Who was Herb Baumeister and what did he do? Details about The Fox Hollow Murders subject, explored

The latest Hulu true crime docu-series, The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer, covers the case of one of the most prolific serial killers of all time, Herb Baumeister, whose involvement in over a dozen murders is all but confirmed. As Herb Baumeister, who led a double life, committed suicide before the investigation concluded, he isn't officially branded a serial killer.

However, if Herb is indeed the serial killer authorities suspect him to be, he could be involved in multiple strings of murders, with a victim count that could be over 20. Herb also managed to pull off all these murders without garnering much attention, which is part of the reason he is not as famous as Jeffrey Dahmer or John Wayne Gacy.

The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer gives an insight into the murders and the quest to identify the victims of this twisted person. With the series streaming on Hulu, let us go over who the central figure, Herb Baumeister, is and what he likely did.

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Who was Herb Baumeister?

Herb Baumeister was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 7, 1947, in a privileged family. His father was an anesthesiologist, and Herb reportedly had an ordinary childhood devoid of any red flags. However, his friends claimed that his antisocial behavior began in his teens, with Herb showing various signs that were beyond ordinary, including urophilia and playing with dead animals.

Observing this behavior, Herb's father took him to get a mental examination, which revealed he had paranoid schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder. He was not treated for either of these issues.

In 1965, he attended Indiana University but did not complete the degree. He also attended a semester at Butler University. In his professional career, too, he drifted through many jobs but was noted for his work ethic and eventually succeeded as a businessman.

In 1971, he married Juliana "Julie" Saiter, and the two had three children together. However, Julie later revealed they had not been intimate many times over their long marriage. This was perhaps because Herb Baumeister was leading a double life.

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How did the authorities find out about Herb Baumeister?

Between June 1980 and October 1991, at least 11 gay men were murdered and dumped on Interstate 70. The killer was nicknamed I-70 Strangler, but no one could locate this killer. Interestingly, the killings stopped when the Baumeisters purchased and moved to Fox Hollow Farm.

The first sign of trouble was seen when Herb Baumeister's 11-year-old son reportedly found a human skull on their 18-acre property. Herb explained that it was a practice skeleton his father used, but this discovery would snowball into something much bigger.

In 1994, the same year as Herb's son found the skull, authorities were informed about one Brian Smart, who frequented gay bars around the area from where young men were disappearing. A year later, after a man named Tony Harris managed to follow this Brian Smart and find his license plate, and the police linked it back to Herb Baumeister.

Initially, when the police wanted to search the property, both Julie and Herb refused. But by 1996, Julie had grown wary and finally allowed the authorities to check the plot. The shocking result of the search revealed that the remains of at least eleven men, eight of whom were identified, were buried in their property. As a warrant was taken out in Baumesiter's name, he fled to Ontario, where he shot himself in the head with a .357 Magnum handgun.

In a suicide note, he wrote about his intention to kill himself and apologized for the troubled marriage he had with Julie, but never mentioned the crimes he committed. While authorities are nearly certain that the Fox Hollow Murders were committed by Herb, whether he was the I-70 strangler remains debatable.

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Find out more about Herb Baumeister in The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer, which is now streaming on Hulu.