Steven Lynn Elliott, 26, was found strangled near Interstate 70 in Preble County, Ohio, on August 12, 1989. His body was discovered wearing only underwear and investigators concluded he had been strangled, reportedly with a rope. Elliott was born February 8, 1963, in Indianapolis. According to his father, Elliott came out as gay in 1979, left the family home, became involved in prostitution and struggled with alcohol addiction.

Elliott’s death is considered one of the killings attributed to the unidentified I-70 Strangler, a series of at least eleven homicides of young men and boys in Indiana and Ohio between June 1980 and October 1991. Law enforcement named Herb Baumeister as their prime suspect in April 1999; no charges were filed in Elliott’s case. Baumeister died by suicide in 1996.

Many questions remain about who else may have been responsible and how these victims were connected. If anyone knew Steven, his movements in 1989, or saw suspicious activity near I-70 that summer, please share what you know.