The Haunting of Fox Hollow Farm: A Dark Legacy in the Indiana Countryside
Once home to a brutal killer, Fox Hollow Farm is now the site of chilling paranormal activity. Are the spirits of the past still trapped within its grounds?
Case File: The Haunting of Fox Hollow Farm
Case No.: 11FW-1994-IN
Classification: Haunting – Residual and Intelligent Spirit Activity
Location: Fox Hollow Farm, Westfield, Indiana, USA
Date of Incident: 1994 – Present
Filed by: Paranormal Investigators and Property Owners
Status: Active – Paranormal Activity Ongoing
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Incident Summary
Initial Report
Fox Hollow Farm is a large estate on the edge of Westfield, Indiana. It became infamous in the 1990s when police linked the property to a series of murders carried out by Herb Baumeister. By the time it made national news, the remains of at least eleven men had been found on the grounds. Many believe the real number of victims is even higher. Years after the murders, the property gained a new reputation, this time as one of the most haunted locations in the Midwest.
Background
Herb Baumeister bought Fox Hollow Farm in the early 1990s. The property covers around 18 acres, with a main house, indoor swimming pool, manicured gardens, and vast woodland trails stretching behind it. From the outside, Herb appeared to be a successful businessman and a family man. He ran a chain of thrift stores, lived on an estate with his wife Julie and their children, and blended into suburban life.
But he was leading a secret life.
In the early 1990s, young gay men began disappearing around Indianapolis. Most were last seen at bars and clubs in the city. Unknown to the public, Herb was luring these men back to Fox Hollow Farm. Once there, he would drug them, carry out disturbing acts, and murder them. He buried or burned their remains on the property, scattering bones throughout the wooded trails.
In 1994, after a long investigation led by police and a private investigator working for one of the victims’ families, suspicion finally fell on Herb. With help from his estranged wife Julie, who reported finding bones on the property, police secured a warrant. What they discovered was horrifying—human remains spread across the woods, pointing to multiple victims.
Before police could arrest him, Herb fled to Canada. He died by suicide without ever confessing to the murders.
After his death, the property sat quietly for a time. But once new owners moved in, reports of something else began to emerge—stories of figures in the woods, voices at night, and an atmosphere that seemed heavy with the past.
Phenomena Overview
The Haunting Begins
When Rob and Vicki Graves bought Fox Hollow Farm, they didn’t realise the full extent of what had happened there. It wasn’t long before they began to notice strange things: doors moving on their own, cold spots, unexplained voices. As the activity continued, they began to suspect that they weren’t alone.
Cold Spots
Sudden, unexplained drops in temperature have been reported throughout the home. These are most common near the swimming pool, which is believed to be the site of many of the murders. Visitors have described feeling an icy chill in the air, even when the temperature outside is warm.
Apparitions and Shadow Figures
Witnesses have reported seeing shadowy figures inside the home and throughout the woods. One frequently seen apparition is that of a shirtless man, believed to be one of the victims. He’s been spotted near the woods and occasionally inside the house. Others say they’ve seen Herb Baumeister’s figure in windows or walking the property at night.
Voices and Sounds
People who visit the property often report hearing disembodied voices. Some describe whispered conversations, while others say they’ve heard cries for help. Footsteps echo through the halls when no one is there, and the voices are often loud enough to wake residents at night.
Physical Encounters
There are reports of people being touched or shoved by unseen forces, especially near the woods where the remains were found. One tenant described being grabbed in the hallway by something he couldn’t see, as if it were trying to pull him back. He moved out shortly after.
Swimming Pool Activity
The indoor pool has become a focal point of paranormal reports. Visitors have seen ripples on the surface of the water, even when the pool is empty. Shadows move along the walls, and some people say they feel a heavy sense of dread just being near the room.
Investigation Overview
Firsthand Experiences
The Graves family experienced much of the activity firsthand. At first, they tried to dismiss it. But the events continued. They eventually allowed paranormal investigators to visit the home.
Paranormal Investigations
The property has drawn attention from multiple investigative teams and TV shows. Investigators have recorded EVPs—voices saying things like “help me” or “get out.” Equipment has picked up high electromagnetic readings in the woods and around the pool. Infrared cameras have captured orbs and moving shadows.
Spirit Communication
Séances held on the property have produced unsettling results. Some mediums reported contact with spirits who were confused or afraid, believed to be victims. Others claimed to make contact with Herb himself, describing a presence filled with anger and control.
Evidence
In addition to voices and video anomalies, investigators have reported equipment failures, camera malfunctions, and unexplained lights in the woods. Shadowy figures have been caught on film darting through trees or appearing briefly at the edge of frame.
Press Coverage and Public Reaction
Media Attention
Fox Hollow Farm has been featured in documentaries, news specials, and paranormal TV shows like Ghost Adventures and Paranormal Witness. Its disturbing history and the continued reports of paranormal activity have made it a magnet for attention.
Public Interest
The property now holds a strange appeal for true crime followers and paranormal enthusiasts. Some are sceptical of the haunting, believing it’s exaggerated. Others who’ve spent time on the grounds say there’s no doubt that something lingers there.
Case Status
Fox Hollow Farm remains one of the most disturbing haunted locations in the United States. The violent history, the possibility of unresolved spirits, and the frequency of paranormal reports suggest that the energy of what happened there hasn’t faded. The current owners continue to live on the estate, but they are not alone.
The Story
Westfield, Indiana looks like the kind of place people settle down to raise a family. Wide streets. Big homes with quiet gardens. The sort of Midwestern calm that makes neighbours wave to one another from their driveways. But behind a patch of woodland just outside town lies a place with a history so twisted, it still unsettles even the most hardened investigators. Fox Hollow Farm is not a ghost story people made up to scare kids. It's real. It's documented. And it's a home built over something far worse than bones.
Herb Baumeister didn’t look like a monster. He was soft-spoken, neat, and polite. The kind of man who wore a tie to work and waved from the front porch. He was a father, a husband, and the owner of a chain of second-hand stores called Sav-A-Lot. He donated to charity. He went on family holidays. He took his kids to school. But all of it was a mask. Something he wore so no one would suspect what was happening behind closed doors. And for a long time, no one did.
In the early 1990s, something was happening in Indianapolis. Young gay men were disappearing. Not one or two, but dozens. Most of them were last seen at clubs or bars in the city. Their names were written down by friends. Flyers were put up. Parents filed reports. But they were adults. Men with lives. And in a world where police often failed to take missing LGBTQ+ cases seriously, most of the disappearances didn’t get far.
Herb had a pattern. He’d go to bars using the name Brian Smart. He’d watch. He’d wait. He’d look for someone alone or vulnerable. He had a story ready. A rich guy with a private pool and a stash of drinks back at his place. For a night of fun, no strings attached. The ones who said yes never made it back.
Fox Hollow Farm was supposed to be a dream home. A secluded estate tucked behind thick woods on the edge of town. The property itself backed onto nearly eighteen acres of woodland, wild and quiet, the kind of space where no one would think to look. Herb knew that. He chose it for that reason. It gave him privacy. It gave him control. And more than anything else, it gave him a place to hide bodies. A long driveway. A huge indoor swimming pool. Plenty of space for a family to grow. It was also perfect for hiding secrets. The pool, with its tiled walls and high ceiling, was cold and echoing. Herb was known to keep mannequins arranged around it, posed like party guests at some grotesque gathering. It’s believed he used this setting to lower his victims’ guard, creating an illusion of normality or even celebration. He is believed to have drugged his victims before killing them, often in or near the pool. When police eventually searched the property, they noted how still and oppressive the air felt in that room. The temperature didn’t explain it. Neither did the layout. Something lingered there. People who’ve stood at the edge of that pool say it feels wrong, like the air itself is holding its breath.
What happened to the bodies is hard to talk about. Herb didn’t leave them intact. He burned them in fire pits. He scattered bones across the woods. He crushed skulls and ground teeth into the soil. Some were buried. Some were left where animals could take them. For years, he told his wife Julie that the bones were from deer. She believed him.
The turning point came when a private investigator named Virgil Vandagriff started to dig deeper into one of the missing persons cases. That, along with the testimony of a man who barely escaped, finally brought suspicion to Herb. Julie, by then estranged from her husband, found bones behind the house and gave permission for a police search. In 1996, they began digging. What they found was worse than anything they’d prepared for.
Human remains were everywhere. Scattered across the tree line. In the garden beds. Near the pool. Some were half-burned. Others were clearly broken or crushed. The remains of at least eleven men were identified, though some of the bone fragments recovered suggested there may have been more. Herb fled to Canada. He parked his car in a nature reserve, wrote a note blaming financial troubles, and shot himself. He didn’t mention the victims. Not one.
Most would assume that was the end of the story. That with Herb dead and the case closed, whatever horror he brought into the world had ended with him.
After Herb’s death, Fox Hollow Farm went quiet for a time. Then it was listed for sale. Rob and Vicki Graves bought it in good faith, unaware of what had taken place there. But once they moved in, things began to happen. Subtle at first. The kind of stuff you can excuse. Doors opening on their own. Lights flickering. The sound of footsteps in an empty room. But then came the voices. Whispers late at night. The sound of someone breathing just behind you. The air inside the house began to feel unnatural. Guests would stand near the pool and feel a wave of nausea or panic, like something was pressing in around them. One visitor reported seeing a figure rise from the water and vanish as they turned on the lights. Another claimed they were shoved from behind while standing at the edge of the pool, hard enough to stumble. The family dog refused to go near it. More than one person said it felt like the room itself was waiting for something to happen. Cold air wrapped around your spine even in summer. But the most disturbing account came from the Graves' children and a family friend who were using the pool one afternoon. Everything was fine until, without warning, one of the boys was pulled under. He struggled to resurface, convinced something had grabbed him by the throat and was trying to strangle him underwater. His arms flailed as he fought against it, kicking and clawing toward the surface with everything he had. When he finally broke free and made it to the edge, he was gasping, shaken, and terrified. He refused to go near the water again. No one else had seen what happened below the surface. But whatever it was, it left them convinced they weren’t alone in that room.
Guests began to mention strange things. A man without a shirt wandering the woods behind the house. Someone pacing in the hallway while everyone was asleep. One of the tenants renting an apartment on the property said he was physically grabbed in the hall by something he couldn’t see. He packed his things and left. Said he wouldn’t spend another night there.
Investigators and mediums started to take an interest. What they documented was chilling. EMF readings in areas with no electricity. Electronic voice phenomena with pleading voices or screams. Motion detectors triggering in empty rooms. Lights moving between the trees at night. Some of the spirits seemed lost. Confused. As if they didn’t know they were dead. One medium claimed there was something else. Something that controlled the space. Dark. Angry. Still present.
Some believe what happened on that land left an imprint—something deeper than memory, more persistent than trauma. Investigators have suggested that the energy of those deaths might still be active in the atmosphere. A few have gone further, saying they believe Herb never truly left. That his presence remains embedded in the routines of the house. Quiet. Observing. Still trying to dominate the space the way he once did.
Over the years, the house has been featured in documentaries, podcasts, and paranormal TV shows. Most agree that it’s one of the most active haunted locations in the Midwest. But even with the attention, most of what happens at Fox Hollow Farm goes unseen by the public. The land remains private. The home is still lived in. And what happens there now is mostly kept quiet.
There’s something uniquely disturbing about Fox Hollow Farm. Maybe it’s because the man who did those things seemed so normal. Maybe it’s because the victims were people the world forgot about. Or maybe it’s because when you visit that property, you can still feel it. That weight. That stillness. That sense that someone is watching from the woods just out of sight.
Some say the dead still walk the trails looking for peace. Others say Herb is still holding on. Whatever the case, those who spend time at Fox Hollow rarely come away unchanged. The air is heavy. The trees don’t move right. And at night, the silence doesn’t feel empty.
Fox Hollow Farm is more than the scene of a crime. It’s a place where fear took root and never fully loosened its grip. The victims are gone. The man who took their lives is gone. But those who visit the estate often describe a feeling that something is still there. Not just memory. Not just legend. Something quieter. Heavier. Like the weight of a story that refuses to stop being told.
I grew up in the town next door. It was weird seeing clips of my town in the documentary.