After all, he had planned to do this somewhere else. 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. Of her late husbands alleged killings, Julie told People, Our biggest question now is how he could have loved us and done this. Its a very strange interview. 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. The Dayton Daily News reported that the 15-year-old found a skull on the property and showed it to his mother. 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. Oh, and one more creepy detailed shared by the informant about the large house some where north of Indianapolis. Herb went missing the day after the search started, and authorities found his body eight days later lying beside his car in a park. Want more serial killer stories? No effort to get it out of the way. This also left him completely free to cruise the Indianapolis gay nightclubs in the evenings looking for sex partners and potential victims. The man noted that Smart was driving a gray Buick with [00:10:00] Ohio license plates. [] I want to know why, like anybody else. The news station was WISH TV Channel 8, and the reporter interviewed Herb Baumeister right at the height of his crimes. He would throw furniture, she said. WebHerb Baumeister: the Hoosier serial killer youve probably never heard of. So were good., Related: 13 True Crime Books About Lesser-Known, Suspected Serial Killers. He was the eldest child of Herbert and Elizabeth Baumeister, and he led a seemingly happy childhood. [00:17:00] Brian Smart was actually Herb Baumeister, a resident of the nearby suburb of Westfield, Indiana. Even more privacy came in the summer months when Julie and the kids would go to visit Herbs mother in northern Indiana. 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. His wife, his children, the authorities, and everyone else really, were about to learn the secrets that Herb kept hidden at Fox Hollow Farm. He left a three-page note that talked of marriage and money woes, but not a word about the murdered men. Follow on Twitter and Facebook at Insomniacpod, on Instagram at InsomniacPodcast and on our website, InsomniacPodcast.com. 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. He lacked a sense of propriety and his timing and judgment were off. By 1991, however, the stores struggled to make a profit, which took a toll on the Baumeisters' marriage. The remains were pulled from the wooded area of the property, concealed under piles of fallen leaves and trash. If youre looking for modern examples those are easy to find too. I remember saying to them, Can you tell me what homosexual homicide is? . The very next day, on July 3rd, 1996, that same American visitor was in Pinery Provincial Park in Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada. But thats exactly what Julie did. On his iPhone is a recording taken by one of the paranormal investigators who toured the property, of what they claim is Herb Baumeisters voice saying that he took a pipe to the skulls of his victims. Im in a seemingly endless cycle of insomnia and all that comes with it. But heres how all of this came to be. [00:17:00] Did she really know nothing until the authorities took her aside and told her that her husband was the prime suspect in what they called at the time multiple homosexual homicides? Theres the Greek myth of Pygmalion, the sculptor who fell in love with the statue he had carved. But the one point that stands out among the rest, the one bit of information, its the hardest for most people to swallow, is that Julie ignored it when her son handed her a human skull and then led her to a full skeleton half buried in her yard. She was a part-time student at the university and a high school teacher. But in [00:17:30] adolescents, he started developing antisocial behaviors. Whats the fascination? [00:07:30] Schizophrenics are often drawn into a fantasy or delusional world. The search ended up taking two weeks. The home the Baumeisters chose was $1 million 18 acre estate in the Indianapolis suburb of Westfield, Indiana. Its strange [00:02:00] and frightening when you envision yourself carrying out some of the most vile crimes you can possibly imagine. It wasnt just one familys cherished memories of home that were lost when the dark secrets of Fox Hollow Farm were revealed. Something Ive only shared with a handful of people until today. When they returned to the spot, they found an entire cluster [00:05:00] of bones, a half buried full human skeleton. But the cracks were beginning to show and Herbs secret life couldnt stay secret for long. WebGetting a recent picture of Julie Baumeister should have been easy, as she has not shied away from publicity and has appeared on "Oprah". After Smart revived claiming a sexual rush like no other, it was the informants turn. Well play the audio for you in a moment. They just decided to take some stuff out of old files, dust it off and say we solved this, Ted Fleischaker, the publisher of a newspaper serving the Indianapolis gay community, told the Associated Press. Here are five women who unknowingly married serial killers: Paula Rader was married to her husband Dennis for 34 years before she found out he was a serial killer. There would be no trial. In addition to the 11 bodies found on his property, Herb was also suspected in at least nine other killings along the I70 corridor between Indiana and Ohio. Julie herself must have worried their marriage wasnt normal for a long time. At least one neighbor implicated Darcie in the crimes, claiming they witnessed her helping Jerry ushera woman from theirgarage into their home. In 2009, Fox Hollow Farm was bought by a couple with the perhaps grimly ironic last name Graves. WebJulie began taking the children away for months at a time, leaving Herb alone at Fox Hollow. Credits: [00:21:30] Insomniac is a production of iHeart Radio and Tenderfoot TV written and hosted by Scott Benjamin and produced by Miranda Hawkins, Alex Williams, Matt Frederick and Josh Thane. When Herb discovered there was awarrant for his arrest, he fled to Ontario, Canada, and killed himself. WebPostlewaite, Philip F.; Sheffield, Jeff ; Baumeister, Julie et al. 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. 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. During January 1962 in Salem, OR, 22-year-old Jerry Brudosmet a 17-year-old girl. To make matters worse, his son, Eric, found a human skull in the woods surrounding the family home. He called to tell the authorities about a suspicion. The only witnesses to his brutal and unusual crimes were the mannequins, and they arent talking. Hundreds of human bones were found. His father had been an anesthesiologist, and Herb said that the skeleton was nothing more than the remains of a medical school anatomical skeleton. And then theres my personal life. Its the kind of home that could be paradise. Everyone thought he eventually got it together. Along with her mother and two daughters from a previous marriage, Hoff lived in the Illinois home where Gacy committed many of his murders. [00:09:30] He said his name was Brian Smart, and he was a landscaper from Ohio. Payne Lindsey: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the authors and participants and do not necessarily represent those of iHeart media, Stuff Media or its employees. As investigators combed his home and grounds, Baumeister disappeared. How could he be so sure of their loyalty? At the same time, Herb had disappeared. Additionally, he started leaving magazines around the home featuring naked men and boys. There are instances of this in novels and movies too, and dating much earlier. Unlike these criminals, I can share this with you, but these killers couldnt allow anyone to know what they were up to. The meet while attending Indiana University and married after Julies graduation in 1971. The raccoons must have dragged it out of the garage. That was all right then, Julie thought. However, since there was really no cause for alarm, [00:04:30] the two parted ways. He founded the Sav-a-Lot thrift stores and lived in the beautiful Fox Hollow estate. The only witnesses to his brutal and unusual crimes were the mannequins and they arent talking. [00:07:00] How he found a way to share his terrible secret with an entire group of onlookers, and he knew that none of them would ever report him to the police. Her husband, Herb, was quick to allay Julies fears. 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. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Julie moved from Fox Hollow Farm. Unlike most characters in true crime stories, Herb and Julie Baumeister lived a seemingly idyllic life. How much did Julie know and when? Feb 2022 - Apr 20231 year 3 months. He dropped out of college after just one semester and went to work as a copy boy for the Indianapolis Star Newspaper but returned to IU in the fall of 1967, and thats when he met his future wife, Julianna or Julie as she preferred to be called. The estate has appeared on ghost hunting shows such as Paranormal Witness in 2012 and Ghost Adventures in 2014, not to mention being the focus of a feature-length 2011 documentary film The Haunting of Fox Hollow Farm, directed by Dan T. Hall. Somewhere with a lot of property and privacy [00:21:30] where Herb could conduct a different kind of business. Were they in denial? 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. Related: 33 Books About the Worlds Most Notorious Serial Killers. "He always had answers to everything," Linda said. Listen to his interview and see if you agree. The raccoon has since been removed. She knew he was flawed, far from perfect. By the end of the second search, this area alone had produced the remains of seven additional [00:18:30] victims. Thepolice arrested Robinsonin 2000 after two women reported him for assault and robbery. Because when Julie was away, Herb could be his true self. During the day, he was a business owner, a husband and a father, but at night he became someone entirely different. There were not witnesses, and there just wasnt enough usable evidence left behind. Knock 30% off your purchase of select Naturvet products with Vitacost Coupon Code. After five months of investigating Herb, police finally convinced Julie Baumeister to allow them to search Fox Hollow Farm while Herb was out of town at the lake condo. Smart then excused himself, and when he returned, he was a lot more talkative than before. You'll also hear a psychological profile of Herb Baumeister, prolific serial killer and murderer who turned his massive estate, "Fox Hollow Farm" into a burial ground. During the time that the I-70 killings were committed, Herb and Julie Baumeister had been married for a little over 10 years. On June 24, 1996, while Herb was out of town, Julie allowed the police to search Fox Hollow Farm. In 1988, Herbs mother, Elizabeth Baumeister loan him the money to open his own thrift store. Julie confronted her husband, to whom she had been married for 23 years, and asked for an explanation. 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.