Indiana authorities have made a significant breakthrough in a decades-old murder case, identifying an Indianapolis man who vanished in 1993 as the ninth presumed victim of a notorious serial killer. The coroner’s office confirmed that a bone recovered in 1996 on the property of long-deceased businessman Herbert Baumeister belonged to Allen Livingston, thanks to advanced forensic genetic genealogy testing.
Livingston, who was reported missing at the age of 27, is now the latest victim to be linked to Baumeister, who is believed to have carried out a string of killings in the 1980s and 1990s. Baumeister, a married father of three, committed suicide in Canada in 1996 as investigators closed in on him.
Baumeister’s sprawling property, known as Fox Hollow Farm, became the site of a grisly discovery when approximately 10,000 charred bones and bone fragments were found. Among these remains, investigators have now identified nine victims, including Livingston. It is estimated that the bones and fragments could represent the remains of at least 25 individuals.
The breakthrough in the case came after the coroner’s office launched a renewed effort last year, urging relatives of young men who disappeared between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s to provide DNA samples. Livingston’s family, concerned for his mother’s closure, contacted the coroner’s office and prompted the identification process.
The coroner expressed astonishment that Livingston’s remains were the first to be identified from among 44 individual bones or fragments that were sent for analysis. He called Livingston’s mother to deliver the news, acknowledging the emotional impact of identifying a missing person after three decades and the tragic reality of another murder victim.
The investigation into Baumeister’s crimes was challenging due to the condition of the remains recovered from his property. Many bones and fragments were burned and crushed, making DNA analysis difficult. However, through the original investigation in the 1990s, eight victims were identified through DNA samples, with Livingston now becoming the ninth. Additional DNA profiles have been developed from the remains, and efforts are underway to compare them with samples from relatives of other missing men.
The coroner urged anyone with information about missing individuals from the 1980s to the mid-1990s to come forward and assist in expanding the scope of the investigation. The identification of Livingston’s remains brings some closure to his family and highlights the ongoing efforts to bring justice to the victims of Baumeister’s heinous crimes.
