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Suspect Identified in 1972 Indiana Cold Case Murder
FORT WAYNE, IN – Decades after the brutal slaying of an Indiana woman, authorities have identified a suspect in the 1972 murder of Phyllis Bailer. Bailer was discovered deceased in a ditch along a roadside with her unharmed three-year-old daughter, according to the Indiana State Police. The breakthrough in this cold case homicide comes after advanced DNA analysis linked a Michigan man to the crime.
In the summer of 1972, Phyllis Bailer and her young daughter were en route from Indianapolis to Bluffton, Indiana, to visit family. Traveling in a borrowed vehicle, they never reached their destination, prompting Bailer’s relatives to report her missing to local law enforcement.
Vehicle Abandoned, Mother Found Deceased
The subsequent day, authorities located Bailer’s abandoned vehicle on Interstate 69 in Grant County. Approximately an hour later, at 11:37 a.m., a passerby discovered Bailer and her daughter on West Road, just north of Schoaff Road in Allen County. Tragically, Phyllis Bailer was deceased at the scene. Her daughter, found alongside her, was unharmed.
Autopsy Reveals Sexual Assault, Gunshot Wound
A forensic autopsy determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound. Investigators also confirmed that Bailer had been sexually assaulted. Regrettably, DNA testing, a crucial tool in modern criminal investigations, was unavailable during the initial 1972 inquiry.
DNA Breakthrough and Forensic Genealogy
Years later, advancements in forensic science provided new avenues for investigation. A DNA profile, derived from evidence recovered from Bailer’s clothing, initially eliminated a previous person of interest. In 2024, a more refined DNA profile was developed, leading law enforcement to collaborate with a forensic genealogy firm in California to potentially pinpoint the perpetrator.
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Michigan Man Linked to the Crime
In early 2025, the DNA evidence extracted from Bailer’s clothing yielded a match to Fred Allen Lienemann. Lienemann, a Michigan resident, was 25 years old at the time of Bailer’s murder in 1972. Police reports indicated Lienemann had no apparent connection to Phyllis Bailer but possessed a substantial criminal record.
Suspect Deceased, Case Closed
Further investigation revealed that Lienemann met a violent end in Detroit in 1985. According to a report from “The Detroit News” cited by Indiana State Police, Lienemann, then 37, was fatally assaulted with a baseball bat by two individuals during a property dispute. He was subsequently placed in a dumpster and set ablaze while still alive, as reported by the news outlet.
Law enforcement officials stated that had Fred Allen Lienemann been alive, he would have faced formal charges for the murder of Phyllis Bailer. With the identification of Lienemann, the Indiana State Police consider this long-unsolved case closed.