The young man showed the skull found on the property to his mother, Julie Baumeister. According to a 1996 People report, Baumeister justified the situation by saying that those were the bones of a skeleton from medical school, which was given to him by his late father, an anesthesiologist.
Despite the justification, the discovery sparked an investigation. So, the investigation would end up placing Baumeister as a suspect of being a serial killer who targeted gay men.
Authorities ordered protection for the family. The day after her son found the bones, Baumeister’s wife received an emergency order of protection and custody to keep the man away from her and their three children, according to Fox 59.
Already three days after the boy discovered the bones, they were identified as human. Hamilton County firefighters found even more remains in the area. At the time, the discovery shocked investigators.
The investigation took place amid divorce proceedings between Baumeister and his then wife. Divorce records indicate that the Baumeisters accused each other of mismanaging the family business. They operated two thrift stores, which had judgments and lawsuits filed against them.
Less than two weeks after the discovery of the remains, Baumeister died by suicide, reported The New York Times also in 1996. He died before investigators had the opportunity to question him, and as a result of his death, the serial killer case was never tried in court.
