Offender Record · OFF-2026-142
Herb Baumeister (photo from the Radford University biography)
Herbert Richard Baumeister
Also known as Herb Baumeister, Brian Smart, The I-70 Strangler
Sex
Male
Race
White
Born
1947
Custody
Deceased
States
IN, OH, CA
Distinguishing featuresTwo screws in jaw from surgery (document)
Custody
Died by suicide July 3, 1996 at Pinery Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada (Wikipedia; ABC News; WRTV)
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Herbert Richard Baumeister was an Indianapolis businessman suspected of murdering between 11 and 25 young men and boys between 1980 and 1995, primarily in Indiana and Ohio. After police discovered human remains at his Fox Hollow Farm property in Westfield, Indiana in June 1996, an arrest warrant was issued. Baumeister fled to Ontario, Canada and died by suicide on July 3, 1996, before trial. Law enforcement officially named him prime suspect in the I-70 Strangler murders in April 1999.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Murder - I-70 Strangler victims
Law Enforcement (April 1999 official naming) · Arrested Jun 24, 1996 · Named by police; died before charges Named by police; died before charges
Law enforcement officially named Baumeister as prime suspect in April 1999 for I-70 Strangler murders. Between 1980 and 1991, at least 12 bodies found strangled and dumped near Interstate 70 in rural Indiana and Ohio. Victims were young men from Indianapolis gay community. Bodies found naked or partially clothed in streams and ditches. Murders ceased in 1991 after Baumeister purchased Fox Hollow Farm.
SourcesHerb Baumeister - The I-70 Strangler; Herb Baumeister; I-70 Strangler remains mysterious Midwest boogeyman, but private investigator has theory
Murder - Fox Hollow Farm victims
Hamilton County, Indiana; Indianapolis Police Department · Arrested Jun 24, 1996 · Named by police; died before charges Named by police; died before charges
Eight men positively identified from remains recovered at Fox Hollow Farm in 1996: Johnny Bayer, 20; Allen Wayne Broussard, 28; Roger Allen Goodlet, 34; Richard D. Hamilton, 20; Steven S. Hale, 26; Jeff Allen Jones, 31; Michael Kiern, 46; Manuel Resendez, 31. Over 10,000 bone fragments and charred remains recovered. All victims strangled to death at residence, remains burned and disposed of on 18-acre property.
SourcesHerbert R. Baumeister - Encyclopedia of Indianapolis; Identifying Serial Killer Herb Baumeister's Victims; Here's what we know about notorious Indiana serial killer Herbert Baumeister; New DNA technology and witness revelations expose dark secrets in Fox Hollow Farm case
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
0
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
25
Victims suspected
Active years
1980–1995
Victim profile
Men, Teenagers, Young women
Stated motive
Sexual
Range from home
regional
Education
high school
Marital history
Married, Divorced
Children
3
Died
1996-07-03 · suicide
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Hamilton County Coroner's Office · IN
Renewed investigation 2022; coroner Jeff Jellison leads ongoing victim identification efforts using DNA technology
Rochester Police Department · IN
Arrested for drinking and driving in 1994; sentenced to 3 days jail and 1 year probation
Fishers Police Department · IN
Participated in victim identification effort as of 1999
Marion County Prosecutor's Office · IN
Sonia Leerkamp listed as prosecuting attorney in investigation materials
Marion County Sheriff's Department · IN
Investigated disappearances of gay men from Indianapolis area by summer 1995
Hamilton County Sheriff's Office · IN
Deputies found remains at Fox Hollow Farm June 24, 1996; led by Sgt. Eddie Moore; forensic investigation of property
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) · US
Assisted in victim identification investigation as part of multi-agency team
University of Indianapolis Forensic Lab and Archaeology Department · IN
Tested and cataloged evidence; stores 10,000 bones and fragments; conducts DNA testing
Indianapolis Police Department · IN
Investigated missing gay men disappearances starting 1993; Detective Mary Wilson tracked Baumeister; issued arrest warrant June 1996
Source: Wikipedia
Indiana State Police · IN
Biology unit participated in victim identification; extracted DNA profiles; continues investigation as of 2022-2026
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
CA
Ontario, Canada
Jun 30, 1996 – Jul 03, 1996 · Pinery Provincial Park · Fled to Ontario after learning of arrest warrant; died by suicide at park
IN
Indianapolis, Indiana
1947 – 1971 · Born and raised in Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
1967 – 1967 · Indianapolis Star as copyboy
Indianapolis, Indiana
1971 – 1988 · Marital home with wife Juliana
Indianapolis, Indiana
1974 – 1985 · State Bureau of Motor Vehicles; terminated for urinating on governor's letter
Indianapolis, Indiana
1988 – 1996 · Founder and owner of Sav-A-Lot thrift store chain (opened first store 1988, second and third 1990)
Indianapolis, Indiana
1990 – 1996 · Gay bars in Indianapolis four-block radius
Westfield, Indiana
1991 – Jul 03, 1996 · Fox Hollow Farm, 18-acre property at 156th Street and Monon Trail
OH
Columbus, Ohio
approx. 1980 – 1991 · Traveled to Ohio area via Interstate 70 corridor during I-70 Strangler period
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1995Vehicle registered to Herb Baumeister; identified by witness Tony Harris at gay bar August 29, 1995 when he obtained license plate number
approx. 1995 – 1996
Car registration led to police identification of 'Brian Smart' alias as Herb Baumeister
Timeline
Apr 07, 1947
Herbert Richard Baumeister born in Indianapolis, Indiana, oldest of four children to Dr. Herbert Eugene Baumeister (anesthesiologist) and Elizabeth Baumeister
1965
Baumeister graduated high school and attended Indiana University for one semester
1967
Baumeister returned to Indiana University for one semester then dropped out, taking job at Indianapolis Star as copyboy
Nov 01, 1971
Baumeister married Juliana Saitor in United Methodist Church ceremony in Indiana
1972
Baumeister spent two months in psychiatric hospital, six months after marriage
Jan 01, 1974
Baumeister employed at State Bureau of Motor Vehicles where he exhibited odd behavior
Jun 16, 1980
Body of 15-year-old Michael Sean Petree discovered in rural Hamilton County, Indiana; later suspected as Baumeister I-70 Strangler victim
Sep 03, 1985
Baumeister committed hit-and-run while drinking and driving; body of Eric Roetiger, 17, found in Indiana
1986
Baumeister beat conspiracy charge after one-day bench trial; acquitted
Mar 27, 1986
Warrant filed for Baumeister's arrest; charged with auto theft (Class A misdemeanor) and conspiracy to commit theft (Class D)
Nov 12, 1986
Baumeister's father, Dr. Herbert Eugene Baumeister, died
Jan 01, 1988
Baumeister borrowed $4,000 from his mother and opened first Sav-A-Lot thrift store
Aug 12, 1989
Body of Steven Elliott, 26, found (later suspected as Baumeister victim)
1990
Baumeister opened second Sav-A-Lot store after making $50,000 in first year
Aug 11, 1990
Body of Clay Boatman, 32, found in Indiana (later suspected as Baumeister victim)
1991
Baumeister family purchased Fox Hollow Farm, 18-acre property in Westfield, Indiana
1993
Multiple disappearances of young men from Indianapolis gay bars reported; victims linked to Baumeister
May 01, 1993
Michael Riley, 22, reported missing from Indianapolis
May 28, 1993
Johnny L. Bayer, 20, reported missing from Indianapolis
Jul 01, 1993
Jeffery Jones, 31, reported missing from Indianapolis
Jul 01, 1993
Richard Hamilton, 20, reported missing from Indianapolis
Aug 06, 1993
Alan Livingstone, 27, reported missing from Indianapolis
Jan 01, 1994
Baumeister arrested for drinking and driving in Rochester, Indiana; sentenced to 3 days jail and 1 year probation
Apr 01, 1994
Stephen Hale, 26, reported missing from Indianapolis
Jun 06, 1994
Alan Broussard, 28, last seen leaving gay bar in Indianapolis
Jul 22, 1994
Roger Alan Goodlet, 34, disappeared from Indianapolis
Dec 01, 1994
Baumeister's 15-year-old son found human skull in backyard at Fox Hollow Farm; Baumeister claimed it was medical cadaver remains from father's practice
Aug 29, 1995
Baumeister appeared at Indianapolis gay bar; witness Tony Harris obtained license plate number and reported suspicions to police
Nov 01, 1995
Baumeister told his lawyer he was going to kill himself
Nov 01, 1995
Police confronted Juliana Baumeister about husband's suspected involvement in disappearances
Jan 04, 1996
Juliana Baumeister filed for divorce
Jun 24, 1996
Juliana Baumeister consented to police search of Fox Hollow Farm while Herb was out of town; investigators found human remains and issued arrest warrant for Baumeister
Jun 30, 1996
Baumeister became aware of imminent arrest and fled to Canada
Jul 03, 1996
Baumeister shot himself in the forehead with .357 magnum at Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada; left three-page note citing failing marriage and business
Apr 01, 1999
Law enforcement officially named Baumeister as prime suspect in I-70 Strangler murders spanning 1980-1991 in Indiana and Ohio
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Other government record · Encyclopedia of Indianapolis ·
Herbert R. Baumeister - Encyclopedia of Indianapolis“By September 12, the forensic team confidently identified the remains of four individuals: Richard Hamilton, Manuel Resendez, Steven Hale, and Roger Goodlet”
News report · Oxygen ·
Identifying Serial Killer Herb Baumeister's Victims“The identified victims included Manuel Resendez and Roger Goodlet, plus Jeffery Jones, Richard Hamilton, Steven Hale, Alan Broussard, Michael Keirn, and Jerry Williams Comer”
News report · Indianapolis Monthly ·
The True Story Of The Fox Hollow Murders“On June 24, 1996, Julie had a change of heart and told police they could search the estate. Investigators found human remains the same day, and an arrest warrant was issued for Baumeister”
News report · CBS News ·
More remains identified at suspected serial killer's Indiana estate, now 13 presumed victims“We know that we have at this point 13 victims found on the Fox Hollow Farm property; Baumeister, a married father of three who frequented gay bars, lured men to his home and killed them”
Other · Texas A&M Forensics ·
Baumeister, Herb - Texas A&M Forensic and Investigative Sciences“He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder”
News report · ABC News ·
New DNA technology and witness revelations expose dark secrets in Fox Hollow Farm case“Businessman Herbert Baumeister of Westfield, Indiana, has never been convicted, but police believe he is responsible for killing victims, mostly gay men, with more than 10,000 bone fragments found scattered across his Fox Hollow Farm”
News report · WRTV ·
Here's what we know about notorious Indiana serial killer Herbert Baumeister“Baumeister, 49, shot himself in the head in Pinery Provincial Park in Canada on July 3, 1996, and died before he could be arrested and put on trial for the killings at his home”
Other · Wikipedia ·
Herb Baumeister“Herbert Richard Baumeister (April 7, 1947 – July 3, 1996) died by suicide after warrant issued for arrest; police found remains of eleven men, eight identified, on his property”
Other · The Johnny Doe Project ·
Herb Baumeister - The I-70 Strangler“Though officially unsolved, law enforcement officially named Baumeister as a prime suspect in the case in April 1999”
News report · Fox News ·
I-70 Strangler remains mysterious Midwest boogeyman, but private investigator has theory“Herb Baumeister was an Indiana serial killer tied to at least 12 murders, but believed to have killed 20-30 people”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Baumeister, Herb“Herb Baumeister, born April 7, 1947; linked to 18 victims with assumption of more; died by suicide July 3, 1996”
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