Indiana Coroner Identifies Another Victim in Herb Baumeister Case
Jun 10, 11:00 PM
In a significant development, the Hamilton County Coroner announced that a bone fragment from the 10,000 human remains recovered from the farm of alleged serial killer Herb Baumeister has been identified as belonging to Jeffrey A. Jones, who was reported missing in August 1993. Jones is the 12th confirmed victim among the remains found at Fox Hollow Farm in 1996.
Advancements in DNA technology made the identification possible, revitalizing efforts to name more victims. Coroner Jeff Jellison highlighted that three victims have been identified recently, and four more DNA profiles have been submitted to the FBI for potential matches. Experts from the FBI, Indiana State Police Laboratory, University of Indianapolis, and Texas-based Othram Laboratory collaborate on this effort.
"This investigation is extremely challenging due to the condition of the remains," Jellison stated, noting that many were found burnt and crushed. Despite these obstacles, the team remains committed to identifying the victims.
Key to the investigation was an informant, Tony Harris, who met Baumeister, posing as "Brian Smart," at a gay bar and later escaped an attempted strangulation at Fox Hollow Farm.
Harris reported the incident to authorities, but the police struggled to locate the farm based on his description. It wasn’t until over a year later that Harris encountered "Brian Smart" again, providing a crucial tip to the police. Virgil Vandagriff, a retired Marion County detective who had previously investigated missing queer men in the area, including Goodlet, told local NBC affiliate WTHR that when Harris spotted "Smart" the second time, he managed to record "Smart’s" license plate number. This information was instrumental in identifying "Brian Smart" as Herbert Baumeister.
By this time, Baumeister’s marriage of more than 20 years to his wife Julie had all but fallen apart.
The couple had three children, including a 15-year-old son who made a grisly discovery in the woods behind their Fox Hollow home nearly two years before their 1996 divorce. According to local ABC affiliate WRTV, in 1994, around the same time Indianapolis police began searching for a serial killer targeting gay men, Baumeister’s son found a human skull on their property.
Detectives reported that Julie Baumeister instructed her son to leave the skull in the woods until his father returned home. When she later confronted Herbert Baumeister, he claimed it was a remnant from his father's medical practice. Julie accepted this explanation for two years, but reconsidered upon filing for divorce. Initially, the couple had rebuffed police attempts to search the property, but once Herbert was away, Julie allowed the search. Police then discovered a skull, teeth, and other bone fragments.
At this point, Baumeister, had fled to Ontario, Canada. Once there, police say he killed himself. He left a suicide note at the scene but made no mention of his victims, only mentioning his failing thrift store business and marriage.
The victims’ families had been waiting over a quarter century for answers, Jellison said, and he was determined to bring them closure. In fact, it was Allen Livingston’s cousin who approached Jellison last year, urging him to expedite the identification process.
Livingston’s mother, Sharon, now in her mid-70s and long holding onto hope for information about her son, had been diagnosed with two forms of terminal cancer, the cousin explained. Sharon told WTHR in 2022 that she kept a landline in her home for more than 30 years because it was the only number her son knew when he disappeared, as cell phones weren’t common at the time. She reported him missing just days after not hearing from him.
“I know that man got him, I just know,” Sharon said of Baumeister in a 2022 interview. “I’m pretty sure they are going to find him. I just know they are.”
In October, Jellison expressed amazement after positively confirming Allen Livingston’s remains, marking the first positive identification since the 1990s. “What are the odds, out of 10,000 remains? Out of 10,000, we selected 44 and the first identification is a person from the family that initiated this whole thing,” he said. “Where does that come from?”
Jellison said his office initially celebrated the success of identifying Livingston, but the joy was quickly tempered by the realization that another murder victim had been found.
The current owner of Fox Hollow has continued to find fragments and submits them to authorities.
The investigation into Baumeister's activities has revealed at least 25 victims from the remains found on his property. By 1999, police had linked Baumeister to 16 missing men whose bodies were found in streams across Indiana and Ohio. Renewed efforts to identify more victims began in November 2022, with Jellison partnering with forensic labs to extract DNA from the remains.
Jellison's team continues to urge those with missing loved ones from that period to contact the coroner's office, hoping to bring closure to more families after decades of uncertainty.
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Advancements in DNA technology made the identification possible, revitalizing efforts to name more victims. Coroner Jeff Jellison highlighted that three victims have been identified recently, and four more DNA profiles have been submitted to the FBI for potential matches. Experts from the FBI, Indiana State Police Laboratory, University of Indianapolis, and Texas-based Othram Laboratory collaborate on this effort.
"This investigation is extremely challenging due to the condition of the remains," Jellison stated, noting that many were found burnt and crushed. Despite these obstacles, the team remains committed to identifying the victims.
Key to the investigation was an informant, Tony Harris, who met Baumeister, posing as "Brian Smart," at a gay bar and later escaped an attempted strangulation at Fox Hollow Farm.
Harris reported the incident to authorities, but the police struggled to locate the farm based on his description. It wasn’t until over a year later that Harris encountered "Brian Smart" again, providing a crucial tip to the police. Virgil Vandagriff, a retired Marion County detective who had previously investigated missing queer men in the area, including Goodlet, told local NBC affiliate WTHR that when Harris spotted "Smart" the second time, he managed to record "Smart’s" license plate number. This information was instrumental in identifying "Brian Smart" as Herbert Baumeister.
By this time, Baumeister’s marriage of more than 20 years to his wife Julie had all but fallen apart.
The couple had three children, including a 15-year-old son who made a grisly discovery in the woods behind their Fox Hollow home nearly two years before their 1996 divorce. According to local ABC affiliate WRTV, in 1994, around the same time Indianapolis police began searching for a serial killer targeting gay men, Baumeister’s son found a human skull on their property.
Detectives reported that Julie Baumeister instructed her son to leave the skull in the woods until his father returned home. When she later confronted Herbert Baumeister, he claimed it was a remnant from his father's medical practice. Julie accepted this explanation for two years, but reconsidered upon filing for divorce. Initially, the couple had rebuffed police attempts to search the property, but once Herbert was away, Julie allowed the search. Police then discovered a skull, teeth, and other bone fragments.
At this point, Baumeister, had fled to Ontario, Canada. Once there, police say he killed himself. He left a suicide note at the scene but made no mention of his victims, only mentioning his failing thrift store business and marriage.
The victims’ families had been waiting over a quarter century for answers, Jellison said, and he was determined to bring them closure. In fact, it was Allen Livingston’s cousin who approached Jellison last year, urging him to expedite the identification process.
Livingston’s mother, Sharon, now in her mid-70s and long holding onto hope for information about her son, had been diagnosed with two forms of terminal cancer, the cousin explained. Sharon told WTHR in 2022 that she kept a landline in her home for more than 30 years because it was the only number her son knew when he disappeared, as cell phones weren’t common at the time. She reported him missing just days after not hearing from him.
“I know that man got him, I just know,” Sharon said of Baumeister in a 2022 interview. “I’m pretty sure they are going to find him. I just know they are.”
In October, Jellison expressed amazement after positively confirming Allen Livingston’s remains, marking the first positive identification since the 1990s. “What are the odds, out of 10,000 remains? Out of 10,000, we selected 44 and the first identification is a person from the family that initiated this whole thing,” he said. “Where does that come from?”
Jellison said his office initially celebrated the success of identifying Livingston, but the joy was quickly tempered by the realization that another murder victim had been found.
The current owner of Fox Hollow has continued to find fragments and submits them to authorities.
The investigation into Baumeister's activities has revealed at least 25 victims from the remains found on his property. By 1999, police had linked Baumeister to 16 missing men whose bodies were found in streams across Indiana and Ohio. Renewed efforts to identify more victims began in November 2022, with Jellison partnering with forensic labs to extract DNA from the remains.
Jellison's team continues to urge those with missing loved ones from that period to contact the coroner's office, hoping to bring closure to more families after decades of uncertainty.
Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj
Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com
The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Karen Read Trial, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK’s Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, Justice for Harmony Montgomery, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com