25 Gay Men Could Have Been Killed by Indiana Serial Killer
NOBLESVILLE, Indiana (WISH) -- Bones found in the 1990s on Fox Hallow Farms in Westfield are linked to Herb Baumeister, the man largely considered Indiana’s most prolific serial killer.In 1996, authorities found only 11 DNA profiles among the bones and identified eight of the men.Now, that total of DNA profiles could rise to about 25 men with new testing of the bones.Jeff Jellison, who takes office in January as the new Hamilton County coroner, said DNA technology has advanced, and it is time to identify the rest of the men.“The search produced more than probably 10,000 bones and bone fragments,” Jellison said. “We believe there are as many as 25 individuals that were recovered from that property.
So from that initial find, there were 11 DNA samples identified. Eight of those people were actually matched to DNA samples and were actually identified.
There are still three remaining DNA samples that were not matched to anyone.”The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office is partnering with the University of Indianapolis Archeology and Forensic Lab to sort the 10,000 bones and fragments to determine which ones can be used to create additional DNA profiles.“We’ve identified approximately 100 bones that are viable for DNA extraction.
Many of these bones are very, very small, small as a fingernail, because they were crushed. Many of the longer bones were burnt before they were discarded, so DNA may not exist in those bones.”Baumeister was believed to have coerced young men in Indianapolis gay bars to return to his Westfield house before killing them.
