Remains found at serial killer Herb Baumeister’s former house identified as man missing since 1993

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Human remains that were found at a property in Westfield, Indiana in 1996 have been identified, officials said on Thursday.

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Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison announced that the remains found at Fox Hollow Farm have been identified as belonging to Manuel Resendez. The house formerly belonged to Herb Baumeister, one of Indiana’s most notorious serial killers, according to WXIN.

Resendez was reported missing in August 1993, the coroner’s office said.

“The identification of Manuel Resendez was the result of the dedication of many forensic experts working collaboratively in an effort to identify nearly 10,000 human remains recovered from Fox Hollow Farm,” the coroner’s office said.

Around 10,000 charred bones and bone fragments were found at Baumeister’s 18-acre property in Westfield, Jellison said, according to The Associated Press.

Baumeister was suspected of killing at least 25 young men, and investigators believe he may be responsible for many more, WTHR reported. Authorities believe that he frequented gay bars and lured men back to his home before killing them, the AP reported. He was a married father of three.

Authorities focused on him in 1996, after his son found a skull in the family’s backyard, according to the WTHR. Baumeister fled to the Canadian border, where he ended his own life.

“I would like to thank the entire team of law enforcement and forensic specialists that have come together to support this effort,” Jellison said on Thursday. “A special thanks goes to the hardworking people at the Indiana State Police Laboratory and Dr. Krista Latham of the Biology & Anthropology Department at the University of Indianapolis.”

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