Missing man’s remains identified among 10,000 bones and fragments on suspected serial killer’s property

HAMILTON COUNTY, Ind. (TCD) — Officials positively identified a man who went missing nearly 30 years ago after parts of his remains — along countless others — were discovered on a suspected serial killer’s property in 1996.

The Hamilton County Coroner announced Jan. 24 that forensic experts identified human remains discovered at Fox Hollow Farm as those of Manuel Resendez, who was reported missing in August 1993. The DNA reportedly matched a family sample sent in early 2023.

Investigators first recovered the body parts in 1996 at suspected serial killer Herb Baumeister’s house. They were among nearly 10,000 bones and bone fragments discovered at Baumeister’s residence in the 1990s.

Resendez is among the first to be positively identified as one of Baumeister’s potential victims. In October, the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office named 27-year-old Allen Livingston as one of the many young men likely killed by Baumeister in the 1980s and 1990s.

According to the Indianapolis Star, investigators believe Baumeister targeted gay men, brought them back to his home, and killed them.

In June 1996, Baumeister’s teenage son reportedly found a human skull on their land and brought it to his mother. Baumeister reportedly said the remains were left over from his late father’s medical practice. Baumeister and his wife were in the middle of getting a divorce at the time, and when her son showed her the skull, she filed an emergency protective order against Baumeister.

Law enforcement officials reportedly believe he also murdered men and left their bodies in shallow streams around central Indiana and western Ohio.

Baumeister fatally shot himself in 1996 not long after detectives started looking into the discoveries made at Fox Hollow Farm.

WXIN-TV reports the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office believes there could be 25 people buried on the property.

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