Authorities continue to uncover chilling revelations at the property of Herb Baumeister, an Indiana businessman implicated in the deaths of at least 25 individuals during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Fox News reported Sunday.
Four decades later, the gruesome legacy of Baumeister’s crime at Fox Hollow Farm in Westfield, Indiana, still emerges as new victims are identified. The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office confirmed the identity of Jeffrey A. Jones, a man reported missing in 1993, as one of Baumeister’s victims.
This identification marks the third in the last six months, alongside Allen Livingston and Manuel Resendez, whose disappearances in the 1990s had remained unresolved until now, according to Fox News. Baumeister, who was a married father of three, secretly targeted mostly gay men and lured them to his 18-acre estate, Fox News reported. He bought the property for $1 million in May 1988, and it later revealed thousands of charred bone fragments and decomposed remains, including those his teenage son chillingly found, sparking the exposure of his double life.
Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison has reinvigorated the ongoing investigation, however he confronts significant challenges due to the condition of the remains — many burnt and crushed. Despite these hurdles, the dedicated team, including law enforcement and forensic experts, persists in the meticulous task of identifying the victims.
Rows of crops are visible on a bright day at a farm on California’s Central Coast, San Gregorio, California, May 26, 2024. Image not from story (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
“Because many of the remains were found burnt and crushed, this investigation is extremely challenging,” Jellison said in a statement, Fox News stated. “However, the team of law enforcement and forensic specialists working the case remain committed.” (RELATED: Serial Killer Robert Pickton Suffers Life-Threatening Injuries In Prison Assault)
Baumeister evaded arrest by fleeing to Ontario, where he took his own life in 1996 at the age of 49. At the time of his death, there was an active warrant for his arrest, but he was never charged with the murders, nor did he confess to any crimes in his suicide note, the outlet reported. Instead, Baumeister left behind a trail of unanswered questions and unresolved grief for the families of his victims.
The recent breakthroughs in identifying the victims have been supported by advanced forensic technology and collaborations with institutions like the Indiana State Police Laboratory, the University of Indianapolis, and the Texas-based Othram Lab. Othram, according to Fox News.
