Missing Video Tapes Could Be Key to Solving the Mystery Behind One of America’s Most Notorious Serial Killers
In the early 1990s, Herb Baumeister is believed to have murdered 25 young men, allegedly luring his victims from gay bars in Indianapolis before taking them back to his home, where he carried out the killings.
The investigation took a chilling turn in 1996 when authorities began recovering human remains from the 18-acre Fox Hollow Farm property in Westfield. Baumeister, a seemingly successful businessman and married father of three, had moved into the estate with his family in 1988.
The horror began to unravel in 1994 when Baumeister’s 15-year-old son made a grim discovery, a human skull found in the woods behind their home. This unsettling revelation coincided with police efforts to track down a serial killer preying on gay men in the area.
According to detectives, when Baumeister’s wife, Julie, confronted him about the gruesome find, he dismissed it by claiming the skull must have been left over from his father’s medical practice.
After Julie Baumeister filed for divorce in 1996, she allowed police to search the property, leading to the discovery of a skull, teeth, and various bone fragments.
The investigation soon uncovered a horrifying scene, over 10,000 burnt and crushed bone fragments belonging to multiple victims. This grim evidence prompted authorities to issue an arrest warrant for Herb Baumeister.
However, before he could be charged, Baumeister fled to Ontario, Canada, where he took his own life.
Decades later, the full extent of Baumeister’s crimes remains a mystery, but a series of missing tapes could potentially shed light on his methods.
It’s believed that Baumeister recorded footage both before and during the killings, captured using a hidden camera installed in his basement.
When he fled to Canada, Baumeister is suspected of taking this evidence with him. Julie later confirmed that a significant collection of tapes had mysteriously disappeared from their home.
Mark Goodyear, believed to be the sole survivor of Herb Baumeister, shared his harrowing experience with ABC News Studios, revealing how the serial killer forced him to watch some of the horrifying videos.
“It was bad, really bad,” Goodyear recalled. “You couldn’t make it out clearly, it was like having a camera pressed right up against something. You couldn’t tell what was happening, but the moment you caught a glimpse of what was going on, it made you scream.”
Describing a chilling encounter with Baumeister, Goodyear claimed the killer “put his hands inside my mouth” after he screamed from the horror of the footage.
“He grabbed my tongue, he held my tongue,” Goodyear said. “For someone to put their hands inside your mouth and grab your tongue… You’re scared to death, just terrified. I begged to die. I begged to die.”
