Herb Baumeister

**Herbert Richard "Herb" Baumeister** (7 Aprile 1947 – 3 Julie 1996) wis an American serial killer frae Westfield, Indiana ootside o Indianapolis.  Baumeister committit suicide afore he coud be brocht tae trial, an niver confessed tae the creemes he wis allegit tae hae committit.

## Early life
The auldest o fower childer, Baumeister's bairnheid was reportedly normal. Bi the onset o adolescence, housomeivver, he began exhibitin antisocial behaviour; acquaintances later recawed the young Baumeister playin wi deid animals an urinatin on a teacher's desk. As a teenager, he wis diagnosed wi schizophrenia, but did no receive further psychiatric treatment. As an adult, he driftit through a series o jobs, markit bi a strang wirk ethic, but bi mair an increasingly bizarre behaviour an aw.

He marriet in 1971, a union that producit three childer. Baumeister foondit the successful Sav-A-Lot thrift store chain in Indianapolis in 1977.

## Investigation
In the early 1990s investigators wi the Marion County Sheriff's Department an the Indianapolis Police Department began investigatin the disappearances o gay men in the Indianapolis aurie. In 1993, investigators wur contactit bi a man claimin that a gay bar patron cawin hissel "Brian Smart"  haed killed a friend o his an haed attemptit tae kill him. The detectives tauld him tae contact thaim in case he iver saw the man again. In November 1995, he cried them an suppleed the man's license plate; efter checkin the license registry, investigators discovered that "Brian Smart" wis actually Herb Baumeister.    
   
Investigators approached Baumeister, tauld him he wis a suspect in the disappearances, an asked tae search his hoose. When Baumeister refused, investigators confrontit his wife, Julie, who forbade polis tae search the hoose an aw. By Juin 1996, housomeivver, Julie Baumeister haed become sufficiently frichtened bi her husband's muid swings an erratic behavior that, efter filin for divorce, she consentit tae a search. The search o the  estate namit "Fox Hollow Farm" wis conductit while Baumeister wis on vacation; it turned up the remains o 11 men, 8 o whom wur identifee'd.

Baumeister escapit tae Ontario, whaur he committit suicide at Pinery Provincial Park bi shuitin hissel in the heid. In his suicide note, he describit his failin marriage an business as his raison for killin hissel. He did no confess tae the murthers o the men foond in his backyard.

In addeetion tae the murthers at his estate, Baumeister is suspectit o killin nine mair men an aw, the bouks o whom wur foond in landwart auries alang the corridor o Interstate 70 atween Columbus, Ohio an Indianapolis, Indiana. Julie Baumeister tauld authorities that her husband made as mony as 100 business trips tae Ohio, on wha he said wis store business.

## Media coverage
The A&E Network telly series *The Secret Life of a Serial Killer* aired an episode aboot Baumeister in 1997. History featured the case in their *Perfect Crimes* series. The case wis featured on *[[:en:The Investigators (TruTV series)|The Investigators]]* on TruTV in 2008 an aw, *[[Behind Mansion Walls]]* on Investigation Discovery an *[[Paranormal Witness]]* on Syfy, baith in 2012.

## References

## Freemit airtins
* Herb Baumeister at CrimeLibrary.com  
* Herb Baumeister at CharlieManson.com 
* http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Baumeister,%20Herb%20-%20fall,%202005.pdf