Nearly 30 years after thousands of human bones and bone fragments were unearthed at the estate of suspected serial killer Herb Baumeister, new questions are being raised about the investigation at Fox Hollow Farm. Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison stated that a key figure in the case, Mark Goodyear, has not been fully forthcoming with investigators. Jellison expressed his intention to determine whether Goodyear possesses information that could assist in identifying the remaining victims and understanding how they died.
Jellison remarked, "I have had an opportunity to speak with Mark Goodyear a couple of times. The first question I would ask him is, ‘Are you ready to be honest with me?’ Because in the conversations we’ve had, he’s not been honest." Goodyear has never been charged with any crime related to the case and has repeatedly denied involvement in the disappearances.
Jellison noted that Goodyear could help identify some of the remains due to his connections through gay nightclubs. Goodyear, who described himself as Baumeister’s only known survivor, participated in a documentary that detailed how investigators believed Baumeister may have filmed his victims. Goodyear recounted a disturbing experience involving tapes that he was forced to watch in 1994.
Approximately 10,000 burned and broken human bones and bone fragments were recovered from Baumeister's 18-acre estate. Baumeister was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1996 before investigators could arrest him. Authorities believe he lured men to his home while his family was away, killed them, and disposed of their remains on the property.
Jellison indicated that there are still more than 9,000 bones and bone fragments yet to be examined, with investigators estimating that at least 25 individuals may have fallen victim to Baumeister. He raised questions about whether Baumeister could have acted alone, citing the challenges of transporting remains through dense woods.
Jellison emphasized the importance of identifying the victims, noting that some families may still be unaware that a loved one is missing or that their remains may be at Fox Hollow Farm. He compared the scale of the investigation to the recovery effort at the World Trade Center, highlighting the unique challenges posed by the lack of records and missing-person reports in this case.
He is urging anyone who believes a missing loved one could be connected to the case to contact his office, stating that his office received approximately 500 communications after the original documentary aired. Jellison said, "Come forward. If you don’t know what to do or you don’t know who to call, call me. I’ll get you going in the right direction."