Dead End: The I-70 Killer, Larry Eyler, and Indiana’s Serial Shadows

From Larry Eyler—the “Interstate Killer”—to Herb Baumeister and the elusive I-70 serial killer, Indiana has seen more than its share of disturbing headlines. Dead End by Bob Cyphers dives deep into these overlapping crimes, including the tragic murder of Mick McCown—mistaken identity, no motive, and a killer who vanished without a trace.

This excerpt gives a glimpse into the unnerving reality that Detective Rumsey and others faced: when violence hits this close to home, it’s impossible to forget.

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"Are there serial killers everywhere in Indiana?”

That's the question Terre Haute Police Detective Brad Rumsey kept asking himself.

“First, it was Larry Eyler,” Rumsey said. “Then we had Herb Baumeister in Indianapolis. And then the I-70 serial killer arrives in our backyard."

Eyler is believed to have murdered more than 20 young men, most of them connected to the gay community, between 1982 and 1984. Eyler was known as “The Interstate Killer,” as the bodies of his victims were spread across highways throughout the Midwest. Baumeister may be tied to nearly 30 murders of gay men around the Midwest.

And then the I-70 serial killer stopped in Terre Haute.

Mick McCown was 40 years old. He was an accomplished musician, playing in numerous bands in the Wabash Valley area, specializing in his favorite: the harmonica. Sometime just after 4 p.m., a serial killer walked into Sylvia's Ceramics store, named after McCown's mother, fatally shot Mick point blank four inches from the back of his head, and fled. Like the other locations, nobody heard or saw a thing. Less than $50 was taken from the store, money was still left in the cash register, money was still in McCown’s pocket. Police believe the killer may have mistaken McCown for a woman.

According to the FBI, there are up to 50 serial killers roaming the streets of America at any given time. They kill up to 150 people in a typical year. Thus, the average serial killer is killing three people per year.

Fortunately for Brad Rumsey, it only appears that all of them are in his neighborhood.

“Being born and raised in Indiana, it hits close to home.” Rumsey said. “And it was not just Crown Point and Indiana State for me. My brother also went to Indiana State, and he was there right at the time of the I-70 serial killer.”

Rumsey paused and chuckled.

“It is like I can’t get away from them.”

Get the book here… Dead End