Indiana Police Solve 1972 Phyllis Bailer Murder

Indiana State Police have resolved the 1972 cold case murder of Phyllis Bailer, who was found shot and sexually assaulted in a ditch alongside her unharmed 3-year-old daughter after disappearing en route to Bluffton. In 2024, advances in DNA technology allowed investigators to create a strong DNA profile from Bailer's clothing, ultimately identifying Fred Allen Lienemann as the perpetrator. Forensic genealogy played a key role in the identification, and Lienemann, who was 25 at the time and had a significant criminal record, had no known connection to Bailer. Lienemann was murdered in Detroit in 1985 and cannot be prosecuted. Authorities stated he would have faced charges if alive. The resolution provides long-awaited answers to Bailer's family after 53 years.