Fox Hollow Farm Murders: The Herb Baumeister Story

The True Crime world is abuzz with the new Fox Hollow Farm Murders Hulu content!

We'll discuss the Fox Hollow Farm serial killer in Indiana, his victims, and the massive amount of DNA that the Hamilton County coroner needs to analyze to identify who the 10,000 bone fragments belong to.

About The Serial Killer: Herb Baumeister Case

Who Is Herb Baumeister?

Herb Baumeister was the founder of the two store chain Sav-A-Lot in Indiana. His life began on April 7, 1947 in the town of Indianapolis, Indiana. He was the first born child of Dr. Herbert Eugene Baumeister and Elizabeth Baumeister.

After hitting puberty he started displaying antisocial behavior including playing with dead animals urinating on teachers' desks, and a urination fetish. His behaviors led to a psychological evaluation where he was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and paranoid schizophrenia. He never sought treatment.

At 18, Herb Baumeister went to college at Indian University, but dropped out for a semester. After dropping out, Herb worked at the Indianapolis Star. Coworkers described him as:

Returning to Indiana University in 1967 where he met Juliana "Julie" Saiter, who he would marry four years later. Julie Baumeister described her husband as:

Shortly after getting married, Herb Baumeister developed depression and went to a psychiatric hospital for two months.

In 1974 Herb Baumeister started working at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (DMV) . He worked there until 1985 when he was terminated for writing a letter to the governor of Indiana and pissing on it.

During his time at the DMV, they'd have three kids during 1979, 1981, and 1984.

In addition, his anti-social personality disorder may have started to get worse. In 1980, the first of 11 young gay men was found off Interstate 70. These men were picked up at gay bars, stripped, killed by strangulation, and dumped on I-70, earning the unidentified serial killer the nickname the I-70 strangler.

Law enforcement believes the I-70 strangler murders are connected to the Fox Hollow Murders because the modus operandi was similar and the bodies stopped being dumped around the same time that Herb Baumeister bought Fox Hollow Farm and started burying his bodies in the back yard.

1985 and 1986 were hard years for Herb Baumeister. After his job, Herb was charged with committing a hit and run DUI, then with car theft and conspiracy to commit theft (meaning he had an accomplice). Then his dad died.

In 1988, Herb and Julie Baumeister started Sav-A-Lot with $4,000 borrowed from his mom. After a successful first year, they opened their second location.

Near the end of 1991, he moved to Westfield, Indiana where the Fox Hollow Farm killings began and the I-70 strangler murders ended.

How Did Herb Baumeister Kill His Victims?

Herb Baumeister killed his victims during the Fox Hollow murders by going to a gay bar, introducing himself by a fake name(a survivor named Tony Harris says he identified himself as "Brian Smart)," and taking them back to the Fox Hollow Farm pool house.

At the pool house they would have sex and then Herb Baumeister would strangle them before burning them and disposing of their bodies by using them as gravel on his 18-acre property. According to the Crime Junkie podcast only 1 skull was ever found which has led to questions about whether there may have been an accomplice. Check out the podcast episode below.

How Did Herb Baumeister Get Caught?

The Marion County Sheriff's Department and the Indianapolis Police Department started a criminal investigation about the disappearances of gay men who were between the ages of 15 to 45 with brown or black hair, slim but not skinny build, and mustaches. Some pictures of of his victims are included in this blog.

It wasn't until 1994 when Tony Harris reached out to police because "Brian Smart" attempted to choke him with a pool hose. Harris believed that Baumeister was responsible for his friend Roger Goodlet's death because Herb kept asking about the missing person's case.

Sometime in 1994, Erich Baumeister discovered a human skeleton in the backyard. Herb told his wife and kids that the victim's remains were from a cadaver his father had for his medical practice.

The notorious serial killer case didn't go anywhere until Harris saw Baumeister again in August 1995. Harris followed Herb's car and documented the serial killer's license plate. The license plate number was enough for police to identify "Brian Smart" as Herb Baumeister.

It wasn't until November 1995 that investigators ask to search the Fox Hollow farm home for evidence of the Fox Hollow murder victims. Both the serial killer and his wife declined the request because the police did not have a search warrant.

Combine the human remains their son found with police asking to search a house because they believed it was associated with disappearances of gay men, and that's enough for anyone to want a divorce. Julie filed for divorce on January 1, 1996. During conversations with her lawyer she first admitted:

In June of 1996, Julie allowed Hamilton County Sheriff's Office to search the Fox Hollow Farm because she was afraid of her husband's behavior. Former detective Cary Milligan explained:

Over the next few weeks the law enforcement officers found more than 10,000 human bone fragments connected to the Fox Hollow Farm murders victims. There are at least 13 victims remains on the Fox Hollow Farm property, but only 10 people have been identified. Based on the number of bone fragments there could be up to 48 victims remains.

Herb was out of town on business, when this occurred. A warrant was issued for his arrest. On June 30th, 1996 the American serial killer from Indianapolis crossed the border to Ontario, Canada.

How Did Herb Baumeister Die?

Herb Baumeister died by killing himself with a 357 Magnum.

During the eight days he was missing, the Save-A-Lot serial killer, Herb Baumeister, was staying in Pinery Provincial Park on Lake Heron.

He took the time to write a three page suicide note to his wife and kids apologizing for the failed business and marriage, describing his trip, and his intent to kill himself somewhere else. Notably, he changed his mind about killing himself at his originally intended location because he saw children.

The letter did not include anything about how the wealthy businessman preyed on vulnerable gay men in the Indianapolis area, or how Baumeister's victims died. The last thing the Westfield Indiana serial killer ate was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Herb Baumiester parked his car on the side of the road, then proceeded to take the 357 Magnum and shot himself in the head.

Fox Hollow Farm Victims

The Fox Hollow serial killer had at least 9 known victims, three unidentified victims, and at least 11 victims as the I-70 strangler. In the following sections we'll list Herb Baumeister victims based on whether they were victims of Fox Hollow Farm murder or the I-70 strangler murders.

Remains Found At Fox Hollow Farm Location

1. John Lee "Johnny" Bayer, 20 years old, reported missing on May 28, 1993.

2. Jeffrey Allen "Jeff" Jones, age 31, reported missing on July 6, 1993.

3. Richard Douglas Hamilton Jr., 20 years old, reported missing on July 31, 1993.

4. Allen Lee Livingston, age 27, reported missing on August 6, 1993. Identified through new DNA technology in October 2023.

5. Steven Spurlin Hale, 28 years old, reported missing on April 1, 1994.

6. Allen Wayne Broussard, age 28, reported missing on June 6, 1994.

7. Roger Allen Goodlet, 33 years old, reported missing on July 22, 1994.

8. Michael Frederick "Mike" Keirn, age 45, reported missing on March 31, 1995.

9. Manuel Resendez, 34 years old, reported missing on August 6, 1993. Identified by matching a family sample in January 2024.

I-70 Strangler Murder Victims

I;m not going to go into the depth of each of these cases but each of these missing gay men or boys went missing from Indianapolis gay bars and investigators uncover that they were found dead with strangulation marks.

• Michael Sean Petree, 15 years old, found dead and naked on June 16, 1980 in Hamilton County Indiana.

• Maurice Allen Taylor, age 22, was found dead and topless on July 21, 1982 in Weasel Creek in Hamilton County Indiana. 

• Delvoyd Lee Baker, 14 years old, was found dead and partially unclothed on October 3, 1982 near a river in Hamilton County.

• Michael Andrew "Mick" Riley, age 22 , disappeared on May 28, 1983, found dead and naked on June 5, 1983 in Hancock County. A friend identified Baumeister killer as the person he left the gay theater with.

• Eric Allen Roettger, 17 years old, found dead and shirtless on May 7, 1985, in Preble County, Ohio.

• Michael Allen "Mike" Glenn, age 29, found dead in underwear on August 15, 1986 in Eaton Ohio.

• James Boyd Robbins Jr., 21 years old, found dead and naked on October 17, 1987 in a ditch in Shelby County, Indiana. One witness claimed to see a red Jeep Wrangler Renegade near the crime scene, while another saw a Chevrolet Blazer. Could they have both seen a red SUV or were there two killers?

• Steven Lynn Elliott, age 26 found dead in his underwear on August 12, 1989 Preble County, Ohio with what appeared to be rope marks around his neck.

• Clay Russell Boatman, 32 years old, found in a ditch near Eaton, Ohio.

• Thomas Ray Clevenger Jr., age 18, semi-nude corpse found on an abandoned railroad track.

•  Otto Gary Becker, 42 years old, found in a ditch on August 6, 1991 in Henry County, Indiana on August 6, 1991. Multiple witnesses claimed to see the victim with another man, but could not identify the other man.

Hamilton County Coroner's Office

The Hamilton County Coroner's Office would have liked to put more resources into identifying the remains from Fox Hollow Farms Indiana, but the county did not believe it was a good use of resources based on Baumeister's suicide.

In 2022, Jeff Jellison, the new coroner stated:

The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office phone number is 317-770-4415.

Fox Hollow Farm FAQ

Can you stay at Fox Hollow Farm?

No, you can't stay at the Fox Hollow Farm murders address in Indiana, but there is a Fox Hollow Farm in Issaquah, Washington that offers overnight stays.

Where can I stream Fox Hollow Murders?

The Fox Hollow Farm Murders: Playground Of A Serial Killer docuseries is available with Disney+/Hulu membership.

Can you visit Fox Hollow Farm?

Yes you can visit the location of the Fox Hollow Farm Murders at 1111 East 156th Street, 1111 E 156th St, Carmel, IN 46032. Use the Google Map below to find the location data for the Indiana murders location.

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Was Jerry Williams-Comer A Victim Of the Fox Hollow Farm Killer?

There's no conclusive evidence that he Williams-Comer was was a victim of Jerry Williams-Comer was killed by the Westfield serial killer. He was last seen on August 8, 1995, after the killer was disposing of bodies at his home. He was 34 years old. His car was found at Castleton Square Mall.

He was an LGBTQ activist and similar in body type to the murders at Fox Hollow Farm, but his remains have never been found. His son Adam was featured in the Hulu docu-series which means they could have done a DNA match.

Conclusion

The Fox Hollow Farm Murders took advantage of a vulnerable population. Gay men in the 80s and 90s were still heavily discriminated against. Other serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer and Larry Eyler were also targeting this population.

I suspect that many of the gay serial killers harbored anger towards themselves as well as other gay men because they did not fit in to the Midwest's socioeconomic culture during the time. We discussed Herb Baumeister, his victims, and how the coroner is trying to identify the rest of the remains.