USA: The Chilling Story of the Family-Man Serial Killer Who Hid 10,000 Human Bones – 10th Victim Identified

He was a successful businessman, husband, and father of three children. He lived in a multi-million-dollar home in Indiana and seemed to have it all. No one imagined that behind closed doors, Herb Baumeister was one of the most active serial killers. Nearly 10,000 human bones found on his property are believed to belong to his victims, revealing a shocking case in the USA, with the tenth victim recently identified. The total number of victims is now 12. This horrifying story became a documentary series uncovering Baumeister’s dark past and efforts to identify thousands of bone fragments. In the ’90s, Baumeister led a double life: by day, he was a family man, and by night, he hunted young men, mostly gay, luring them to his home where he brutally murdered them. Their bodies were either frozen or burned on his vast estate. The horrific secret was uncovered in 1994 when his 13-year-old son found a human skull and bones in the Fox Hollow Farm forest. Baumeister claimed they were from skeletons his father kept from medical school. However, in 1996, authorities discovered over 10,000 human bones on his property. Before they could arrest him, Baumeister fled and committed suicide in a Canadian park at age 49. Identifying the victims was slow and painstaking. Only in 1999 were the first eight identified, with the case going cold for years. A new effort began in 2022 by Hamilton County coroner Jeff Jelis using modern DNA and genealogical analysis technology. Earlier this month, it was confirmed that one of the bones belonged to Daniel Thomas Haloran, missing since 1993. His daughter Coral Haloran, who was almost two when she last saw her father, said, ‘For more than 30 years, I mourned my father’s absence. Now, knowing someone took him is just sickening.’ Her mother hired private detectives and social services but had no success until a relative suggested contacting Jelis. ‘I wanted to know. Is this my father?’ Coral said. And it was. DNA tests confirmed his identity. Today, she feels she finally has an answer: ‘Now I know he’s my guardian angel. My mother always told me if he were alive, he would have come to find me. I was somewhat prepared for this day but not for this truth.’ Other victims of the spree killer have also been identified through ongoing efforts. In 2022, Jelis announced an initiative to identify the remains of the victims. In May 2024, he recognized one victim as Jeffrey Jones, missing since 1993, whose remains were recovered from Fox Hollow Farm in 1996. Jones was the third victim identified by Jelis’ investigation. Due to many remains being burned and fragmented, the investigation remains extremely challenging, yet the law enforcement team and coroners remain committed. Herb Baumeister is considered one of Indiana’s most active spree killers, suspected in at least 11 murders linked to the infamous ‘I-70 Strangler,’ whose identity remains unknown. The macabre story is featured in the documentary series ‘The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer,’ produced by ABC News Studios. The documentary follows Jeff Jelis and experts trying to name every bone fragment by collecting dozens of DNA samples from families of the missing. For families like Coral’s, this technology isn’t just science—it’s redemption.