WESTFIELD, Ind. — Hamilton County authorities have identified the remains of a victim found on the property of a serial killer who lived in Westfield.
Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison announced Thursday that investigators have identified the remains that were found in 1996 on Fox Hollow Farm, the former home of Herbert Baumeister.
The name of the victim: Manuel Resendez.
It has been over 30 years since Resendez went missing in August of 1993. Now, he has finally been identified and there is closure surrounding his disappearance.
A photo of Resendez, provided by the county coroner, can be seen on the right.
“I would like to thank the entire team of law enforcement and forensic specialists that have come together to support this effort,” Coroner Jellison said.
The identification of Resendez was possible through the work of many forensic specialists collaborating in an attempt to identify nearly 10,000 remains recovered from Baumeister’s property in the 1990s.
The investigation into Baumeister, considered one of Indiana’s most notorious serial killers, began nearly 30 years ago.
Police believe he lured gay men to his Westfield home in the mid-80s through the mid-90s before killing them and disposing of their bodies in the back of his property.
It wasn’t until 1996 that Baumeister was found out. Shortly after the first of the 10,000 bone fragments were found on his property and an investigation was opened, Baumeister shot himself in Canada.
Despite it being over 20 years since Baumeister’s death, the Jellison and the County Coroner’s Office are continuing the work to identify his victims. In recent years, the team has reinvigorated efforts to bring closure to victims’ families and has already had success.
In October of last year, the remains of suspected Baumeister victim Allen Livingston were identified by the coroner. Livingston went missing in Indianapolis in 1993, but his family never stopped looking for answers and helped renew interest in the case.
The 10,000 remains recovered from the Baumeister property in total are currently being stored in the University of Indianapolis’ archaeology department where they await DNA testing at Indiana State Police labs.
Scientists are continuing to test the recovered remains with DNA provided by the family of possible victims as well as nationwide databases.
Anyone who suspects their loved ones may have been one of Baumeister’s victims can contact the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office at (317) 770-4415 to provide a DNA sample for testing.