Herbert Baumeister is a familiar name to Indiana residents during the 1990s. Best known for his rampant killings, Baumeister made a name for himself as a serial killer in the area. As a married man with three kids, Baumeister often went to gay bars when his family wasn’t around, luring men back to his home where he unfortunately unalived them. He famously buried the corpses in his backyard, resulting in authorities finding at least 25 different bodies amidst 10,000 bones after his capture. Baumeister killed himself because the police could question him about the killings, leaving the identities of the killings a mystery. Back in 1990s, when the investigation was at its prime, investigators didnt have the correct technology to identify the victims. But now, authorities are revisiting the case with the modern technology we have now.
The revisitation of the case began with Eric Pranger, who long believed that his older cousin was among one of Baumeister’s victims. Pranger sent Jeff Jellison, a Hamilton County Coroner, a message pleading for some answers. Jellison set out to find the truth. Shortly after, the police took DNA samples from Prager’s aunt, and worked with the FBI, the Human Identification Center, and a private company that specializes in forensic genetic geology. About a year later, results from various tastings of the remains answered the validity of Pranger’s beliefs. His older cousin, Allen Livingston, was unfortunately one of the 25 men buried.
Previously investigators identified eight of the 25 men buried, using dental records and the technology of their time. However, with the reemergence of the case, modern day officials revealed that funding wasn’t provided towards additional DNA testing, which may have resulted in the revelation of the victims. After the revelation of Livingston, Jellison announces that about 40 DNA samples have been submitted by people with similar beliefs to Pranger – the idea that a disappeared loved one might be one of Baumeister’s victims.
Some of the testing done on the remains matched the eight victims initially revealed. Three other identities still remain unknown, and two other identities are currently undergoing testing. As more and more people continue to submit DNA results, Jellison estimates that the investigation will take another couple of years to complete, hopefully leading to some much needed closure from victims’ loved ones.
