- Remains found on the estate of suspected serial killer Herbert Baumeister have been identified as belonging to Manuel Resendez, a man who went missing in 1993.
- The identification comes after a renewed effort by the coroner to identify the charred bones found on Baumeister’s property, with over 10,000 bones and bone fragments discovered.
- Baumeister is believed to have targeted men, with at least 16 connected disappearances and bodies found in central Indiana and western Ohio.
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Remains that were recovered from the estate of a suspected serial killer in central Indiana have been identified as belonging to a man who went missing in 1993, according to the Hamilton County Coroner. The remains, which were discovered at Herbert Baumeister’s Fox Hollow Farm in 1996, were matched to Manuel Resendez, who was 34 years old at the time of his disappearance. Resendez was identified through a family reference sample given earlier in 2023.
The coroner, Jeff Jellison, expressed gratitude to the law enforcement and forensic specialists involved in the identification process. Over 10,000 burned bones and bone fragments have been found on Baumeister’s 18-acre estate in Westfield, Indiana. Baumeister, who was 49 years old, took his own life in Canada in July 1996 when investigators attempted to question him about the remains found at Fox Hollow Farm.
Authorities believe that Baumeister targeted men by luring them to his home and killing them. By 1999, he had been connected to the disappearances of at least 16 men, with some of their bodies being found in shallow streams in central Indiana and western Ohio. Jellison launched a renewed effort in 2022 to identify the charred bones by requesting DNA samples from relatives of young men who went missing between the 1980s and 1990s. The bones and fragments are believed to belong to at least 25 individuals.
In October, the remains of Allen Livingston, Baumeister’s ninth presumed victim, were identified. Livingston, an Indianapolis man who disappeared in 1993, vanished on the same day as Resendez. The investigation into Baumeister began in June 1996 when his 15-year-old son found a human skull near their home. Investigators were surprised to find more remains just three days later.
Anyone who suspects that they may be a relative of a missing person connected to the case is encouraged to contact the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.