From all
appearances, Herbert Baumeister was a typical resident of his
wealthy Indianapolis suburb. He and his wife Juliana had three
children, and ran two successful retail outlets in Indianapolis.
Juliana
described Herb as a devoted father who spent plenty of time
with his kids. The kids grew up in the park-like setting of
the Baumeister estate.
One fine
day in 1995, their 15-year-old son found a human skull and some
other bones on the grounds, and told Juliana. When she mentioned
the unusual discovery to Herb, he assured her that the bones
belonged to his father, who was a doctor. Why they happened
to be partially buried on the estate was never explained, but
what the heck?
Meanwhile,
there was an on-going investigation in the Midwest regarding
the disappearance of more than a dozen gay men--the first case
dating back to 1980.
Based on
an interview of almost-victim Mark Goodyear, and an investigation
that indicated Herb Baumeister was well known at every gay hangout
in Indianapolis, police began a surveillance. Goodyear indicated
that victims were lured back to the estate for a bit of sexual
asphyxia action. Apparently, Herb's fascination with the ecstasy
caused by nearly strangling his prey was later eclipsed by the
sheer thrill of just watching the victim die.
How Goodyear
survived remains somewhat of a mystery.
Police would
have liked to search the property at this point, but voluntary
entry was refused. Herb certainly didn't want the cops poking
around, and Juliana wasn't buying the accusation of her hubby's
double life--just yet. Still, the notion that Herb was a big-time
cruiser of gay bars didn't exactly improve their relationship.
What's more, with Herbie being a little stressed, he wasn't
taking care of business, and things were deteriorating at the
stores.
Buried bones
and lurid accusations are one thing, but possible foreclosure
is a serious matter! Juliana decided to file for divorce, and
kick her man out of the house. She also agreed to a search,
which yielded hundreds of bones, and bondage paraphernalia.
Incredibly, Herb was questioned and released.
Not surprisingly,
he fled the scene.
In all,
the bones of seven victims were found on the estate. Autopsy
data on nine other bodies found along rural roads in Indiana
and Ohio pointed to Baumeister's modus operandi. The
nine other slayings, committed between 1980 and 1990, had striking
similarities: All the victims were partially unclothed, found
near water, and most had been strangled. The victims were all
from Indianapolis.
Lots of
cases could now be marked "solved."
As for Herb
Baumeister, he killed himself in a Toronto park in 1996.
How his
wife could not notice that he was frequenting the gay bar scene
for years is difficult enough to comprehend. But how she could
remain ignorant of seven bodies being buried within a few feet
of their home truly boggles the mind. One has to speculate that
she was at least an accomplice after the fact, but she was never
charged.
As Charlie
Rich once said, "No one knows what goes on behind closed doors."