And these questions have been explored in the years since through profiles, documentaries, and countless discussions among true crime followers. But to understand Herb Baumister is to delve into a perplexing psyche, one that on the surface managed a normal life, but underneath was driven by dark compulsions. Because what could drive a man like Herb Baumister
Starting point is 01:06:50 to commit such unspeakable acts. And we can contemplate and theorize, but at the end of the day, we'll never know, because that piece of shit took his own life, and hopefully he's rotting in hell. But that is Fox Hollow Farm
Starting point is 01:07:06 and Herb Baummeister. What a monster. I mean, horrible, but just the community involved and everyone stepping up and Tony and the moms and the private investigator, and all the scientists now,
Starting point is 01:07:22 it is quite amazing what people banding together can do. And I'm just going to choose to remember the victims in the situation and not the aforementioned piece of shit. But let me know what other cases you want me to deep dive into in the comments below. I always read the comments. And also, please stay safe out there, and I will see you in the next video.
Starting point is 01:07:43 Okay? Bye.

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