Coroner: Free partnership will help ID victims of suspected Indiana serial killer

WESTFIELD, Ind. — A central Indiana coroner is partnering with a nationally recognized genealogy group in continued efforts to identify victims of a suspected serial killer.

The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office announced Wednesday that they have partnered with GenGenies, a forensic investigative genetic genealogy firm. GenGenies will now provide their services at no cost to county taxpayers.

The partnership comes amidst renewed efforts to identify human remains found in 1996 on the Fox Hollow Farm property in Westfield. The property is the former home of Herb Baumeister, a suspected serial killer who preyed on young Hoosiers, often gay men.

The investigation into Baumeister, considered one of Indiana’s most notorious serial killers, began nearly 30 years ago. Police say he lured gay men to his home in the mid-80s through the mid-90s before killing them and disposing of their bodies in his large backyard.

It wasn’t until 1996 that Baumeister was found out. Shortly after over 10,000 bone fragments were found on his property and an investigation was opened, Baumeister shot himself in Canada.

Despite it being over 20 years since Baumeister’s death, County Coroner Jeff Jellison is continuing the work to identify his victims. The new partnership with GenGenies is the latest step in this process.

GenGenies reportedly specializes in forensic IGG, described as a cutting-edge tool that helps map familial relationships surrounding unidentified DNA samples. By doing this, the group helps to find candidate leads for potential family members of the unidentified victims.

Local Fishers resident JJ Beck, an in-house IGG practitioner, was recently brought out by GenGenies as a volunteer. She will now serve as a “direct liaison” between GenGenies and the Coroner’s Office, Jellison said.

“The expertise GenGenies brings to this case is invaluable,” Jellison said. “Their work not only provides hope for identifying the remains, but also saves Hamilton County taxpayers thousands of dollars in investigative costs.”

“We warmly welcome GenGenies to the team of forensic experts working diligently to provide closure to the families of the victims,” he continued. “Their collaboration represents an important step forward in this complex and emotional investigation.”

The 10,000 remains recovered from the Baumeister property are now stored in the University of Indianapolis’ archaeology department and were most recently in the process of DNA testing at Indiana State Police labs.

As of April 2025, at least 10 victims whose remains were found at Fox Hollow Farms have been identified. For more information on the latest identification, click here.