Docuseries on Baumeister killings sparks hundreds of new leads in reborn investigation

HAMILTON COUNTY, Ind. — The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office is chasing hundreds of new leads into the victims of a notorious serial killer.

Authorities believe Herbert Baumeister lured gay men to his 18-acre estate in rural Hamilton County in the 1980s and 1990s, killing them and leaving the remains to rot on his property.

Baumeister’s alleged acts were uncovered in 1996 when 10,000 bone fragments were excavated out of a sprawling and wooded backyard. Baumeister shot himself in Canada before he could be questioned about the bodies.

The bones were mostly left to gather dust on a shelf at the University of Indianapolis, until Jeff Jellison was elected as the Hamilton County Coroner and made it a top priority to identify Baumeister’s victims.

So far, 11 people have been identified in the bone fragments found at Fox Hollow Farms. To identify more, Jellison needs attention on the case. The premiere of ABC News Studios docuseries The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer has done just that.

”It’s been a busy couple of weeks,” Jellison said. “I’ve received well over 500 phone calls, emails, text messages, Facebook messages from people who have provided us leads on missing people, leads on identification of people who are potential victims in this case, we’ve also received some leads on the criminal investigation, as well.”

Jellison is interviewed extensively in the docuseries, along with the now owner of Fox Hollow Farms Rob Graves. The docuseries also talks to Mark Goodyear, who is believed to be the sole survivor of Baumeister, but appears to know more than he initially told police.

”This investigation into these unidentified human remains is the second largest investigation of human remains in this country, second to the World Trade Center,” Jellison said.

So far, three people have come to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office to submit DNA swabs. Each believes they might have a missing relative who ended up at Fox Hollow Farms.

”I wanted to bring attention to this case,” Jellison said on his motives for cooperating with a documentary team. “People see this, they may come forward and provide us with some information that may lead to an identification.”

Along with missing persons reports, the messages flowing into the coroner’s office have also been tips about the criminal investigation into Baumeister.

Jellison said one man who went to school in Missouri in the 1990s called him. The man told Jellison he met another man at a bar one night, they went back to a hotel together and the other man attacked. The man talking to Jellison was able to get away. It wasn’t until he watched the documentary that he saw Baumeister’s face, and recognized him as his attacker.

“This gentleman talked about how he had met an individual in a bar, went back to a hotel with him and he attacked him,” Jellison said. “He was able to get away but when he saw the documentary, he recognized him and said that’s the person that attacked me.”

Jellison said that tip has been passed along to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.

As Jellison and his team sort through the new onslaught of information, they’re also being offered new resources to help. Jellison said they’re in talks with another lab that could examine the bones for DNA and with artificial intelligence forensic technology.

The biggest challenge as the investigation continues is getting through all of the bone fragments. Jellison said only about 40 fragments can be examined by the Indiana State Police forensic labs every few months.

”It’s going to be a long time,” Jellison said. “We’re sending 40 [bone fragments] a quarter, we’ve got 10,000 remains. So, we are also reaching out seeking some additional resources.”

No matter how long it takes, Jellison is dedicated to doing everything they can to identify the victims at Fox Hollow Farms.

“Those remains represent people and those memories have sat on a shelf at the University of Indianapolis for 30 years,” Baumeister said. “Our goal is to get them off the shelf and get them to a final resting stop. We can’t do that until we get an identification on those remains.”

If you have a missing relative or know someone who went missing in the 1980s or 1990s in central Indiana or who could have been visiting the area at the time, you can reach the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office at (317) 770-4415.