America's Crime Lab – S1:EP8: "The Disappeared Part 1" (August 27, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, host Ailin Lance Lesser and producer Kathryn Fenollosa dig into the haunting story of the Fox Hollow Farm case—the second-largest discovery of unidentified human remains at a single crime scene in the U.S., eclipsed only by the World Trade Center site. The episode traces the chilling disappearance of young men from Indianapolis’s gay community in the early 1990s, the eerie secrets of suburban respectability, and the decades-long battle of families and investigators to unearth the truth about serial killer Herb Baumeister. This is Part One of a two-part series unraveling how routine evidence, despair, and relentless family advocacy converged on America’s Crime Lab, Othram.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Mystery of the Disappeared (02:35–04:44)

• Personal Stake: The story opens with a family member suspecting that their own cousin, missing for years, was one of the never-identified victims of Herb Baumeister; this personal connection reignites a cold case (02:35).
• Serial Disappearances: In summer 1993, young men—primarily from the gay community—begin disappearing in Indianapolis, with little public upheaval or police response at the time (03:04–04:44).
• Staggering Crime Scene: The case involves the “second largest amount of unidentified human remains ever discovered at a crime scene in this country. It’s second only to the World Trade Center site.” (04:31, Ailin Lance Lesser)

Suburbia's Dark Side and Baumeister’s Double Life (05:10–09:42)

• Profile of Herb Baumeister: Herb, “a little quirky” son of a doctor, appeared to lead a normal life with his wife Julie and three kids in a wealthy suburb, running a successful thrift store chain ("Save A Lot"), and owning the impressive Fox Hollow estate (05:10–09:42).
• Description of Fox Hollow Farm: “It’s an English Tudor style home... surrounded by these very, very dense woods.” (08:02, Steve Ainsworth)
• Herb’s Lifestyle: While the family spent weekends at a lake house, Herb stayed behind for work, leading to years of this routine.

The Vulnerability and Stigma of the Victims (09:44–13:22)

• Invisible Missing Persons: Disappearances mostly went unnoticed by law enforcement and media. Young men often used aliases in bars and feared social or professional repercussions for being outed (09:44–11:55).
• Social Context: “These bars... where they could go to feel safe,” but the community was simultaneously in the shadow of the AIDS crisis—making tracking people down more challenging (11:20, Steve Ainsworth).
• Systemic Neglect: “I think they would have been connected sooner if it was a different community. I think that it kind of fell on deaf ears for a while until these remains started showing up.” (25:49, Steve Ainsworth)

The Shocking Discovery (13:22–15:04, 17:57–19:08)

• Skull Found by a Child: The case breaks open when Herb’s son Eric finds a human skull in the woods—Herb claims it was a medical specimen from his father, an explanation Julie initially accepts (13:39–18:41).
  • “Eric comes running into the house and he is holding a fully intact human skull.” (13:59, Steve Ainsworth)
• Julie's Trust and Denial: “Herb was a great dad... super involved... completely present father.” (19:08, Ailin Lance Lesser)

Inside the Fox Hollow ‘House of Secrets’ (20:39–24:15)

• Mark Goodyear’s Encounter: Mark Goodyear tells police of meeting “Brian Smart” at a downtown gay bar, being brought to a mansion with an indoor pool surrounded by mannequins. Mark dodges a spiked drink, survives multiple strangling attempts, and ultimately leaves alive (20:39–24:15).
  • Memorable Detail: “Mannequins are set up around the pool area, and they're posed, so it looks like they're lounging by the water.” (21:09, Ailin Lance Lesser)
• Aliasing and Evasion: Police struggle to discover the real identity and location of “Brian Smart” as Mark can’t recall the address.

Piecing the Case Together (25:07–30:22)

• Another Potential Accomplice: An additional tip hints at someone else luring men to the house, but police still lack broader support and urgency.
• Breakthrough: Finally, a year later, someone notes the suspect’s car’s license plate. It leads them to Herb Baumeister’s car, shattering his cover as an average family man (30:06–30:22).

The Search and Macabre Scale of the Crime (31:37–39:24)

• Police and Julie Connect the Dots: Police question Julie, who recalls the found skull and other odd moments. Her marriage, Herb’s mental health history, and past hospitalizations come to light. She ultimately lets police search the property (31:37–33:28).
• Excavation Begins: Forensic teams descend, grid the woods, and find hundreds of red flags, “almost like someone has taken a handful of bird seed and just tossed it in the woods… It was that enormous.” (34:14–35:07, Ailin Lance Lesser)
  • “A sea of red flags.” (35:03, Co-host)
• Graphic Finds: Detectives find bones, shotgun shells, handcuffs—one with “an arm bone sticking through it” (35:30, Steve Ainsworth), and sites where bodies were burned and crushed in a “never ending map of just burnt, crushed, scattered human remains.” (39:06, Ailin Lance Lesser)
• Detectives’ Horror: “I have never personally seen anything like that. With that amount of remains and the condition that they're in. I've just never seen anything like that.” (35:30, Steve Ainsworth)

Tension and Uncertainty (39:26–41:33)

• Family in Jeopardy: With Baumeister at the family’s lake house with their son, Julie panics about her children’s safety; the police response is slow and cautious (39:31–40:14).
  • “It's like, what could he do to our son? Could he hold him hostage? Could he hurt him?” (39:49, Co-host)
• Complexity and Frustration: “It's not as simple as Herb Baumeister took these people out to his house, sexually assaulted him and killed him and dumped him in the woods. It's much more complicated.” (40:18, Steve Ainsworth)

The Struggle for Justice (40:36–41:33)

• Case Stagnates: Next week’s preview reveals a familiar narrative—authorities willing to let the case stall, families and activists pushing to keep it alive.
  • “I was pissed because it seemed as though the investigation shut down. They were done. We're not going to try to identify these people.” (40:39, Steve Ainsworth)
  • “That was one of those soul searching moments that, okay, you've agreed to help. You're committed to help. Now how in the heck are you going to do this?” (41:15, Narrator)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the Abnormality of Serial Murder:
  “You know the saying of like a car crash, everyone sort of slows down to watch because it defies normal human behavior...what makes these people tick?” (04:06, Ailin Lance Lesser)

• On Stigma and Coverage:
  “These are gay men…a subculture. It wouldn't be reported like that 18-year-old coed goes missing from Indy…The public was really not aware of what was going on.” (12:38, Steve Ainsworth)

• On the Size of the Crime Scene:
  “This case is also unique because it involves the second largest amount of unidentified human remains ever discovered at a crime scene in this country. It's second only to the World Trade Center site.” (04:31, Ailin Lance Lesser)

• On the Initial Discovery:
  “Eric comes running into the house and he is holding a fully intact human skull.” (13:59, Steve Ainsworth)

• On Surreal Horror:
  “Mannequins are set up around the pool area...In the bar area, even more mannequins...posed so it looks like they're having drinks and talking.” (21:09, Ailin Lance Lesser)

• On Police Realization:
  “It almost seems like the investigation ends before it began.” (24:30, Ailin Lance Lesser)

• On Forensic Discovery:
  “There's a virtual graveyard…a full hip bone, leg bones, a lower jawbone with the teeth still intact.” (37:13, Ailin Lance Lesser)

• Detective’s Reaction:
  “I have never personally seen anything like that. With that amount of remains and the condition that they're in. I've just never seen anything like that.” (35:30, Steve Ainsworth)

• On Systemic Failure:
  “I think they would have been connected sooner if it was a different community. I think that it kind of fell on deaf ears for a while until these remains started showing up.” (25:49, Steve Ainsworth)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:35] – Opening personal story and connection to victims
• [04:31] – Staggering magnitude of the remains found
• [05:10–09:42] – Baumeister family background and Fox Hollow Farm
• [13:22–14:35] – Discovery of the human skull
• [20:39–24:15] – Mark Goodyear’s testimony and “Brian Smart”
• [30:06–31:37] – License plate breakthrough; police approach Baumeister
• [33:42–35:07] – "Sea of red flags": the dig and scale of remains
• [36:36] – Discovery of handcuffs with a human arm bone
• [37:13–38:00] – Virtual graveyard along the creek bed
• [39:31–40:18] – Julie’s panic, Baumeister at the lake house, police inaction
• [40:36–41:33] – Frustrations with the stalled investigation

Tone and Style

The episode is told with empathy and urgency, framed by the hosts’ awe, horror, and compassion for the victims, families, and investigators. Detectives’ perspectives emphasize real, lived horror and systemic failure: the case’s progress is always tinged with frustration about the neglect of marginalized victims and the persistent, sometimes lonely struggle of those seeking answers.

Note:
This is Part 1 of the Fox Hollow Farm story. Expect further revelations, Othram’s forensic work, and family-driven efforts for justice in the next episode.