WESTFIELD, Ind. — Next week, the victims of suspected serial killer Herb Baumeister will be remembered with the unveiling of a permanent memorial at a cemetery in Westfield.
It's been almost 30 years since investigators found thousands of remains buried on 18 acres behind Baumeister's Westfield home.
A memorial for the victims will be dedicated at Hamilton Memorial Park Cemetery Thursday, Aug. 29. That memorial will have the names of nine men whose remains so far have been identified. Behind the memorial, there will be a place where victims' cremated remains can be placed in the ground.
Two years ago, Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison re-opened the case with the hope of identifying more of the bones and bone fragments recovered on Baumeister's property.
Those remains have been sitting on a shelf at the University of Indianapolis ever since, unidentified and unclaimed.
Next week, remains recently identified as belonging to Jeff Jones will be laid to rest.
Jones was one of the eight original victims identified from remains in the mid-1990s.
Now, more of Jones remains will be buried at the site of the memorial following funeral services for him.
"I know that this funeral and this moment and this dedication will never undo the horror of this crime, but we can change the narrative. We must change the narrative because generations of families in this community need to tell a new story," said Linda Znackho, with He Knows Your Name Ministries.
Znackho has spent the past 15 years burying unclaimed babies and adults in Marion County.
Now, she's helping Jellison honor the victims of Fox Hollow Farm.
"It is time for us to help bring closure to humbly say the names of each and every one of the identified victims. Every one of their lives matter," Znachko said.
"We hope that we can identify future victims. We must get them off the shelf. They cannot be stored any longer," Znachko said.
Police suspect the remains of at least two dozen victims were buried at Fox Hollow Farm.
Znachko said if more can be identified, additional names will be added to the memorial, and if their families want, those remains will buried behind the memorial with those belonging to other victims.
To date, Jellison said they've recovered the remains of at least 13 men. Nine victims have been positively identified. Investigators have DNA profiles for four more, but no identifications.
That's why Jellison is calling on families who have male loved ones missing from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s to submit DNA samples to see if they match any of the unclaimed remains still stored at UIndy.
"That is where most of these identifications will take place," Jellison said.
The process isn't an overnight one. Discovering the truth takes time, and the journey to find that truth only ends when all of the victims come home to a final resting place.
Now, that final resting place exists in Hamilton County.
Next week's dedication is set for Thursday, Aug. 29 at 10 a.m. at the Hamilton Memorial Park Cemetery.