A decades-old mystery has finally reached its chilling resolution. Indiana officials have identified the 10th confirmed victim of alleged serial ki**er Herb Baumeister, whose sprawling estate—Fox Hollow Farm—became the site of one of the state’s most gruesome investigations.
The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office announced that DNA evidence has confirmed the remains of Daniel Thomas Halloran, a 21-year-old man who vanished more than 30 years ago, in 1993.
Highlights
- Herb Baumeister's 10th victim, missing since 1993, was confirmed by DNA testing.
- Baumeister targeted mostly gay men, luring them to his farm before murdering them.
- Three more sets of remains found on Baumeister’s property are still being analyzed.
The announcement included another stunning detail—Halloran’s body was recovered alongside 10,000 bone fragments unearthed from the 18-acre Westfield property.
For Jeff Jellison, Hamilton County coroner, the development marks a crucial milestone in providing families with much needed closure.
The 10th victim of serial ki**er Herb Baumeister has been identified thanks to advanced DNA testing
Image credits: ABC News
“This identification is a significant development in our ongoing efforts to provide answers to the families of those who went missing,” he said in a statement. “We are grateful for Othram's expertise and the advances in forensic science that made this possible.”
The discovery was bittersweet for Halloran’s loved ones, particularly his daughter, Coral, who had lived to this day, hoping that her father would one day return to her safe and sound.
Image credits: WTHR
“I feel kind of like I’m mourning,” she confessed. “All my life, I kind of expected my dad to be around and one day hoping he’d come to try to find me. It makes me sick and weary to my stomach, having to know my dad was brutally mu**ered.”
The identification was made possible through the use of advanced forensic genealogy conducted by Othram Inc. The process involved using DNA obtained from his late mother’s autopsy file to cross-reference his genetic information.
Having no surviving close relatives, Coral was the first person contacted and informed of the breakthrough.
Baumeister’s targets of choice were predominantly gay men, whom he lured to his farm under the pretense of erotic asphyxiation sessions
Image credits: Coral Halloran
Before his passing in 1996, at the age of 49, Herb Baumeister was a married father of three and a successful businessman who owned the Sav-A-Lot store chain. Beneath his responsible adult facade, however, he hid a dark secret—a homophobic obsession with ending the lives of gay men.
Image credits: Othram
Baumeister is believed to have mu**ered at least 25 men between the mid-1980s and 1996. According to investigators, he would frequent gay bars in Indianapolis—such as The Metro, Varsity Lounge, and 501 Tavern—looking for victims while his family was out of town.
Image credits: WTHR
He would then lure them back to Fox Hollow Farm and presumably convince them to take part in erotic asphyxiation sessions, using the instance to strangle them. Baumeister then burned and buried the bodies in the woods.
Image credits: WTHR
Baumeister’s crimes went relatively unnoticed for years, with the disappearances confusing authorities. It wasn’t until 1994, when his teenage son—one of three—discovered a human skull on the property, that investigations began.
Police were also contacted by a man named Tony Harris that year, who claimed to have narrowly escaped with his life after someone calling himself “Brian Smart” tried to strangle him after a meeting at a gay bar.
Baumeister took his own life in 1996 after a surviving victim provided police with key clues for his arrest
Image credits: WTHR
Harris’ testimony, including his friendship with a previous victim, proved essential. In August 1995, he saw Baumeister again, driving a car around the area. He was able to follow it and noted his license plate number.
The information allowed the police to identify “Brian Smart” as Herb Baumeister. Officials approached his house and told him he was a suspect in the disappearances and that they would need to search his home.
Image credits: WTHR
Both Baumeister and his wife, Julie, refused to allow the search. In 1996, however, she would consent to the procedure, having filed for divorce over being frightened by her husband’s erratic behavior.
The search ended in an arrest warrant for Baumeister, who then fled to Ontario and fatally wounded himself.
Image credits: WTHR
The recent discovery has increased the number of known victims from 9 to 10, with three additional sets of remains recovered from the property undergoing testing and analysis.
Image credits: ABC News
“There are still families out there who don’t know what happened to their sons, their brothers, their friends,” Matthew Pranger, cousin of victim Allen Livingston, said.
“We want to help them find closure. Speak up if you know something.”
"Tragic." Netizens took to social media to share their thoughts on the gruesome discovery
