BLOOMINGTON – Human remains discovered in a clearing north of Bloomington in late March have been identified as John E. Baker Jr., 40, who had been missing since 2022, according to investigators.
On March 26, 2025, workers clearing land in the 1000 block of Acuff Road for a new housing development discovered bones that appeared to be human. After the remains were confirmed to be human, the Monroe County Coroner’s Office was contacted.
The Coroner’s Office enlisted a forensic anthropology team from the University of Indianapolis to aid in identification. The team utilized dental records to positively identify the remains as those of John E. Baker Jr., who had been missing for approximately three years. The Monroe County Coroner’s Office officially announced the identification on Monday.
Baker was last seen in 2022 walking into the woods near Meadows Hospital. A search was conducted the following day, but he was not in the dense wooded area.
The Monroe County Coroner’s Office has confirmed that the cause of Baker’s death was suicide
