WESTFIELD — Authorities in Hamilton County are reviving efforts to identify the remains of more than a dozen people found on the former property of notorious serial killer Herbert Baumeister.
Investigators believe at least 25 people fell victim to Baumeister, who police have said lured gay men to his home at Fox Hollow Farms in the mid-80s and 90s and killed them. Baumeister died by suicide shortly after police began their investigation.
To date, 26 years after the discovery of the victims' bodies, only eight have been identified. That leaves 17 whose identities have yet to be determined.
The Hamilton County Coroner's Office said Monday that DNA profiling could help identify those people.
“I think a big challenge in this case is having those comparison family reference samples,” Dr. Krista Latham said.
Dr. Krista Latham, Director of the Human Identification Center at the University of Indianapolis, says the lab has worked to help with the recovery of remains from Baumeister’s property.
“Not only do we have these very powerful data bases that allow for those comparisons we. Wouldn’t have had back in the early ’90s but we are also able to generate DNA profiles that wouldn’t have been candidates for DNA analysis in late ’90s," Dr. Latham said.
In a statement from the center to WRTV it said, the unique challenges associated with this case and the sheer volume of samples created a situation where advances in identification technologies were necessary to attempt the identification of these individuals.
“We have had advances in DNA technology that will allow us to obtain DNA samples from more challenging human remains cases,” Dr. Latham said.
-
Hoosiers can pick free produce at Fishers AgriPark, now open for the season
The growing season is underway, and after months of preparation AgriPark, an urban farm run by the city of Fishers, opened its gates to the public for the first time this year.
IndyGo's Purple line becomes most popular, hope for future rapid transit routes
The newest addition to Indianapolis’ public transit system, the Purple Line, is proving to be a vital resource for residents.
With help from the Colts, Brooke’s Place working to change lives
Talking about mental health is what the Indianapolis Colts' Kicking the Stigma campaign is all about.
IU alumni frustrated following change to Board of Trustees election process
Some Indiana University alumni say they feel disenfranchised after the state legislature removed their ability to elect three members of the school's Board of Trustees.
