Nearly three decades after serial killer Herb Baumeister took his own life while evading police, authorities in Indiana are still working to identify the victims whose remains were discovered on his property. The Hamilton County Coroner recently announced that human remains recovered from Baumeister’s Fox Hollow Farm in 1996 have been positively identified as belonging to Jeffrey A. Jones, who went missing in 1993.
Jones is the third victim to be identified in recent months, following the identification of Allen Livingston and Manuel Resendez. However, there are still four additional DNA profiles found at Baumeister’s property that have not been matched to any missing persons, bringing the total number of his known victims to 12.
Baumeister, a businessman and married father of three, is believed to have hunted gay teens and men in central Indiana beginning in at least 1980. He reportedly used the fake name “Brian Smart” and targeted young gay men he met at bars. The remains of his victims were found crushed and burned on his 18-acre property in Westfield, north of Indianapolis.
The identification process has been challenging due to the condition of the remains, but a team of law enforcement and forensic specialists, including the FBI, Indiana State Police Laboratory, and DNA experts from Othram Lab, remain committed to the investigation.
Baumeister fled to Ontario, Canada in 1996 after a warrant was issued for his arrest and took his own life without admitting to any of the crimes or being charged with the murders.
