Walk onto the grounds of Fox Hollow Farm today and it looks like a dream. Lush. Peaceful. A sprawling 18-acre estate in Westfield, Indiana, that looks exactly like the kind of place a wealthy family would move to for some quiet. But if you know the history, the air feels different. Most people know it as the place where Herb Baumeister lived, a seemingly boring guy who owned some thrift stores and had a wife and kids. He was hiding something. Something dark. It's one of the most chilling serial killer cases in American history, not just because of the body count, but because of how it all came crashing down in the mid-90s.
The Fox Hollow Farm killings aren't just a true crime story; they are a study in how someone can hide in plain sight while committing unspeakable acts.
A Thrift Store Mogul with a Secret
Herb Baumeister wasn't your typical monster. He didn't look like one. He ran Sav-A-Lot thrift stores in Indianapolis. People saw him as a successful businessman, albeit a bit eccentric and high-strung. He was married to Julie Baumeister, and they had three children. They bought Fox Hollow Farm in 1991, an expensive move that signaled they had "made it." But while Julie and the kids were away at a secondary family property at Lake Wawasee, Herb was busy. He was hunting.
He frequented gay bars in Indianapolis, specifically places like The Varsity and 501 Eagle. He went by the name "Brian." He was looking for men who wouldn't be missed immediately—often young men who were part of the local LGBTQ+ scene, some of whom were transient or struggling. He’d bring them back to the secluded estate. What happened behind those doors was a nightmare of strangulation and disposal.
The terrifying part? His family was right there. Well, they were there on the weekends or during the school year. The woods behind the house became a graveyard while the kids played in the yard. It's the kind of stuff that makes your skin crawl because it feels so close to home.
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The Bone in the Backyard
The house of cards started falling apart in 1994. Herb’s son found a skull. He showed it to his mother. Now, imagine being Julie Baumeister. You’re living in this beautiful home, and your kid hands you a human skull he found in the woods. Herb played it off. He told her it was a medical skeleton from his father’s practice. He was convincing. He was a master manipulator. She believed him, or maybe she just needed to believe him to keep her world from imploding.
But the police were already sniffing around. They were looking for missing men like Roger Goodlet and Steven Hale. A man named Tony Harris had even told police that a guy named "Brian" had nearly strangled him during a sexual encounter at a mansion with a pool. He eventually identified the mansion as Fox Hollow Farm.
The Search and the Horror
By 1996, the pressure was too much. Julie finally gave consent for the police to search the property while Herb was away. What they found was staggering. They didn't just find a few bodies. They found thousands of bone fragments. Thousands.
The Fox Hollow Farm killings investigation became a massive forensic undertaking. Because Herb had burned some of the remains and scattered others, the scene was a chaotic mess of human remains. Investigators were literally sifting through the dirt to find teeth, vertebrae, and bits of charred bone. They found the remains of at least 11 men on that property, but the reality is likely much higher. Some estimates suggest he may have been responsible for the "I-70 Strangler" killings as well, which would put his victim count closer to 20 or more.
A Coward’s Exit
Herb didn't stick around to face the music. He fled to Ontario, Canada. On July 3, 1996, he walked onto a beach at Pinery Provincial Park and shot himself. He left a suicide note, but it wasn't a confession. He complained about his failing business and his crumbling marriage. He didn't mention the men he murdered. He didn't offer closure to the families who were wondering where their sons had gone. He took the easy way out, leaving the investigators to piece together the carnage he left behind in the Indiana soil.
Modern Day: The Hauntings and New Identifications
If you follow the paranormal world, you've definitely heard of Fox Hollow Farm. It’s been featured on shows like Ghost Adventures and Paranormal Witness. The current owners and visitors have reported seeing a man in a red shirt—believed to be one of the victims—walking the grounds. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the psychological weight of what happened there stays with the land.
But the real news lately isn't about ghosts. It's about DNA.
The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office, led by Jeff Jellison, has been working tirelessly to identify the remaining bone fragments. In 2022, they asked families of men who went missing in the 80s and 90s to provide DNA samples. It worked. In 2023 and 2024, they successfully identified several more victims, including Allen Livingston and Manuel Resendez. This gives families answers they've waited decades for. It’s a grim reminder that the Fox Hollow Farm killings aren't just "history"—they are a living tragedy for the families still waiting for a name to be attached to a fragment of bone.
Why This Case Still Haunts Indiana
There’s something uniquely disturbing about the suburban serial killer. We want to believe that evil looks like a monster, not a guy selling used clothes and living in a nice house with a pool. Herb Baumeister exploited the fact that in the 90s, the disappearance of gay men wasn't always treated with the urgency it deserved by law enforcement. He used the seclusion of his wealth to mask his violence.
The scale of the site is also a factor. Even now, over 25 years later, they are still finding bones. It wasn't a "crime scene" in the traditional sense; it was a dumping ground.
Understanding the Victimology
To understand the impact of the Fox Hollow Farm killings, you have to look at who Herb targeted. He looked for:
- Men who frequented the "gay strip" in Indy.
- Individuals who might be hesitant to go to the police.
- People he could lure with the promise of a fancy house and a drink.
He was a predator who understood social stigmas and used them to his advantage. It’s a dark lesson in how society's blind spots can be weaponized by the worst among us.
Actionable Steps for Those Interested in the Case
If you're looking to dig deeper or want to help the ongoing investigation, there are specific things you can do. The case is "closed" regarding the perpetrator, but the identification process is very much active.
- Follow the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office: They provide updates on the DNA identification project. It’s one of the most significant cold-case forensic projects in the Midwest right now.
- Check out the DNA Doe Project: While they aren't the primary investigators here, their work in genetic genealogy is the same tech being used to bring names back to the Fox Hollow victims.
- Support LGBTQ+ Cold Case Initiatives: Many of Baumeister's victims were part of a marginalized community. Supporting organizations that focus on justice for "forgotten" victims ensures these cases get the resources they need.
- Read "The Herb Baumeister Case" by various investigative journalists: Local Indianapolis reporters have done incredible work over the years detailing the timeline of the Sav-A-Lot stores and the subsequent police searches.
The Fox Hollow Farm killings serve as a sobering reminder of the duality of man. A father, a husband, and a killer. The bones in the woods are finally being named, but the shadow over that Westfield estate isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It remains a stark piece of Indiana history that demands we look closer at the neighbors we think we know.
To help identify the remaining victims, the Hamilton County Coroner continues to seek DNA from families of men who disappeared from the Indianapolis area between 1980 and 1996. Providing a simple swab could be the final piece of a thirty-year-old puzzle.