Fox Hollow Farm: The Bones Beneath the Mansion

Part 1 – The Crimes and Death of Herb Baumeister:

From the outside, Herb Baumeister seemed like a successful man living the American dream. He owned a thriving chain of thrift stores in Indiana, had a wife and children, and resided in a sprawling 18-acre estate known as Fox Hollow Farm, just north of Indianapolis. But behind the gated driveway and manicured lawns, Baumeister was hiding a horrific secret.

Throughout the early 1990s, dozens of young gay men were vanishing from the Indianapolis area—many of them last seen at local bars or nightclubs. Despite mounting concern in the LGBTQ+ community, local law enforcement seemed unable—or unwilling—to connect the dots. It wasn’t until a determined group of friends, led by private investigator Virgil Vandagriff, began linking the disappearances to a mysterious man named “Brian Smart” that the case gained traction. “Smart” had reportedly taken men back to a lavish home with an indoor pool and mannequins posed around it. One survivor described a chilling near-death experience during an erotic asphyxiation encounter with the man—who later vanished without a trace.

Eventually, “Brian Smart” was identified as Herb Baumeister. His home, Fox Hollow Farm, matched the survivor’s description in disturbing detail. But by the time authorities obtained a warrant to search the property in June 1996, Baumeister had already fled. What they found on the estate was gruesome: scattered across the woods behind the house were hundreds of bone fragments—remains of at least eleven dismembered bodies, their identities hidden by time and trauma. The skeletal evidence had been partially burned and buried, suggesting a prolonged pattern of calculated killings.

Just days after the discovery, Baumeister’s body was found 500 miles away in Canada, near Ontario’s Pinery Provincial Park. He had died by suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A note left behind made no mention of the murders—only apologies for business and family troubles. With his death, any hope of extracting a confession or uncovering the full scope of his crimes died with him.

Yet the story doesn’t end there.

After Baumeister’s death, the new occupants of Fox Hollow Farm began reporting terrifying phenomena—unexplained voices, shadowy figures, and ghostly apparitions roaming the grounds. Many believe the souls of Baumeister’s victims still linger, turning the once-luxurious estate into one of the most haunted locations in the Midwest.

In Part 2, we’ll explore the eerie aftermath—the paranormal investigations, chilling sightings, and the lingering question:

Can a place be stained by pure evil?

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