Body found outside of Zionsville home
Apr. 9—A Zionsville man is suspected of murdering a woman and mutilating her body.
Police arrested Graham M. Bixler, 30, after a body was found in his mother's yard Monday morning.
Boone County Coroner Justin Sparks declined to identify the victim, pending fingerprint and DNA results. An autopsy took place Tuesday in Lebanon. But authorities have no reason to believe the victim is not Bixler's mother, Kristen Bixler, Sparks said.
A friend of Kristen Bixler asked police to check on her, according to a Boone County Communications Center report.
The friend said Graham had "been physical with" his mother before and she left her home to stay elsewhere for safety, according to the report. But Kristen found Graham there when she went home for some belongings, the woman told a dispatcher. The friend said she had not heard from Kristen since April 2.
Police knocked on Kristen's door at 5375 W. Old 106th St., Zionsville, on Monday morning but got no answer. They looked around and found a body in the back yard, Zionsville Police Chief Michael Spears said in a news statement.
"The manner of death has been determined to be homicide," Spears wrote. "The body has still not been positively identified.
"Based on the progress made in the investigation and the arrest made today, we believe there is no threat to the public at this time, nor do we believe there are any suspects at large."
No formal charges had been filed as of press time Tuesday, but Bixler was booked into the Boone County Jail in Lebanon Tuesday afternoon. He had been released from St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, where he was treated for an emotional disturbance, according to dispatch records. Bixler is being held in jail without bond, pending formal charges and an initial hearing.
In June, Bixler beat his father's head while repeatedly saying was going to kill him at his father's home, police reported in a probable cause affidavit.
Gregory Bixler told police he suspected for some time that Graham suffered from mental illness, but his son refused to let a doctor evaluate him, according to the affidavit. In the June incident, Graham apparently became angry when his father asked for the return of his vehicle keys.
Once attacked, Gregory Bixler, then 73, pulled his son's hair and was able to escape to a bedroom until police arrived, according to court records.
Graham Bixler reached a pre-trial diversion agreement with the court in August.
The Lebanon Reporter will update this story as more information becomes available.
