I-70 Killer - Truly The DARKEST True Crime Story You’ll Ever Hear

[Music] every town has a dark [Music] side the story that we have for you today in its simplest terms can be described as a man who by day was a respected Community member and By Night a psychopathic serial killer and for years he prayed upon the city of Indianapolis looking for his next victim to which there were many 24 in fact and those are only the ones the authorities know about Herbert bone Meister was an entrepreneur and family man with three children but in the darkness he hit a big secret one that was so insane we'll probably never see anything like it again hey guys it's Andrew and thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of every town where today we have one of the wildest stories in my opinion we've ever covered it's so crazy of the entire thing sounds completely made up so let's get into it head on over to Indie and learn all about her B Meister his Fox Hollow Farm and the I70 [Music] Strangler it was the night of July 22nd 1994 in the city of Indianapolis Indiana when 3 3-year-old Roger goodlet left his mother's house to head out for a fun night on the [Music] town he was headed down to 16th Street to a gay bar and it never crossed anyone's mind and his family but this would be the last evening they'd ever see him walk out that door again because Roger never came home that night or the following morning or any other day after for that matter his parents reported a miss of course but the police dragged their feet on this one as they had so many others before so good lit wasn't the first he was just one of many young men in this very specific area of our beautiful country who [Music] disappeared going back more than a decade before that there were many stories of young often gay men who had vanished Without a Trace authorities were aware of this suspecting that someone could possibly be taking them out of circulation as there were some consistent patterns but at the same time there seemed to be just enough differences to not allow all the dots to be connected some bodies were discovered others still just missing persons cases with no sign of where the individual was or might have gone they also happen over a long period of time years would pass and then another missing person's case another dead young man found along the side of the road on top of all that the truth was that investigating these cases wasn't the police's top priority they weren't interested in looking into these disappearances precisely because the victims were gay men they believe that being in such a conservative City all of them had likely fled to a more liberal place to live their lives more openly their rights back then were not nearly as respected as they are today some people both in law enforcement and within the community were quite happy to have them leave one by one no matter what the circumstances but as the cases mounted the chatter couldn't be ignored and somebody was hunting down these men and it wasn't because he hated them but because he hated himself [Music] finally in 1994 something changed in this entire case a story that simply couldn't be ignored and it blew the whole thing wide [Music] open that year a man named Tony Harris called up the police said that he had met someone terrifying who called himself Brian Smart though he didn't think that was his real name the two had met at the 501 Club in downtown Indianapolis Tony was the one who approached him they started a pleasant conversation Brian said he was a landscaper from Ohio and he was in town preparing a half empty house on the outskirts of the city for a family who would be moving in soon as the night progressed he then offered to take Tony to that house for a cocktail and a swim in the [Music] pool I got into the car and there was a little something in Tony's mind that had him at least aware that what he was doing was a little risky Brian made several turns as Tony tried to memorize the route to the house but after a while he just lost track but they arrived to the property no problem safe and sound Tony could see it was an elegant house with a farm out back it was sprawling they parked the car in the garage at which point Brian told them they needed to go downstairs through the basement to get access to the indoor pool area it was dark and creepy as they maneuvered through the underbelly of the estate and then when they eventually got there Tony saw several mannequins in various poses around the water some of them were sitting in chairs others laying on towels as if sunbathing it was weird seeing Tony's look of shock Brian said I feel lonely here they keep me company he offered Tony a cocktail but he refused not wanting to drink anything aiming to stay sober for whatever might happen that night so it was a strange situation that Tony found himself in it wasn't sure if he was overreacting or his gut was giving him the correct information to not trust Mr smart Brian wanted to keep the party going and his guest relaxed he stepped out at Tony's s for a moment and when he returned he seemed calmer and happier and Tony was sure he had taken some sort of drug they continued on with their conversation which put Tony at ease eventually the two started skinny dipping when things took a dark turn and everything changed Brian said he had learned a new trick and wanted to try it out with him mentioned experimenting with autoerotic asphixiation now we found it to be unbelievably satisfying that Tony should try it out with him his fixation would be done with a hose while he pleasured himself Brian laid n take it on a fold out couch in the next room and he called Tony to his side Tony went over and began to cut off his Air Supply as instructed while Brian touched himself when he was done now it was Tony's [Music] turn and Tony laid down while Brian squeezed his neck only he took it too far and Tony fairly quickly couldn't breathe anymore started to black out cleverly he decided a fake passing out closing his eyes and relaxing his entire body the trick worked Brian like goam then whispered Tony's name and Tony impulsively opened his eyes Brian tried to act natural and pretend to be surprised saying that sometimes accidents happen with these things that he was sorry using all the persuasion he could Tony would go on to convince him to take him back to the city he managed to escape that night the near-death experience left haris traumatized and convinced that Brian was a deadly predator he finished by telling police that he believed that his good friend Roger goodlet who gone missing earlier in the summer may have had a similar encounter with Brian only he wasn't so lucky to get away [Music] with this crucial lead the investigators intensified their efforts they now had a name at least and witness who knew him up close nothing in their database pulled up the name Brian Smart so it wasn't that easy M Harris more than 6 months later would finally to see Brian Smart again in August of 95 followed his car noticed the license plate number the small act allowed the police to finally find a real name Brian Smart's identity was revealed as 48-year-old Herbert Richard bow Meister but Tony's story didn't align with who herb was not in the slightest bow Meister wasn't just a respected businessman in the community the owner of two successful saveal lot thrift stores in the area he also wasn't gay he had been happily married to his wife Julie since 1997 and together the couple had three lovely children as you know though looks can be deceiving sometimes very deceiving and as it turns out herb wasn't just a good oldfashioned family man like he had everyone believe in he was living a double life a was such a psychopathic killer that he may have killed upwards of 25 men born in Indianapolis on April 7th of 1947 into a well-off family where his father was a successful anesthesiologist Herb's childhood seemed uneventful at first glance nothing probably would have even been noted about it if he had just been a regular guy but of course this man was far from that he showed some disturbing antisocial behaviors from a young age for example he had a strange obsession with bodily fluids enjoyed thinking about tasting human urine he acted these desires out on a few occasions would go on to get in trouble in school for urinating on his teacher desks more than want hey hey hey hey hey I'm also like so many other serial killers in this world B Meister demonstrated cruelty towards animals finding pleasure in playing with dead creatures imposing them in various unnatural positions just like his mannequins back by that pool his behavior where at his father who secretly had him undergo mental evaluations as he grew up with the diagnosis being fairly alarming paranoid schizophrenia an antisocial personality disorder were a part of who he was despite this though bumeister never received proper psychiatric treatment to address his growing deviations and he just shoved them down pretended to be something he wasn't hence why he was so good at Living this double life he had created [Music] hindsight is 2020 back then no one could have imagined what this teenager would eventually go on to do as an adult and socially his odd behavior made him an outsider at North Central High School where Sports were big bow Meister didn't fit in with the popular [Music] crowd he kept doing himself spending long hours alone without making friends these behaviors and social rejection shaped his troubled mind bow Meister became a misfit who gradually developed a dangerous disconnected personality from reality after a failed attempt at College herb struggled through various jobs without finding stability his inappropriate behavior often got in the way of work once while working at the DMV he did something that showed everyone his truly Disturbed nature bow Meister once again urinated this time on a letter addressed to the state Governor himself this messed up act not only solved the mystery as to who had vandalized his supervisor's desks weeks earlier but also cost him his job after that un Pleasant episode bow Meister found a job at a local humble secondhand store trying to turn his life around he stayed there for 3 years until he finally decided to strike out on his own and open his own business in the same field thus the first of the Save A Lot chain of stores was born and things began to improve for him as he had learned to hide his Dark Side very well from the outside world the sales were good and encouraged by the initial profits bow meister and his wife Julie decided to expand operations by opening a second Branch with that money the family also bought an impressive dream property Fox Hollow Farms in May of 1988 at first glance the Mansion was a real estate gem built in 1978 and situated on over 18 Acres of wooded rolling grounds with a private pond the opulent estate featured four bedrooms 10 luxurious bathrooms and an overwhelming 11,572 Square ft of living space the details spoke of true wealth an indoor swimming pool fully equipped bar luxury features unmatched in their class Additionally the residents boasted a detached 5c car garage with a second floor Terrace perfect for social events it was so opulent on the one hand but herbs sod is something [Music] else with so much space to work with his wife and kids could be in one part of the home completely unaware of what was going on in another section so it was perfect [Music] [Laughter] [Music] unfortunately this period of prosperity was shortlived and soon mismanagement caused the business to crack financial difficulties created increasing tension in the bow Meister marriage Julie began spending weekends at her mother-in-law's apartment to escape the situation while her husband stayed behind claiming he needed to attend to the stores what she didn't know was that during this free time her wasn't going to work or staying home trying to figure out the next move to write the ship instead he went to a whole bunch of gay bars in the city and there he met and enjoyed himself with gentlemen dancing to the booming base under Neon Lights where he could finally be who he wanted to be whenever he could he would choose one of them typically they were between the ages of 20 to 35 being a successful and more experienced man he would seduce them with tricks and Promises convincing them to come back to his luxurious home with a pool to continue the party in a more intimate venue few refused his [Music] invitations once the victim entered the grounds their fate was completely and inevitably sealed upon arrival he would invite them to to relax and offer them a drink while preparing it he secretly spiked their drinks with drugs without their knowledge as they took a fact his unsuspecting victims became defenseless bow Meister showed his true and Sinister intentions using a hose most often though sometimes his hands as the deadly weapon he ruthlessly strangled them that's how we like to do it ending their lives in the cruelest of ways after that especially when his wife and kids were away he then burned the bodies to erase any [Music] evidence then buried the charred remains all across the vast grounds of his property where his children used to play in the afternoons and they were undoubtedly walking all across these young man and this was was her bow meister's M Mo which he had been refining for years he wasn't always this clean about it but that's because he didn't always have Fox Hollow Farms but by now he was to the point where he felt like he was Untouchable and impossible to catch which may actually be why he let Tony Harris go that night in 1994 and drove him back to the city ultimately it was that decision that would lead to his end in more ways than [Music] [Laughter] [Music] one by mid 1996 the House of Cards herb had built up was all but collapsing following Tony's lead and after verifying the license plate registration the police arrived at Fox Hollow Farms to find out just what exactly was going going on there and Julie answered the door where they requested permission to conduct a thorough search of the bow Meister property they wanted to see the pool area those mannequins perhaps the hose over the couple adamantly refused since the police didn't have any solid evidence that meant they also didn't have a warrant and so they laughed not before warning Julie about the possibility of her husband being a serial [Music] killer initially Julie dismissed such an accusation entirely she couldn't believe that the man she had built a family with could be capable of such a thing however the idea then began to take hold on her mind she thought about how just a couple of years ago it was a disturbing memory one where a young son came home after playing in the woods with a human skull in his hand Mommy Mommy are will faced with a horrifying Discovery B meister and tried to calm the family down with an unusual explanation he claimed that the skeleton was part of an anatomical display belonging to his father the respected doctor when he used for dissection to better understand the human body Julie accepted this explanation reluctantly at the time but now doubts about her husband's true nature started to bother her and she had also grown accustomed to something at this point however now it seemed really strange that in over 25 years of being together with her husband she could literally count on both hands how many times they had been intimate with one another back of the police station as detectives looked into herbs past their suspicions grew stronger and stronger they found out about his mental disorders the urination a brief stint in a facility shortly after getting married but they still lacked the evidence they needed to get the search warrant tense weeks passed until finally in June on a expected turn of events occurred when Julie abruptly filed for divorce then called the police to search their Home Herb wasn't there at the time he had gone on vacation to clear his mind and Julie wanted to know the truth [Music] on June 24th of 96 investigators conducted a thorough search of Fox Hollow Farm there they uncovered a gruesome killing field eventually fragments of human bones belonging to at least 11 individuals were unearth it the remains which included charred bones fragments and body parts were maob discovery horrify the locals to date 12 victims have been officially identified each with a personal story violently cut short among them was Jeffrey Jones 31-year-old who was reported missing in August of 93 Jones was identified through advances in forensic genetic genealogy bringing closure to his long search for his family other identified victims included Alan living who was 27 Emanuel rendez who was 34 both missing in '93 in the Indianapolis area and 20-year-old Johnny Bayer and Richard Hamilton Jr 28-year-old Steven hail and 28-year-old Alan brousard Roger goodlet was also discovered 45-year-old Michael Kern 34-year-old Jerry Williams comr all these men men shared similar physical characteristics and Lifestyles that ultimately made them targets of this serial Predator but as it turns out unfortunately these men were just a small part of bow meister's potential victims because herb had a whole other life before he purchased the farm at the age of 41 as the investigation into the disappearances and murders of young men in the Indian area progressed police started to find unsettling connections with other crimes that had occurred nearby years earlier and this wasn't just a random accusation the patterns and methods used by the so-called I70 Strangler seemed to match the crimes now being uncovered related to her for over a decade this unidentified Predator had stalked in the shadows of the city carefully choosing his victims from among the young and vulnerable men who frequented gay bars his crimes were brutal he lured his victims presumably in a similar way of promising drinks or drugs taking advantage of their needs willing to subject them to a ruthless death by strangulation the mutilated bodies were then discarded in rural areas along Interstate 70 earning the Killer is chilling nickname of the I70 Strangler [Music] the first victim was Michael Petri 15-year-old boy whose naked body was found in remote Hamilton County in June of 1980 that Maurice Taylor a 23-year-old homeless man discovered lifeless at weasel Creek in July of 82 soon War followed and 22-year-old Mick Riley's body was located in a ditch after he was last seen leaving a gay nightclub with a mysterious companion in total at least nine more young men found in the area having been killed in the same type of way brings the I70 stranglers total to at least a dozen confirmed victims authorities have been searching for clues about the identity of this ruthless killer so when they found the bodies at Fox Hollow the similarities were too much to [Music] ignore a key witness who was one once shown herbs photo claimed to have seen bow Meister with victim Michael Riley just before his disappearance in ' 83 and furthermore the murders attributed to the I70 Strangler seem to have ceased around 1991 same year bow Meister established Fox Hollow Farm as if he had simply changed the location to dispose of the bodies though as of right now the case of the I70 Strangler is still open with no clear proof that bow Meister was the one behind these awful crimes when herb found out what the police had found on his land well he knew he'd finally been caught faced with arrest and the chance of being charged for his awful crimes a bow Meister decided to run to Ontario Canada in July of 96 and there that beautiful peny Provincial Park on Lake hiron he pulled out his 357 Magnum pistol and took care of the root of the problem in his three-page note written on a yellow legal pad B Meister expressed regret for ruining the park and failing at his marriage he went on to describe mundane details of the Journey like his last meal a peanut butter sandwich also finding the right place to end this story however he never admitted to his crimes not once or mentioned any of his victims he avoided that alt together as he had done in his life without ever having to admit to the evil side that lay within him even though herb is gone for good efforts to bring closure to the victim's families continue even to this day cuz after all his property was sprawling so who really knows what lay underneath its grounds today it remains an active investigation site recently on May 21st of 2024 the Hamilton County coroner's office announced a major breakthrough in identifying some more victims who have been unknown until then it was actually through this effort that Jeffrey Jones is finally identified as one of the victims and there are also four more DNA profiles that haven't been identified yet making the total presumed victims 12 at the farm what's worse authorities have found over 20 spots in the property that might have more human remains adding to the 10,000 bones and fragments they already have so how many more men fell victim to herbs twisted maybe time will tell but maybe not there is a good chance that out there no one will ever find a thing no matter how long they [Music] look it's a truly tragic tale of what this man did but it should serve as a cautionary story to all of us but he was a true monster who hid behind that respectability showing us that appearances can be deceiving and that real demon demons very much so walk among us every single day they could be your coworker your neighbor friend even your spouse don't let it get you down just be aware that the next time your instincts tell you something well you should probably [Music] listen so that's it for this week's episode of every town thanks for tuning in today if you want to listen to these episodes in podcast form they're all available for you wherever you listen to your pond please do come back next week for another episode filled with scary strange and mysterious stories cuz you never know maybe your town will be next [Music]