As soon as Roger “Fred” Farmer’s family realizes they haven’t seen him in a few weeks, they suspect the worst. Despite all the breadcrumbs leading to one person, it takes time to piece the events of his disappearance together… and even longer to bring him justice. Source materials for this episode cannot be listed here due to character limitations. For a full list of sources, please visit: crimejunkiepodcast.com/murdered-roger-fred-farmer Did you know you can listen to this episode ad-free? Join the Fan Club! Visit crimejunkie.app/library/ to view the current membership options and policies. Don’t miss out on all things Crime Junkie!Instagram: @crimejunkiepodcast | @audiochuckTwitter: @CrimeJunkiePod | @audiochuckTikTok: @crimejunkiepodcastFacebook: /CrimeJunkiePodcast | /audiochuckllcCrime Junkie is hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat. Instagram: @ashleyflowers | @britprawatTwitter: @Ash_Flowers | @britprawatTikTok: @ashleyflowerscrimejunkieFacebook: /AshleyFlowers.AF Text Ashley at 317-733-7485 to talk all things true crime, get behind the scenes updates, and more!
Chapter 1: What is the case of Roger 'Fred' Farmer about?
Hi, Crime Junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers. And I'm Britt. And the story I have for you today, it actually takes place in our own backyard of Indianapolis. And it's about a case that felt really clear-cut right from the get-go, but it took some time to get right. And even after justice was served, there are still some questions about the whole truth of the story.
This is the story of Roger Fred Farmer. It's only a couple of days into January 2020 when Detective Larry Krasnoy is contacted by an old friend. They're not close. This guy's one of those Facebook friends that you don't really talk to IRL, but you kind of just like keep tabs on. They're like there. Yeah.
But per this guy's message, he's reaching out now because he knows that Detective Krasinoy is a homicide detective with IMPD, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. And he wants to pick his brain because this friend explains that he has gotten a few strange text messages from one of his friends, a man named Roger Farmer, who everyone calls Fred.
Now, the content of the messages wasn't all that concerning, but it was actually the way they were written that is throwing up some red flags. Because Fred is known for pretty much exclusively using talk to text. So all of his messages are usually just like one run on sentence.
Chapter 2: What unusual signs led to concerns about Fred's disappearance?
I know the type.
Yes. But the text that he's gotten recently, they're perfect. You know, using punctuation, proper grammar, emojis. Fred does not use emojis. And to make things more concerning, no one's actually seen Fred since around mid-November, which is out of the ordinary. Now, allegedly, he's on a hunting trip, but no one he's talked to seems to know where he's hunting.
Yeah, my spidey senses are tingling.
Detective Krasinoys are too. I mean, this guy's been in the game long enough to know that these aren't good signs. So he decides he's going to do this friend a solid and he's going to look into it. And when he does, he learns that Fred has already been reported missing and a detective is already on the case. Great. Maybe this Facebook friend just didn't know that.
Chapter 3: How did Detective Krasinoy get involved in Fred's case?
But as the helpful guy he is, the detective decides not just to drop it there. He wants to actually help look into this missing persons case. But, you know, there are rules. He's not trying to step on any toes. So he goes to his supervisors, briefs them on the little bit of information he's got. And everyone is pretty much like, OK, yeah, you're right. This isn't good.
So he gets permission to speak with and possibly assist the missing persons detective assigned to Fred's case. And within days, he makes contact with that detective, and she is of the opinion that Fred's disappearance probably isn't a disappearance. It is likely a homicide. So she agrees to let Detective Krasinoy help her out. So he digs in and learns what's already been done to try and find Fred.
He was reported missing on December 27th, 2019, by his daughter, Christina. Now, the date she last saw her dad varies a little bit based on who you talk to, because Christina herself told us that it was November 7th. But Detective Krasinoy told us that he later ends up believing it may have actually been November 6th.
And even if you look up this case, you're going to find a court document that says November 22nd. So it's a little all over the map, but based on everyone we've spoken to, everything we've seen, I think the 22nd is inaccurate. I really do think we're looking at November 6th or 7th.
Okay.
Anyway, Christina says that the last time anyone saw her dad, he was at his house on the west side of Indianapolis and he was getting ready to go on a hunting trip. Now, Thanksgiving was on the 28th that year, so they'd expect him to be back around that time or at least call. Except he didn't. Now, Christina, her sister Tricia, and other members of their family had gotten some texts.
But just like the ones that Fred's friend had gotten, they weren't convinced the messages were actually coming from Fred. And some of the messages were just about his hunting trip. Others were talking about how it had rained. Some say that his truck got stuck in the mud and he, like, couldn't get it out.
Like, was he asking for help in these texts? No.
No, I don't think so. I think he was just like letting them know. And they didn't think that there could be confusion about that or anything because supposedly he was on this trip with other people. Okay. Plus, he's like 58. He can take care of himself. It was just something that happened. Right. And he's been texting after he told them that. And so they figure like, oh, everything's fine.
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Chapter 4: What evidence raised suspicion against Fred's son, Jeremy?
Now, thanks be to the hardware gods, Lowe's is apparently the only place on Earth that keeps security footage for a while. So the detectives were able to actually pull footage of the person using the card for that transaction. And no surprise here, not Fred. It was a younger guy, so they go, they show this image to Fred's daughter, and she recognizes the person instantly.
It is her 35-year-old brother, Jeremy. And Christina told us in that moment she knew that her brother had something to do with her dad's disappearance.
Did she, like... fall out of her chair shocked? Or, like, what's the deal with her brother, I guess?
Like, I'm imagining my little brother, baby David, like... I know. No, so, I mean, I don't know in that moment, like, what she was thinking. I don't think anyone suspects their brother's capable of doing something to their own dad. But Jeremy had been...
kind of the troubled sibling like he didn't have much of a criminal history like a few minor things nothing violent but he did struggle with substance use disorder and i know he didn't get along with his other sister tricia christina's relationship with him had been okay i mean she told us that he even lived with her and her daughter for a time but to go back to their dad like his relationship with his dad was pretty rocky to say the least
And Jeremy actually was living with their dad at the time like all this is happening and he was going missing. Right. And the whole family knew that the two of them living together was pretty much a disaster waiting to happen. From what I gather, the two, I mean, they just didn't get along. They were like fighting all the time.
And has Jeremy been around during this time that Fred's been missing?
He has. And he's been telling everyone that their dad is probably fine, like they don't need to worry about him.
Probably not mentioning that he's been using dad's credit card.
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Chapter 5: What did Jeremy say about his father's last known whereabouts?
He explains that he and his girlfriend were out at a bar with Jeremy around November 18th talking about Fred and Jeremy said he shot his dad in the head twice and put him in the freezer. The Bobby, where were you back in November? Yes. Detective Krasnoy says that he thinks he just didn't know what to do with this information.
He didn't really, I guess this, this stepson didn't know if he could even believe Jeremy. I mean, like something that I think you've seen here, something that they've learned about Jeremy over the years is that, you know, he rarely, if ever tells the truth, he is very manipulative. He's attention seeking. He embellishes everything. Um,
Detective Krasnoy described it to us saying that it could be raining outside and Jeremy could convince you it was 75 and sunny. Or at least I think he could convince himself. Right. So I think Bobby was thinking...
I mean, it's just such an outlandish— Is he saying this because he wants to? They got in a fight, and he's, like, at this, like, hiding place. Or you're just, like, showboating. I mean, it's— Bullshitting, yeah.
Yeah. That probably does feel so wild. Like, A, it's hard to believe someone you know does that. And then if they did that, why would you be telling me at a bar? You know what I mean? Yeah. It all seems so ridiculous. And— This is like, I don't even know where to add this. And maybe here's a good point to do it because to go into like these like stories that he's been like telling.
Detective Krasnoy learns that at some point, Jeremy makes the claim that he was abused as a child. Apparently, he didn't get into the details with us, but apparently the stuff Jeremy said was pretty awful. But this is like, you know, who's I don't know. I don't know what to believe. Like, I haven't talked to Jeremy. I can't talk to Fred. His sisters believe that.
Well, they I think that what they said was that they don't believe the abuse was ever as bad as Jeremy claims.
But that it did or possibly did exist.
Yeah. So Detective Krasnoy said that Fred had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, that he may have been, quote unquote, rough with Jeremy, which to me implies that there was some kind of physical abuse. But the extent of that abuse seems very unclear. And when taken in context with everything else, it's his sister's belief. It's the police's belief that Jeremy is likely a pathological liar.
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Chapter 6: What key evidence was found in Jeremy's statements?
So, no, sorry, she just saw the charge before. Oh, like on like a statement or something. I think so, not the actual receipt. But now they have the actual physical thing. Which like has an itemized list of everything that was bought. Exactly. Now, unfortunately, it doesn't say right there. I think it's just like item numbers. It's a hardware store, right?
Yeah, so we have to like look this up later. But what he ends up finding out is what was purchased was a 96-gallon two-wheel trash can. Heavy-duty cleaning wipes, bleach, plastic drop cloths.
You can just say murder kit.
Exactly. Latex gloves, flashlight, air freshener, detergent pods. And I think Detective Krasnowy said it best in our interview with him. He said, quote, any crime junkies listening to this should see that receipt and know exactly what that means.
What did I just say?
I know.
A murder kit.
But let me tell you the other things he finds in the house because they're important, too. In the bathroom, he finds a pair of Fred's dentures. And at first he's like, OK, maybe Fred had two pairs. You know, one being here isn't that significant. OK, no. He finds out Fred only had one pair. And he's not going anywhere without them. No. And then the icing on the cake is walking into the garage.
Detective Krasnoy finds almost everything Jeremy said that Fred had taken hunting with him. The maroon duffel bag, the camping gear, it is all there. Everything except for the crossbow that he mentioned. But Detective Krasnoy does have a good idea where to start looking for that. Pawn shops. Indiana law states that if you pawn something, you have to present your ID for tracking purposes.
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Chapter 7: How did Jeremy's behavior raise red flags during the investigation?
Uh, yeah, you do.
Jeremy walks out of the interview and basically refuses to cooperate anymore.
Walks out? Is this not enough to arrest him already?
Dude, I told you. You have to, like... I don't know how it works other places. In Marion County, you have to have it locked. And this is the case everywhere, right? Like, you have one shot and one shot only at a prosecution. But don't worry, because just because it's not now doesn't mean it's never.
Over the summer of 2020, Detective Krasinoy executes several search warrants in areas where Fred was known to hunt. He even brings out cadaver dogs just in case. There's still no sign of Fred anywhere. By the end of 2020, he's feeling like this might be all he ever has. And in a move I fully appreciate, he is willing to at least give it a go.
And luckily, so is the prosecutor that he reaches out to. And by early 2021, they start putting together everything they need to charge Jeremy with murder. And that's right about the time that Detective Krasinoy gets an unexpected call. Now, crime junkies, I know you don't always love hearing sound bites in these episodes. That's what the deck is for, I know. But this one is just too good.
So we start that process of preparing the filing of charges and things. And I got a call one night from Jeremy. I was at a BW3's restaurant. I was off that night. I got a call from Jeremy. This is before charges are filed. It's actually just days before, really. And he calls me and says, hey, I just wanted to see if there's an update on my dad. I said, Jeremy, are you serious? He goes, yeah.
He goes, I just want to see what the update is. And I said, you killed your dad. You want to come down and tell me about it? I said, that's what the update is. And he goes, I can't believe you still think that. And then hangs up.
Just a few days later, on February 10th, Jeremy is arrested for the murder of his dad. He's held without bond, all while proclaiming his innocence and saying that he has no idea where his dad is. But guess what? We know exactly where Fred is now. Because on May 13th, Detective Krasnoy gets this call.
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Chapter 8: What were the final developments in the investigation of Fred's disappearance?
But somehow Jeremy got a gun, possibly one of Fred's, but he's not sure. And then he shot him just face to face. But that is just a theory. Jeremy won't tell anyone the truth about what happened, which is kind of leaving Christina and Trisha with a lot of questions. But those questions aren't just for Jeremy, though, because they don't think that he was acting alone. What?
If not in the murder itself, they think he at least had help in the cover up. And a small part of them also believes that another family member may have been involved, too. So this is for several reasons. So for one, this person that they have in mind spent a lot of time with Jeremy after Fred's murder. They would go out drinking with him, using Fred's credit cards, debit cards.
This person also tried to take possession of Fred's belongings during the trial, which, like, really pissed off his daughters, understandably.
So they just think this other family member knew about it but didn't tell anyone?
Well, like I said, they think maybe they were involved in, like, the cover-up of it all. I mean, like, when you think about it, Fred was a grown man. Could Jeremy have gotten him into the trash can himself and then transported him to that storage facility alone? Maybe. But I think it's also very possible he had help. Mm-hmm.
And Fred's daughters believe that this other person may have provided that help. And, you know, when we talked to Detective Krasnoy about this, he agrees that, you know, this person is a sketchy character. But he says none of the physical evidence implies that there was another person there. All of the prints on the trash can are Jeremy's.
The carpet and gun have never been recovered either, so we don't know if there's evidence there. So everyone's kind of just left wondering if they'll ever get the full true story of how Fred Farmer died and who all was really involved.
But even if they never get those answers, Christina and Tricia want everyone to remember their dad the way they do, as a man who grew watermelons and sunflowers with his granddaughter, someone who camped in his front yard with his grandkids, who would offer his garage as a dry, warm place for kids in the neighborhood to wait for the school bus. And yeah, he had his flaws.
They're not denying or erasing that. But this was not the end he deserved. You can find all the source material for this episode on our website, CrimeJunkiePodcast.com.
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