10,000 human remains found, body identified

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Police have been trying to identify the victims of a suspected serial killer for decades, and last month, authorities made another breakthrough discovery.

On May 21, the Hamilton County, Indiana, coroner's office announced that human remains found at Fox Hollow Farm, Herb Baumeister's former home in 1996, had been identified as Jeffrey Jones. He was reported missing in August 1993.

According to the coroner's office, Jones is the third victim identified after more than 10,000 charred human remains, including bones, fragments and body parts, were discovered at Fox Hollow Farm.

Investigators said they have four additional DNA profiles that have not yet been identified, bringing the total number of suspected victims to 12.

“Given that many remains were found burned and crushed, this investigation is extremely difficult; However, the team of law enforcement and forensic specialists working on the case remains engaged,” Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison said in a statement. “Special thanks to the very talented and hardworking people at the FBI, the Indiana State Police Laboratory, Dr. Krista Latham of the Department of Biology and Anthropology at the University of Indianapolis, and the experts in DNA from the Othram laboratory based in Texas.”

Officials said Jones' remains were identified through an “extensive forensic genetic genealogy investigation” conducted by the FBI and the coroner's office. The four additional unidentified DNA profiles will also be sent to the FBI for genetic genealogy investigation.

Investigators believe Baumeister, a married businessman and father of three, lured gay men to his home in the mid-1980s and 1990s before killing them and dumping their bodies at Fox Hollow Farm in Westfield, about 26 km north of Indianapolis.

According to Nexstar affiliate WXIN, the investigation into Baumeister began in 1996 when the alleged killer's 15-year-old son “came across bones while on the family's 18-acre estate.” Baumeister committed suicide shortly afterward, in July 1996, as investigators sought to question him.