53-Year-Old Murder Case Resolved, Indiana State Police Cold Case Unit Identifies Suspect
On the evening of July 7, 1972, 26-year-old Phyllis Bailer was en route from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Bluffton, Indiana, accompanied by her 3-year-old daughter. They were using a borrowed vehicle to visit Phyllis’s parents. After departing Indianapolis around 8:00 PM, Phyllis and her daughter never reached their destination, prompting her family to report her missing to the authorities.
The following morning, at approximately 10:30 AM, her abandoned car was discovered on northbound I-69 in Grant County, with the hood raised and no sign of its occupants. Indiana State Troopers from the Redkey Post were dispatched to the scene. About an hour later, at 11:37 AM, a woman driving on West Road, just north of Schoaff Road in Allen County, spotted Phyllis Bailer and her daughter in a ditch. Phyllis was found deceased, while her daughter was unharmed. The investigation was taken over by the Allen County Police Department and the Indiana State Police. An autopsy revealed that Phyllis had died from a gunshot wound and had been sexually assaulted.
At the time of the murder, DNA testing was not yet available, and it only became widely used in law enforcement in the early 1990s. Years later, a partial DNA profile was extracted from her clothing, which ruled out the primary suspect. The Indiana State Police Cold Case Team continued to pursue the case as DNA technology advanced. In 2024, a significantly improved DNA profile was obtained from Phyllis Bailer’s clothing. The Indiana State Police Cold Case Team collaborated with Identifiers International, a forensic genealogy firm based in California, founded by Colleen Fitzpatrick. This forensic genealogy approach, combined with the DNA profile, led to the identification of the killer in early 2025.
Colleen Fitzpatrick remarked, “Identifiers is honored to have assisted the Indiana State Police in providing long-awaited answers to Phyllis and her family. This case exemplifies how forensic genetic genealogy can solve homicides that would otherwise remain unsolved.”
Fred Allen Lienemann, who was 25 years old in 1972 and hailed from Gross Point, Michigan, was identified as the source of the DNA found on Phyllis Bailer’s clothing. Lienemann was originally from the Anderson, Indiana area and had no known ties to Phyllis Bailer, but he did have a notable criminal record. During the investigation, detectives discovered that Fred Lienemann was murdered in Detroit in 1985. Had he been alive today, the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office would have charged him with Phyllis Bailer’s murder.
This case highlights the dedication of the Indiana State Police Cold Case Unit, the Allen County Police Department, and the Indiana State Police Laboratory to victims and their families. Their efforts not only seek to bring criminals to justice but also provide closure to families who have been left with unanswered questions about the loss of their loved ones.
All individuals arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.