Roger “Fred” Farmer was known in his Indianapolis neighborhood as a quiet, hardworking man who loved fishing, family, and his modest lifestyle. 

Described as soft-spoken and dependable, Fred had recently become semi-retired and was spending more time with his family. 

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Despite struggles in the past, Fred had tried to build a peaceful life, primarily devoted to his children including his son, Jeremy.

On December 27, 2019 Fred told family members he was going on a short hunting trip and would be back soon. 

When days passed with no word, his family grew concerned. Fred had not responded to calls or texts, and by the New Year, they filed a missing persons report.

The investigation initially yielded little. 

Fred’s phone had stopped pinging, his bank account remained untouched, and he had seemingly vanished. 

But detectives noticed Jeremy Fred’s 28-year-old son, was unusually distant and inconsistent with his statements.

Digital footprints, surveillance footage, and rental records soon led police to a climate-controlled storage unit in Brownsburg, Indiana registered under Jeremy’s name. 

What they discovered there would unravel a horrifying family tragedy.

A Grisly Discovery

In May 2021 months into the missing person investigation, authorities opened the rented unit. 

There, wrapped in tarp and plastic inside a container, they found the decomposing remains of Fred Farmer.

The autopsy revealed that Fred had been shot in the head at close range. Based on decomposition, investigators determined the murder likely occurred days before he was reported missing suggesting that the “hunting trip” was a cover story planted by the killer.

The Trail of Evidence

Detectives uncovered a chilling series of clues linking Jeremy to the crime.

• Security footage showed Jeremy repeatedly accessing the storage unit in the weeks following Fred’s disappearance.
• Receipts and online orders indicated he purchased cleaning supplies, storage bins, and tape shortly before and after Fred went missing.
• GPS and cell phone data placed Jeremy near the area where Fred’s body was found even though he claimed he hadn’t been in Brownsburg.
• He made internet searches related to body decomposition, storage units, and how long it takes for remains to be discovered.

When questioned, Jeremy gave vague, contradictory answers. 

He even claimed he “couldn’t remember” how his father had died. 

His demeanor described as cold, detached, and flat alarmed both investigators and jurors.

In early 2023 Jeremy Farmer was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. 

During his trial, prosecutors painted a picture of a premeditated crime fueled by financial dispute, resentment, and emotional detachment. 

They suggested Jeremy may have felt burdened by his father’s presence and wanted control over family assets.

The defense claimed memory gaps and mental instability hinting at dissociation or a psychological break. 

But the mountain of digital evidence, coupled with Jeremy’s emotionless testimony, left little room for doubt.

In April 2023 the jury found Jeremy guilty of murder. 

He was sentenced to 57 years in prison with no chance of parole for the first 45 years.

The murder devastated the Farmer family. Friends and extended relatives expressed disbelief that a son could murder his father and conceal it for months. 

The betrayal added another layer of grief not only was Fred’s life taken, but it was taken by someone he trusted and loved.

Investigators later revealed that Jeremy kept a private digital journal in which he expressed anger, detachment, and even dark, violent fantasies about his father. Though never shared publicly, authorities used excerpts during sentencing to show premeditation.

Justice was served, but the emotional wounds left behind may never fully heal.