Almost three decades after a sprawling investigation into the horrors unearthed at Fox Hollow Farm, the remains of another victim of suspected serial killer Herb Baumeister have been identified. Fox59 reports the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office announced today the confirmation of Roger Goodlet as one of the victims; Goodlet was reported missing from Indianapolis in 1994.
Through advanced forensic and DNA analysis by the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, a breakthrough was made in a case that has gripped the community over several long years, initially the identity was tentatively linked to Goodlet through dental records back in 1996, but the resolution was not confirmed until now, according to a statement obtained by WTHR. "Today’s confirmation provides an opportunity for continued closure to the family and loved ones of Roger Goodlet," said Jeff Jellison, the Hamilton County coroner, "While this case has affected our community for decades, advancements in forensic science has finally allowed us to restore names to the victims."
Baumeister, who is responsible for the death of at least 25 men, mostly targeted individuals from the gay community, luring them to his property where he carried out the murders; after becoming a suspect, he escaped to Canada and ended his life, eluding capture and trial, WTHR notes. Search efforts throughout the Fox Hollow Farm estate, where Baumeister’s 15-year-old son initially found a human skull, have revealed nearly 10,000 bones and bone fragments.
Following the persistent work by law enforcement and forensic teams over the years, the number of positively identified victims has reached eleven, and as WIBC reported, three more identifications are nearing completion through genealogy and advanced DNA techniques; the efforts of GenGenies, a nonprofit investigative genetic genealogy firm, are key to this process, as their team of eight volunteers have joined in to tackle the painstaking task of piecing together genetic puzzles at no charge.
