5 chilling details about Herbert Baumeister's crimes

The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer, ABC News and Hulu's new true crime documentary looks at the crimes of serial killer Herbert Baumeister. Herbert was a businessman from Indianapolis, who was believed to have killed over a dozen men in the early 1990s.

He was accused of luring gay men from nightclubs as many of his victims were allegedly last seen at bars before they disappeared. Investigators believe that after killing the men, he buried their remains on his estate in Westfield, known as Fox Hollow Farm. Authorities discovered thousands of human bones and bone fragments scattered across his property. Some of these had been burned or crushed and investigators were only able to identify 13 of his victims.

While authorities had found the remains of Baumeister's victims, he never stood trial for his crimes. He took his own life in Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada in 1995.

The new ABC and Hulu documentary delves deep into the investigation into Herbert Baumeister's crimes and the stories of his victims. It also has several personal accounts of people who encountered Baumeister and gives insights into one of Indiana's most infamous serial killers.

This article will take a look at five chilling details about Herbert Baumeister’s crimes and how they were eventually discovered.

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1) About 10,000 human bones were found on Herbert Baumeister’s Fox Hollow Farm

Human bones of Baumeister's supposed victims were found on his property (Image via ABC News)

Authorities uncovered approximately 10,000 human bone fragments scattered across Herbert Baumeister’s 18-acre estate, Fox Hollow Farm in Westfield, Indiana. Baumeister, who lived there with his wife and three children, was accused of targeting gay men at nightclubs in the 1990s.

Investigators believe he lured his victims back to his home, where he killed them and buried their remains on the property. The sheer number of bones suggested multiple victims, reinforcing suspicions that Baumeister was responsible for a string of disappearances linked to local bars.

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2) Herbert Baumeister’s son discovered the bones, which ended Baumeister’s killing spree

Baumeister's son's discovered the bones on their property (Image via ABC News)

In 1994, Herbert Baumeister's 13-year-old son was playing in the wooded area behind their home when he found a human skull and a pile of bones. When confronted, Baumeister claimed that the remains were those of an old dissecting skeleton from his father's medical practice.

He then collected the bones, cleaned them, and buried them in the garden. This discovery led to an investigation that uncovered the full extent of Baumeister’s crimes until its end.

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3) Herbert Baumeister targeted gay men and was linked to the unsolved I-70 Strangler case

Baumeister's victims were identified as gay men he met in local bars and nightclubs (Image via ABC News)

Herbert Baumeister’s victims were primarily gay men, many of whom were last seen at local bars before disappearing. Investigators believe he lured them to his home, where he killed them and buried their remains. Some bones recovered from the property showed signs of being burned.

Before Baumeister was identified as a suspect, an unidentified serial killer known as the "I-70 Strangler" was believed to be responsible for the murders of at least 11 men. The killer targeted young men and boys in Indiana and Ohio between the 1980s and 1991. The victims were found naked or partially clothed, dumped in waterways or along rural areas near Interstate 70.

Although the case remains officially unsolved, the police named Baumeister as the prime suspect in April 1999. According to a UPI report in 1998, the murders attributed to the I-70 Strangler stopped in 1991, the same year Baumeister purchased Fox Hollow Farm. Investigators believe he may have used the property as a burial site for his later victims.

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4) Baumeister was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a park in Canada

After being named the suspect, Baumeister fled to Canada, where he ended his life (Image via ABC News)

After the bones were discovered at his property, 49-year-old Herbert Baumeister became a suspect in the murders of at least 13 people. However, when a warrant for his arrest was issued, he reportedly fled to Ontario, Canada, where he took his own life. The alleged serial killer was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at Pinery Provincial Park on the shores of Lake Huron.

Baumeister left behind a three-page suicide note and according to a 1996 article in People Magazine, he expressed regret over his failing business and the collapse of his marriage. However, he made no mention of the human remains discovered at Fox Hollow Farm or any of the crimes he was accused of committing.

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5) Renewed effort leads to the identification of Herbert Baumeister’s victims

In 1999, authorities were able to identify eight of Herbert Baumeister’s victims. However, several remained unidentified for decades but the case has since been revived as Detective Jellison decided to take another look at it in 2022.

According to the Associated Press, the detective and his team used advancements in DNA technology, including genetic genealogy, to identify more victims. This renewed effort aimed to bring closure to the families of those who had disappeared.

The official trailer for the ABC News documentary The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer was released on YouTube on February 12, 2025.

The four-episode docuseries The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial premiered on February 18 and is currently streaming on Hulu. It explores more chilling details of Baumeister’s crimes and the ongoing efforts to identify his victims.