"He always had answers to everything," Linda said. Herb went missing the day after the search started, and authorities found his body eight days later lying beside his car in a park. My own private life is a little different. After Smart revived claiming a sexual rush like no other, it was the informants turn. A lot of them were taken on their way to or on their way home from Indys gay nightclubs, but now in the fall of 1994, things were about to change. From iHeartRadio and TenderfootTV, Monster Presents: Insomniac. She refused. Over the course of the season, Ill tell you all about it and what has done to me on a professional level as well as personally. Julie asked where Erich found his new toy. Robinson proposed to Lynchduring one of their first dates. Since the informant wasnt familiar with the area north of Indianapolis, he didnt know exactly where the house was located, but he was able to describe where they ended up that evening. All they had was a strong hunch that Baumeister was behind recent disappearances of gay men. By 1991, however, the stores struggled to make a profit, which took a toll on the Baumeisters' marriage. According to the Chillicothe Gazette, weird things started happening about a year after the Graves family moved in. WebJulie Baumeister had some suspicion that something wasnt right when her 13-year-old son discovered a human skull while playing on the familys property. The once-successful Sav-A-Lot stores were nearing bankruptcy, and the couple was contemplating divorce. Sometimes [00:04:00] they were gone for weeks at a time, leaving Herb at home alone to watch over the Save-A-Lot stores. A front row seat to view the thoughts and actions of a killer, their victims, their families, and even the authorities as they worked the other side in an effort to bring them down. Whisman said that Mr. Baumeister, who with his wife owned two thrift stores, was the prime suspect in the disappearances of the young men, some of whom had been missing for more than three years. [00:11:00] He knew enough about the drug to notice the telltale behavioral changes it produced. This success didnt last long however as signs of his mental illness began to show, and his position was finally terminated in the 1980s [00:19:30] when he urinated on a letter which was to be sent to the then governor of Indiana, Robert Orr. They found the remains of seven men on the Baumeister property. They say he stands at the window in the living room, Rob Graves said. Erich was carrying a human skull on a stick. When they were caught, that second life always came crashing down around them in a heap. Hes amiable, and even laughs a bit. Investigators, including private detectives hired by families of the missing, got the first clues that would connect the case to Baumeister when a man told them of a near-fatal 1992 encounter. Erich, Herbs son, was about to make a gruesome discovery in the woods. They had to have the secret side. It also afforded Herb a lot of privacy, enough to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted without the fear of being discovered. Each of those eight had disappeared during the time when Julie was out of town with the children and Herb was at home alone. Two years later, police were searching the estate to build a case against Herb in connection with the multiple disappearances of gay men in the Indianapolis area. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. The police later approached Julie at the Sav-A-Lot store, where she also refused to let them search her property. Lack of sleep, if it lasts long [00:02:30] enough can absolutely wreck you. The next several years werent much better for Herb either. Herb was missing for 8 days before his body was found at a campsite in Canada. At least I hope not, [00:14:00] but until I get it all figured out, it feels like its killing me. Ridgway eventually confessed to the crimes, however, stunning his wife who didn'tthink he could beresponsible for such heinous crimes. AfterRader confessed to the murders, Dietz filed for an emergency divorce, which the court granted in July 2005. The family mans estate was littered with human remains. They lived in Wichita, KS, and had two children together, a boy and a girl. Now the homeowner in todays case just happens to be sexualizing a group of life-sized dolls. On further inspection, the pair found a pile of bones - if reassembled it would make a fully formed human skeleton. ' The pair married in 1988, andMawson referred to their marriage as a happy and blissful 13 years. Now that we know more about abuse, Id venture a guess that she simply thought believing her husbands story and not asking questions was the safest option for her and her children. This was because Jerry tookhis victims to the house; made them pose in high heels and lingerie; tookphotos of them; thenmurdered them. If that was all, it would be chilling enough, but that wasnt the end of the nightmare. Scott Benjamin: [00:00:30] Herb Baumeister lived a double life as the I70 strangler. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Even so, it really does make you wonder how she ignored so many signs that Herb was not necessarily the man she thought he was. Shortly after the police searched Fox Hollow Farm, Julie and her three children moved back to the house in Indianapolis where she and Herb had lived shortly after their marriage. Tell the wrong person, and youll end up in prison for life or receiving a death sentence. He said that he had met a man who called himself Brian Smart at one of the citys clubs and that the two had gone to Brians estate in the country. Julie didnt go to the police. Even [00:05:30] after she realized that it had somehow disappeared just a few days later. St Paul, Minnesota, United States. Nike: Nike promo code: Members save up to 50% on select styles. [00:11:00] A neighbor of Baumeisters prompted a second search of Fox Hollow Farm. The odd [00:18:00] thing is that theres no record of Herb ever receiving treatment for either condition. But thats likely because he was a repeat offender with many prior convictions, and the judge reasoned that Dotsons [00:16:00] behavior, even though he never really harmed another human, struck fear in the community. Their website calls Fox Hollow Farm one of the most terrifying locations we have EVER investigated. They claim that the Graves family found even more human remains on the farm, and that they have witnessed apparitions and heard voices, knocks, and footsteps in the house. And I cant get to sleep again. There are 10+ professionals named "Julie Baumeister", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. Herb went missing the day after the search started, and authorities found his body eight days later lying beside his car in a park. To begin our story, we have to start almost exactly 25 years ago, in a city known as the Crossroads of America. They recently sold eight acres of the property to Noah Herron, owner of the Urban Vines Winery & Brewery, who intends to break the acreage up and sell off three lots, while also building a home for his family. Darciegot a divorce from her husband during his incarcerationand has since changed her and her children's names. I think now, if there were murders, some must have taken place when I was in that house, Hoff said. Linda later visited her husband in jail, asking him, Do you know why you killed these women? In the years since, authorities have linked him to an additional five deaths. In one incident, he was fired for repeatedly urinating on his supervisors desk, Fannie Weinstein and Melinda Wilson wrote in their book on the case, Where the Bodies are Buried.. The material were going to cover [00:24:30] is going to be dark, and the journeys going to be difficult. In this episode, Michael Drane, UPC's resident psychotherapist dives into the Psychology of Erotophonophilia & Auto-Erotic Asphixiation. This arrest came just a week after he was paroled for his sixth breaking and entering conviction over the course of 13 years. WebJulie began taking the children away for months at a time, leaving Herb alone at Fox Hollow. WebJulie Baumeister Communications & Events Coordinator at Great River Greening; Richfield Foundation Board Member & Secretary Minneapolis, MN. All right reserved. Investigators then went to Julies workplace, informing her that her husband was a suspect in the disappearances of gay men in the area. When police showed up a Judith Mawsons house in late 2001 and informed her that her husband Gary Ridgway had been arrested in connection with the Green River Killer case, she was in complete shock. But the problem wasnt exactly [00:08:00] new to the authorities either. In the woods behind the 11,000 square-foot Tudor house, police unearthed more than 5,000 human bones in what one searcher later described as a scene like a bomb went off in a people factory. The remains had been burned and buried and the search to find them all took two weeks. Theres no indication in the video as to what year the interview took place, but I have it figured to be between 1991 and 1994. [] I want to know why, like anybody else. I know it sounds like a dream to some of you, and I thought it might be too. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! [00:17:00] Brian Smart was actually Herb Baumeister, a resident of the nearby suburb of Westfield, Indiana. Julie said she felt drawn to Herb because of his good looks and interest in cars, and how they were both Young Republicans. She Thought Something Was Off About Her Husband. Was it really the pressures of a failed marriage and business, or was there something more sinister to the story? Related: 10 Serial Killers Who Were Never Caught. If you know where to look, examples of agalmatophilia can be found in lots of places. Herb replied that it was a relic of his deceased fathers medical career. Smart asked the informant to strangle him first, and he went along with it. Every shovel full of dirt seemed to bring more and more bones to the surface. In one gruesome display, he cut off a victim's breast and made a mold of it to use asa paperweight. Which is just how Herb liked it. Even the Graveses, who still live on 10 acres of the property and who generally shrugged off the suggestions that its haunted, may not be as skeptical as they once were. He broke a lot of my furniture.. After all, he had planned to do this somewhere else. As the night wore on, Smart became emboldened and invited his new friend for a late night swim at the house he said he was temporarily living in. There would be no trial. Julia agreed with the decision saying Herb was tired, and he needed help. He always had dog eared pages and some handwritten notes in the margins or on the backside of the cover [00:23:00] as if he was trying to piece the story together himself, to solve the crime before he finished the last chapter. In total, Fox Hollow Farm concealed the bodies of 11 men, yet only eight of them were ever positively identified. I could be wrong, but I feel that if I use this series as a way to talk through this, a way to work out some of these demons, I might be able to get to the other side, and I might end up in a better place. That was all Harris could offer until 1995, when, in a stroke of luck, Brian revisited the bar. Now not all of Dotsons crimes involved mannequins, but a lot of them did. [00:25:00] I found a short video clip that shows what amounts to a chance encounter with a serial killer by a local television station in Indianapolis. According to Julie, Herb had made countless trips to Ohio during those years, supposedly on store business. Other family members and associates include Herbert Saiter, Emily Saiter, Sandra Baumeister, Herbert Baumeister and Elizabeth Baumeister. A few years into their marriage, the couple began to grow apart. Along with her mother and two daughters from a previous marriage, Hoff lived in the Illinois home where Gacy committed many of his murders. To find out about more unions that ended in tragedy, watch "A Wedding and A Murder," premieringMonday, Sept. 9at 9/8c. When Julie asked Herb Baumeister, her husband of 23 years, about the bones, he told her they were from his anesthesiologist fathers medical school skeleton. Listener discretion is advised. The authorities were now conducting a second search at Fox Hollow Farm, [00:17:30] this time in a ditch that separated the Baumeisters property from their neighbors. Unlike these criminals, I can share this with you, but these killers couldnt allow anyone to know what they were up to. After finding the scattered remains of at least four separate victims, including bones, bone fragments, and teeth. Hundreds of human bones were found. But what about women who married serial killers before or during their crimes? I suppose thats what happens when your hobby and your leisure activity becomes your work, your obsession. All right, well, its a two oclock in the morning on Saturday, early Sunday. At one point, Julie admitted that she and Herb only had sex six times in their entire 25 year marriage. It all began with my dad and his fascination with these stories of real life crimes. He just didnt quite know what was socially acceptable. For instance, when he was young and on the way to school one morning he picked up a dead crow, pocketed it, and later placed it on his teachers desk when she wasnt looking. What I found in my research was that some, but not all serial killers are schizophrenic. He likes country music. We know plenty about the case, but its also clear [00:20:30] that some of the dirtiest details went to the grave along with Herb Baumeister. When questioned by police, Baumeister's wife Juliana told investigators that one of their kids found a human skull on the farm in December 1994. Brian turned out to beHerb, and police immediately set out to search Fox Hollow Farm, which Herb refused to allow. People who knew Baumeister as a child said he was always an oddball, uneasy with people and known for behavior that was just plain weird. It wasnt just one familys cherished memories of home that were lost when the dark secrets of Fox Hollow Farm were revealed. The home the Baumeisters chose was $1 million 18 acre estate in the Indianapolis suburb of Westfield, Indiana. The legal term for such a property is psychologically affected. While laws regarding psychologically affected properties vary from state to state, in Indiana, sellers dont have to volunteer information about a propertys sordid history unless they are directly asked. Youre going to learn how the I70 Strangler found a way around this dilemma. He lacked a sense of propriety and his timing and judgment were off. I even go so far as to avoid eye contact with anyone [00:03:00] certain that Im guilty of something horrible, and they can somehow read it in my sleep deprived, blood shot eyes. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. She ultimately filedfor divorce. Julie herself must have worried their marriage wasnt normal for a long time. But its also unlikely that many buyers in the area wont already be aware of the sinister reputation of Fox Hollow Farmhence the steep discount. Looking back, Linda said her husband did exhibit some suspicious behavior, but she had no idea he was a serial killer who preyed on sex workers. This is a special five-part true crime series for the month of October. Im Catholic, Graves was quoted as saying. What really brought this man 400 miles from his comfortable Midwestern home, and why did he feel the need to end it all so abruptly with a bullet to the brain? And soon after when the authorities were knocking on her door and asking to search the property, she refused because Herb told her another lie. True crime books were always and still are on his Christmas and birthday wish lists, or as my aunt sometimes called them, his murder books. Im supposed to be working. From Iheartradio and Tenderfoot TV, Monster presents INSOMNIAC. Indianapolis, Indiana. WebHerb Baumeister: the Hoosier serial killer youve probably never heard of. Its the kind of home that could be paradise. She asked her son to lead her to where he found the skull and the 13-year-old led her to a pile of bones. To help cope with the pain her husband caused, Masonbegan writing; in 2017, shepublisheda book, Green River Serial Killer: Biography of an Unsuspecting Wife,co-written with PennieMorehead. He left a three-page note that talked of marriage and money woes, but not a word about the murdered men. It was at this point Smart began choking him with the pool hose, but when it was clear that he wasnt going to stop, the informant pretended to pass out and Smart released him. But I wouldnt necessarily call it entertaining anymore or fun or relaxing in any way. The search yielded thousands of burnt, scattered human bone fragments, enough for at least 11 bodies. I find this extremely strange. 10 had disappeared in the previous two years beginning in the spring of 1993. [00:01:30] Unfortunately, I believe thats been tarnished for the same reason as well. They co-owned a chain of Sav-A-Lot thrift stores in Indianapolis, which donated some $50,000 a year to programs to help neglected children. The poor thing deserved a better fate than that. Hoff married Gacy in 1972, and they were together for only four years. At the same time, Herb had disappeared. WhileJulie took their kids on vacation, her husband metmen at gay bars and had sex with them. Related: 10 Most Depraved Serial Killers of All Time Ranked by Their Number of Victims. According to Troy Taylor, the founder of American Hauntings, Fox Hollow Farm has never disappointed, with groups that visited the farm reporting everything from voices and footsteps to feelings of being punched, pinched, and even choked. The raccoons must have dragged it out of the garage. That was all right then, Julie thought. The anxiety, the lack of energy during the day, falling asleep at my office desk in the middle of the afternoon, trouble concentrating on anything, and then extremely restless sleep when I do drift off in the evenings. Herb Baumeister The I-70 Strangler The I-70 Strangler Scour the web for the tale of the I-70 Strangler, and the mannequins are always a footnote. Carole Hoff was the second wife of John Wayne Gacy, Jr., the serial killer who confessed to sexually molesting and murdering more than 30 boys and young men. Even if you dont believe in ghosts, Taylor told the New York Daily News, there is no denying that a sinister pall hangs over this farm, if for no other reason than it was a place where evil once lived.. Still, that year in 1994 Julie thought Herb was acting more strange than usual lately. Hoff allegedly would often complain to Gacy about the awful smell emanating from below the house, which Gacy dismissed as a moisture buildup in the crawl space. Happiness as we knew it is never going to return, Julie told People magazine. Ep: 49 - Herb Baumeister & The House on Fox Hollow Farm The Psychology of Serial Killers. All of this is really just [00:16:00] the tip of the iceberg. So were good., Related: 13 True Crime Books About Lesser-Known, Suspected Serial Killers. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Written and hosted by Scott Benjamin and produced by Miranda Hawkins, Alex Williams, Matt Frederick, and Josh Thane. Along with the skeletal remains, investigators unearthed handcuffs, no doubt used on the victims, and several cans of Miller Genuine Draft, Herbs favorite drink. Their finances were doing well and their marriage was apparently stable. From 1989 to the mid-1990s, the discarded dead bodies of men were being found in rural areas along the corridor of Interstate 70 between Indianapolis, Indiana and Columbus, Ohio. On Aug. 25, about two dozen avid ghost hunters are signed up for a visit to Fox Hollow Farm, in Carmel, Ind., about 20 miles from Indianapolis. The only witnesses to his brutal and unusual crimes were the mannequins, and they arent talking. Herb and Julie Baumeister met while attending college together at Indiana University in 1967. Im Scott Benjamin and everything Im about to tell you is real. Eric brought the skull to his mother who then asked him where he had found it. There were rumors of him urinating on a teachers desk. Lynch filed for divorce from Robinson in 2005. He would throw furniture, she said. Youll find the makeshift graveyard beneath the drainage pipe just like his neighbor did where rib cages peeked out from an unkempt lawn. When police arrested Robert L. Yates Jr. in connection with the murder of 13 people, his wife, Linda Yates, was in utter disbelief. I remember saying to them, Can you tell me what homosexual homicide is? . A lot of them do, however, have a different mental disorder known as Antisocial Personality Disorder or APD [00:08:00] and personality traits of a psychopath as well, which includes no empathy, the ability to manipulate and intimidate others, but also to do these things with a sort of charm that allows them to get exactly what they want. Over the course of two years, 10 or more disappearances were reported, but the police had little to go on until Tony Harris (a pseudonym used to protect the witnesss privacy) came to them with an unusual story. The story of Herb Baumeister and Fox Hollow Farm is bizarre in so many ways. Julie investigated and found additional bones. Tony Harris (a pseudonym used to protect privacy) said he met a tall stranger who called himself Brian in an Indianapolis gay bar. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. By 1994, the family business was suffering a downturn in fortune. Smart offered his guest a drink that he had prepared himself, but the informant wisely refused it. Julie had filed for divorce and Herb was so depressed that he threatened to take his own life, but even all of that wasnt the worst thing that happened to Herb. But heres how all of this came to be. Her husband, Herb, was quick to allay Julies fears. [00:09:30] He said his name was Brian Smart, and he was a landscaper from Ohio. This leads to faulty perception, inappropriate feelings and even actions. Perfect life. Why they were in the backyard of the $1 million estate that the Baumeisters had bought just a few years before, Herb didnt say. Wives of serial killers could genuinely remain obliviousto their husbands' doings, as it's common forserial killers to lead double lives. Once again, it didnt take long. But I would like to know the real answer to the question. The investigators felt certain that a search of a ditch on the Baumeisters property would yield additional grizzly results, and they were right. Gay men from the area surrounding Indianapolis, all matching a similar physical description, age, height and weight, were disappearing. These are the cases that have kept me awake for the past few years. Leaving them exposed for the monsters they were underneath. Though Paula has never made an official statement, her daughter Kerri Rawson came forward in 2014 and contended the family never knew Dennis was responsible for the murders. The car was registered to Baumeister. [00:14:30] Its a question I always have regarding the spouses of serial killers, how is it possible that they dont know their partner is guilty of murdering people outside and sometimes even inside their own home? I dont even like talking about psychics, but thats what they say. According to the Gazette, the psychics also say that the place is haunted by at least four of Baumeisters victims, not to mention Herb Baumeister himself. He shot himself in the forehead with a .357 Magnum, leaving behind a three-page suicide note that described his failing business, his familys financial woes, and his marital troubles, but made no mention of the grisly crimes of which he was now the prime suspect. Killings that all occurred in Herbs early active years and then abruptly ended when he [00:19:00] bought his home and Fox Hollow Farm. WhenRaderconfessedto police, he said his wife once found one of the poems he wrote about a victim; she admitted the poem scared her. What Julie didnt know was that though Herb was working during the day, he was cruising the gay nightclubs of Indianapolis by night, picking up young men who were never seen again. Since Beaumeister committed suicide before In 1978, 27 bodies turned up in Gacy's crawl space, which led to the killer's arrest. Researching these stories to the fullest extent, studying them every day, and writing [00:22:00] about them is a disturbing process, and I started to lose sleep over it. The victims were: By the time an arrest warrant was issued for Herb Baumeister, he had disappeared. Probably carried away by animals. She thought to herself. She wouldnt have raised us with him., Kelly Otis, a detective who was on the BTK task force, agreed, saying, Its absolutely true; they never knew about it.. After all, a license [00:09:00] plate search of the Buick with Ohio plates had pointed directly to Herb, and the police were desperate to make any connection that might bring an end to the killings. He was in turn described as a hotheaded boaster always trying to impress people, a perfectionist given to unprovoked rages, and a gregarious family man who loved old cars. It eventually sold at a third of its $2.3 million asking price, according to the Indianapolis Star. Soon after moving in, the new owners started to tell of strange goings on, including shadowy male figuresone walking without legslurking around the backyard.
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