Who were the victims at Fox Hollow Farm? Here's what we know about the serial killings
In 1996, authorities discovered the charred and decomposing remains of an estimated 25 people at Fox Hollow Farm, an 18-acre property in Westfield, Indiana. The sheriff's office would eventually recover more than 10,000 bone fragments scattered across the woodsy farmland, according to the Hamilton County Coroner's Office.
Detectives believed property owner and Westfield businessman Herbert Baumeister played a hand in the murder and dismembering of the victims, who were mostly young, gay men that Baumeister lured to his property north of Indianapolis, according to the coroner.
Authorities never got the chance to interview the suspected serial killer. Before law enforcement could arrest him, Baumeister fled to Canada, where he shot and killed himself at an Ontario park near Lake Huron.
It's been 30 years, and police have identified roughly a dozen of Baumeister's suspected victims. Here's what we know about one of most notorious crimes in Indiana history and the victims identified in the case.
Manuel Resendez, 34, disappeared in 1996
Manuel Resendez was 34 years old when he went missing in 1996, according to Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison. His remains were identified in January through DNA testing. Dental records showed Resendez was one of Baumeister's original victims, but the family sought further confirmation through a DNA match.
Allen Livingston, 27, disappeared in 1993 and identified 30 years later
Allen Livingston was last seen in downtown Indianapolis more than 30 years ago. His August 1993 disappearance was a mystery until DNA evidence linked his remains to Fox Hollow Farm in October 2023. Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison said Livingston was the first victim to be identified since the office sent a batch of 44 samples to state police more than 18 months ago.
Fox Hollow Farm killings: 20 people provide new DNA samples hoping to find loved ones
Jeffrey A. Jones, reported missing in August 1993
Fillmore, Indiana, resident Jeffrey A. Jones went missing in August 1993. The coroner's office identified his remains in May 2024 among the 10,000 bone fragments recovered at Fox Hollow Farm, bringing the total number of victims to 12. Jones is the third person to have been identified after the coroner's office renewed investigation into the killings.
Authorities announced in August 2024 that Jones' remains would be laid to rest, and a monument for all of the victims will be unveiled.
Victims of Fox Hollow Farm: Jeffrey Jones, others not forgotten with burial, monument planned
Every Fox Hollow Farm victim identified by the Hamilton County Coroner's Office so far
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Fishers Police Department DNA Unit, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Missing Persons Division, Indiana State Police Biology Unit, the University of Indianapolis Archaeology and Forensic Lab are pushing to identify every victim whose remains were found at Fox Hollow Farm.
It's a slow, tedious process, Jellison said, but officials are working diligently to give closure to victim's families.
"We have roughly 10,000 bone fragments, and my guess is that we haven't gone through 160 of those yet," Jellison said. "We've got a lot of work in front of us, but every day is a step forward."
Authorities have identified at least 13 people, or 13 unique DNA profiles, from the collected remains — nine of which have been named while four await further analysis.
The following information is based on Jellison's case files, as well as coroner records from the 1990s. Jellison said he was reluctant to substantiate the exact age of each person at their time of death from casework before his tenure as coroner. The Fox Hollow Farm victims so far include:
Roger Alan Goodlet, age 33.
Michael Frederick Keirn, age 50.
Steven Spurlin Hale, age 28.
Manuel M. Resendez, age 31.
Jeffrey Allan Jones, age 37.
Richard Douglas Hamilton Jr., age 23, reported missing July 31, 1993.
Johnny Bayer, age 26, reported missing July 6, 1993.
Allen Wayne Broussard, age 32.
Allen Livingston, age 27.
What's being done to identify the victims? Coroner's office urges family members to submit DNA evidence
In November 2022, the coroner's office requested family members of young men who went missing from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s to submit a DNA sample to aid in their investigation.
"I need to speak with them so we can get a DNA sample,” Jellison told IndyStar. “It’s just a simple cheek swab. Painless. Takes just a few seconds." He said the coroner's job was to provide closure for the victim's families in a case that will take time to sort out.
A month later, as many as twenty people had provided DNA samples to the coroner's office in the hopes of identifying more of Baumeister's potential victims.
Could Herbert Baumeister have murdered more people?
Two years after Baumeister's death, police concluded he also had killed nine other young men whose partially nude bodies were found dumped into shallow streams along I-70 across Central Indiana and western Ohio during the 1980s.
Where is Fox Hollow Farm?
Fox Hollow Farm is a property off 156th Street and the Monon Trail in Westfield. Some of the land later went up for sale to interested buyers.
Contact the Hamilton County Coroner if you believe you are a relative of a missing person connected to the Fox Hollow Farm case
Call the Hamilton County Coroner at 317-770-4415.
John Tufts covers trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at [email protected] Natalie Contreras and IndyStar reporters John Tuhoy and Brittany Carloni contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fox Hollow Farm: Remains ID'd on Herb Baumeister's property
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