Unresolved Mysteries and Lingering Spirits

This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. Hello, it's Richard McLean Smith here. Very excited to announce that this May I'll be heading to CrimeCon 2026 in Las Vegas, the world's number one true crime event. And I'd love to see you there. From May 29th to the 31st, thousands of true crime fans, investigators, journalists, podcasters, experts, and survivors will gather at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for an unforgettable weekend of live talks, exclusive panels, deep dives, and behind the scenes conversations. I'll be appearing throughout the weekend on Creator Row, so please come and say hello. And if you'd like to join me for my live session, Treasure, Betrayal and Death in Vegas, the Ted Binion Mystery. I'll be speaking at ten twenty AM on the Saturday morning. To get tickets, head to crimecon.com and use promo code UNEXPLANED for 10% off. Hope to see you there. Please note, this episode contains disturbing scenes of attempted murder. Parental discretion is advised. In the winter of nineteen ninety four, in eastern Indiana. A 13 year old boy plays in a patch of woodland that runs alongside his family's farm. About fifty yards. He spelt something strange protruding from the ground. It's some kind of bone. As he draws near, it becomes increasingly clear that what he is looking at is in fact part of an entire human skeleton. Loosely covered over with red dirt. horror. He calls for his mother to come and see it. Together, the boy Eric and his mother Julie. and wonder how on earth came to rest on their land. Baumeisters had lived on the property for seven years, and there'd been no mention of a graveyard, or any hint of anything untoward before. The skeleton appeared to be complete. Only the skull was detached. Julie. It looked like whoever the person was, they just laid down there. Died. Julie told Eric to go back inside and resolved to speak to her husband later about what to do with it. Thankfully, it was all a big misunderstanding. When Eric's father Herb returns to the farm that evening. He's able to explain everything. It isn't a real skeleton, he says, but an anatomical model that once belonged to his father. A professional anesthesiologist. When his old man died, he tells them. The skeleton passed down to him. But he'd always thought it was creepy. So he decided to bury it. The weather and wild animals must have unearthed it, Herb says. A reassured Eric believes his father. And so does Julie. For now, anyway. You're listening to Unexplained. And I'm Richard McClain. a balmy summer evening in nineteen ninety four, in central Indianapolis. Goodie made his way through a hot, dimly lit bar. As music throbs all around. The five oh one club was a gay bar. popular among bears and leathermen. the man, staring intently at the poster on the wall. Was neither of those. Roger Allen Goodlot. Who'd not been seen by anyone since July. Do you know him? said Mark, leaning in to be heard over the noise. The man turned. He had soft, puppy doggish eyes. and seemed older, but oddly youthful. Like he'd never quite lost the child in his face. It was kind of cute, thought Mark. said the man. There was a brief awkward silence, before the stranger finally introduced himself. His name was Brian. Brian Smart, he said. couldn't help but smile at how formal he was. But he hadn't seen him there before, and was intrigued. Brian offered to buy Mark a drink. And before long, the pair had fallen into easy conversation. As closing time approached, the older man asked Mark, if he'd like to go on somewhere else. Turned out, Brian's boss was away. But he had a key to his home. They could sneak in and use the pool, if you like. Mark wasn't in the habit of going off with random strangers. But it did seem like a fun idea. There was just one thing though. It was just a rumour, really. But some people in the community have begun to wonder if they were being targeted by a serial killer. Since a number of gay men seem to have gone missing from the area in the past few years. Including Mark's friend Roger. Brian. and his sparkly puppy dog eyes. What the hell, he thought. The pair were soon heading north out of the city in Brian's car. and into the suburbs of Hamilton County. But as the roads got narrower and darker. Mark began to get nervous. Until eventually, Brian turned onto an unpaved rural road. glimpsed a sign bearing the word farm. But before he could read it all, Brian turned again into a long driveway, which led up to the house. Getting out of the car. Mark was relieved to see it was every inch as impressive as Brian had made it seem. practically a mansion, and entirely dark inside. Brian. Perhaps sensing Mark's nerves. Gave him a smile. Brian led Mark toward the garage, explaining that the power to most of the house was off. Basement. Mark felt another pang of anxiety as he followed Brian through the darkness, into the bowels of the mansion. Where to his immense relief. Brian finally flicked on the lights to reveal a swimming pool. Mark's anxiety turned to excitement as he stripped off and jumped into the pool. When he came up. A dense cloud of fog hung around him, above the heated water. The men falled about for a bit. Bryant suddenly turned to Mark and said, Hey. Do you wanna see a trick? Sure. Mm. A little confused, as Brian reached for a length of pool hose float nearby. Brian drif closer to Mark. Then told him to turn around. Mark laughed nervously, as Brian draped the rubber hose around his neck. Brian asked Mark if he'd ever tried auto asphyxiation. Cutting off blood supply to the brain could intensify an orgasm. Then slowly. It began to tighten the hose around Mark's neck. Feeling more uncomfortable than aroused, Mark went with it at first. Brian kept squeezing tighter. High to Until Mark began struggling to breathe. He grabbed at the hose and fought to tell Brian to stop. But he couldn't get the words out. He flailed frantically in the water. To get free. Brian held firm. Finally, in a moment of terror struck lucidity, Mark allowed his body to fall limp. and pretended to pass out. Brian released him. Convinced he was in the company of a very dangerous man. and miles away from safety. He determined that the best way to get through to dawn was just to play along. So when he feigned coming back to consciousness, he just smiled as if nothing had happened. For the next few hours he pretended to drink and return Brian's flirtations. Until at last. The older man passed out on a couch. Morning. Brian drove Mark back to his car in the city. One three from Bryant. Mark went straight to the police to report his assault. and to tell them that the man responsible might have something to do with all the men who'd gone missing recently. but the police seem to have little interest in getting involved. It didn't help that Mark couldn't give accurate directions to the house. Or any important details. In the end, they simply told Mark to keep an eye out for the man. and notice license plate number if you got the chance. It was a long shot. But almost a full year later, in August 1995, the man calling himself Brian Smart came back to the 501 Club. Mark was there to note his license plate. Please trace the car to one Herbert Richard Baumeister. Or Herb to his friends. The owner of a patch of land in nearby Westfield, where he lived with his wife Julie and son Eric. It was called Fox Hollow Farm. Please first try to search the farm without a warrant. Herb and Julie denied them entry. But by then Julie was becoming increasingly frightened of Herb's behaviour, and in 1996, she filed for divorce. though the image of that supposed skeleton that Eric had found in the woods back in 1994 had never quite left her. It was only then that she felt brave enough to do something about it. While Herb was away, she called the police and gave them permission to search the property. Over several days, the authorities unearthed over five thousand separate bone fragments from the grounds. Included skeletons of eleven men. Eight of them were identified as men reported missing and last seen in bars in Indianapolis. It turned out that Herb had been bringing men back to his house for years, whenever Julie and Eric were elsewhere visiting family. He strangled them all to death in the pool room. When the news got out. Herb fled across the border to Ontario. Park on the shore of Lake Heron. He put a bullet through his brain. He left a note that he felt terrible about his failed marriage. That he was sorry for making a disturbance in the park. and that he had intended to take his own life elsewhere. But didn't want to upset a gang of children playing nearby. Fox Hollow Farm languished empty and abandoned, under the ownership of an anonymous developer. In 2001, it was listed on the market for $28 million. Just over five million by today's money. By two thousand and six, it had been dropped to one million. But no matter how low the asking price fell No one in the local community was willing to make a home amid such hideous history. Vicky and Rob Graves were a married couple on the cusp of middle age. Looking for a country base to raise their two teenage sons. While searching for prospects close to the site of Rob's new car dealership, They came across a listing for Fox Hollow Farm. And couldn't believe that it hadn't already been snapped up. coed over its eleven thousand square feet of rooms. along with its several outbuildings, built from solid stone, and finished in an ornate mocktudus style. The manicured lawn were dotted with sculpted hedges and flowed into the surrounding eighteen acres of prime horse pasture. But as Vicky and Rob toured the property with the realtor, they shared a knowing look. What's the catch? Vicky asked. Rob was about to ask the same question when something came to him. A fragment of memory. A story he'd seen on the news about a farm outside the city and the bones of missing men. This is that killer's house, isn't it? he said. Nowhere to hide. The realtor confirmed Rob's suspicions. For some, the farm's history might have been a red line. But for the graves. Both sceptical, practical people. The debate was more economic than spiritual. Dicky and Rob discussed it over the following days, before finally making an offer. It was eagerly accepted. And the grave soon moved in. Compared to the frenzy of city life. Fox Hollow Farm was idyllic at first. Kids loved the expansive grounds and the heated indoor pool. Which they'd often come into straight from playing outside. Much to Vicky's annoyance. One morning, just a few weeks after moving in, Vicky was once more hoovering dirt from the pool site when her vacuum cleaner cut out. Tracing the line of the power cable to the wall. She saw that the plug had come out of the socket. She pushed it back in, a return to the task. Ensuring there was plenty of slack this time for her to work with. But seconds later. The vacuum cut out again. Vicky stared at the plug, that was once again lying several inches from the wall. So the cable had never tightened, and she'd not moved anywhere near far enough for it to fall out. Confused, Vicky once more reinserted the plug and returned to the Hoover. As it was told later, when she switched on again, She kept her gaze fixed on the socket. and watched aghast as the plug flew out of it and skidded across the tiles. having seemingly been wrenched out by an invisible force. Vicky almost didn't believe it herself, but she explained it all to a sceptical Rob later that day. Realizing how silly it sounded. Vicky tried to forget about it. Unsure what it was she'd seen exactly. A few days later. Vicky and Rob are said to have been in the garden, making a list of all the work that needed to be done to the house's exterior. Rob was at the top of a ladder, inspecting the gutters. When Vicky suddenly sensed something moving fast toward the tree line. as it was claimed later. Dressed in a striking red shirt. Bicky called out to him. The man didn't flinch. Moving in a straight line toward the woods. She was about to call out again in irritation when she felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. The man's legs were missing from the thigh down. Just a few inches below the untucked hem of his shirt. There was nothing Having quickly told Rob what she'd seen, he shot down the ladder and raced over to the tree line, where Vicky said the man had gone. He searched the property all the way to the garden fence, but saw no one. Just then, it occurred to Vicky that whoever she'd seen had been walking toward her Baumeister's burial site. Ron wondered if it might have been one of those serial killer obsessives that their friends had warned them about. Cabra tourists who treated murder scenes as sites of pilgrimage. Yeah, that Or Vicky had just seen a ghost, he joked, with a smile. But Vicky didn't smile back. And it wouldn't be the last time that the man in the red shirt was apparently seen on the property. Beyond the farm renovations, life was going well for the graves. The kids couldn't have been happier. And Rob's dealership was thriving. The only problem he was having was the tardiness of one of his favourite employees who Plunk. After one too many late showings, Rob discovered that Joe lived an hour from the dealership and had been struggling to get in on time. As he told his boss, he was trying to rent somewhere closer to work, but was struggling to find anything suitable. Fox Hollow Farm, at a self contained apartment above the garage on the far side of the property. With its own kitchen and ensuite bathroom. It was more than big enough for Joe and his dog Fred to So Rob offered it to him. The only problem was the property's history. Rob didn't want to hide from him. Thankfully, Joe wasn't put off. If anything, as far as he was concerned. It made the place even more interesting. A few nights later. Joe was tossing and turning in his new apartment. Joe was running for his life. Woodland. He had no idea what was chasing him. Only that whatever it was was deeply malignant. Joe snapped awake and bolted out of bed. Before he realized where he was, It jumped halfway across the room. For the rest of the night, Joe lay on the carpet, with a light on. trying to quiet his hammering heart. Still fighting the pressing urge to run. Only when dawn came was he finally able to find sleep again. It was a few nights later, as Joe was washing some dishes, that he was startled by a loud, rapid knocking at the front door. Joe shouted that he was coming as he dried his hands on a dishcloth. The knocking continued. Growing more and more intense. So much so that Joe was sure it must have been Rob or Vicky with an emergency. Okay, okay, he said, as the knocking kept going. Until he turned the handle and opened the door. Then all went quiet. There was no one there. Joe's apartment was only reachable by a switchback wooden staircase. There was no one on the landing, or the stairs either. Thorough bewildered. Joe closed the door and turned to see his dog, Fred. Standing in the centre of the living room. Hackals raised. Staring at the bedroom door. Joe followed Fred's stair and jumped at what appeared to be a figure hurriedly crossing the doorway. Keeping Fred by his side, Joe called out for whoever was there to come out. Hearing nothing in reply. He stealed himself. and stepped quietly toward the bedroom door. Then he stepped inside, hugely relieved. Room completely empty. At first, he assumed he'd just been seeing things because he was tired. But then he remembered the knocking too. He hadn't imagined. About a month into Joe's stay, he took Fred for a nighttime walk around the property. They'd just turned for home, when Joe noticed that Fred was no longer at his side. Then he heard him growling. Scanning the moonlit grounds. Joe saw Fred a dozen paces away, on the far side of the main house, near the tree line. as was later claimed. Fred was standing in a defensive crouch. Barking at a male figure in a red shirt. The man was said to be standing still and facing away from Joe. Looking into the woods. When suddenly he spurred into movement. and disappeared into the labyrinth of branches and shadows. Joe shuddered when he realised the man had no legs from the thigh down. Then to his dismay. Fred Gate Chase. With no choice but to go after him. Joe had only gone a few paces into the trees, when he found Fred purposefully standing his ground. But still in some distress. And he was staring directly at Joe. Or as Joe realized with a chill. That's something behind him. Growled again. Slow. Joe turn. There, just a foot away. The man in the red shirt. It's said that Joe, in a panic, grabbed Fred and rushed straight back to his apartment, where he barred the door and spent another sleepless night. peering out of the window at the now menacing dark of the farm. Such an incident would have been enough to send most people fleeing. But as Joe later said, it was difficult to walk away from such a convenient situation. Until the following night, at least. Once more. Late in the evening. Joe claimed he heard a knocking at his door. This time, however, The door was physically shifting in its frame under the weight of the blows. When Joe finally found the courage to open it, Once again, he found the same empty landing on the other side of it. Then something made him freeze. The heavy metal knownly hanging suspended, perpendicular to the door, as if held by an invisible hand. tremble in place for several seconds, until it slammed down heavy and loud against the wood. Sending Joe jumping in fright back into the apartment. And slamming the door shut behind him. Then he watched in horror as the door handle twisted and turned for several silent seconds. A tremendous blow shattered the lock. And sent the door flinging violently inward. In terror. Joe fled into the night. and sprinted desperately toward the main house. Where the broken door yawned open. He later claimed to see something standing in the doorway. A figure dressed in white His face contorted in pain or anish. A sound was emanating from his mouth. Though it was muted, Joe had no doubt. The man was screaming. Vicky and Rob are said to have been asleep when they heard Joe pounding on the front door. Clearly in distress, they invited him to take a seat in the kitchen. Then He apparently told them about everything he'd experienced so far. Vicky and Rob are said to have received it all with an almost eerie calm. Much to Joe's surprise. But when he filled them in on his confrontation with the man in red, Vicki's face apparently went pale. The three of them are said to have come to the conclusion. that it was one of her Baumeister's victims. There are some who believe that malignancy reverberates So spectral aftershocks can occur as the result of seismically awful events. Perhaps that is what happened at Fox Hollow Farm. After all, who else would the apparent entities be than the victims of her Balmeister's crimes? still lingering at the sight of their end. This theory was endorsed, at least in Joe and the Graves' opinion. When a few days later. was walking through the woods when just off the trail He saw a pile of leaves that looked newly assembled. Sitting plain as day on top of them was an intact human femur. would have been an astonishing find, as the site had been thoroughly searched over many months, with thousands of tiny bone fragments already removed and catalogued. It felt to him like a plea. Like a victim was reaching out. trying to let them know he was there. Vicky and Rob reached out to the local police and arranged for the bone to be taken in for testing. The lead investigator, Virgil Vandergriff, took responsibility. and even agreed to come out to the farm to talk the Graves through what had occur there in whatever detail he could to put their worries at rest. In finding and offloading that bone, Rob, Vicky and Joe are said to have begun to believe that maybe they'd released whatever entity remained ensnared at the farm. They thought of it as an exorcism of thoughts. But there was one more twist to come. as Rob recounts it in his book. One early afternoon. Joe was sitting at his kitchen table. When he apparently heard a scratching, rattling noise coming from the counter behind him. Turning, he saw that each of his sharp knives had been somehow taken from the butcher block and laid out in a neat row on the countertop. Closer. He apparently saw that deep marks had been carved underneath them. It said that Joe instinctively thought that the scored inscriptions looked desperate. Emotional. Even angry. On an impulse, he reached for his phone and hit the record button. And in the silent, empty kitchen. He began to ask questions. Who's there? Can we help you? But nothing came back. Then Fred began to growl. apparently convinced that someone or something was with him in the kitchen. Is there anyone there? Again to no reply. Then he ended the recording. Later, Joe uploaded the file on his computer and hit playback. according to Rob, as Joe sat in the lonely quiet of his apartment. He listened as his voice repeatedly asked questions, with only the slight hiss of ambience heard in between. Then Fred's growl was hurt. Followed by Joe's final question. Is anyone there? Then from out of the silence that ensued. Joe heard what sounded like. A gravelly male voice. He pulled the clip back. played it out again in astonishment. It sounded like it was saying The married one. Excited and confused, Joe apparently took the recording to Rob and Vicky. We were also convinced it was a voice. But what did it mean? All the victims had been young, gay men. And all single. Or at least unmarried. Only one person involved in the Fox Hollow murders had been married. Baummeister. Vicky and Rob Graves stay at Fox Hollow Farm for several years after these apparent events. They claim to have had other strange occurrences, but nothing that matched the severity of what Joe is said to have experienced. And neither the legless man in red, nor nor the drenched man in white. No one really knows how many victims Herb Baumeister killed and put in the ground. thousands of bone fragments, many of them too small to attribute. As of late twenty twenty five. Ten victims have been positively identified. Their names. Roger Goodl. Daniel Howron. Jeffrey Jones. Manual resendance. Livingston. John Lee Bayer. Richard Hamilton Jr. Steven Hail. Alan Brossard. Michael can't. Is just on the farm. between nineteen eighty and nineteen ninety one. An unknown killer, proud of four block radius of downtown Indianapolis. At least eleven boys and young men were lured from barns. Strangle. and their bodies discarded in the ditches and streams along Interstate seventy. They theorized that in nineteen ninety one. Killer was able to stop disposing of the bodies by the side of the road. Because now he had a safer place to put them. Was Fox Hollow Farm? the primary setting for her Baumeister's depravity. Or just an epilogue to a much longer story. Like so many of the unknown horrors that occur in the nightmare shadows of human history. Those questions seem destined to remain forever. Unexplained. This episode was written by Neil McRubbard. and Richard McClain Smith. Thank you as ever for listening. Unexplained is an AV Club production podcast created by Richard McLean Smith. All other elements of the podcast, including the music, are also produced by me. Richard McClain Smith. Unexplained the book and audiobook is now available to buy worldwide. You can purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble Waterstones and other bookstores. Please subscribe to and rate the show wherever you get your podcasts. and feel free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation or a story of your own you'd like to share. You can find out more at unexplainedpodcast.com. and reaches online through X and Blue Sky, but unexplained pod. And Facebook. At facebook.com Forward slash. Une explained podcast.