Court records: Family, neighbors noticed man's sporadic behavior before Zionsville killing

She knew she was in danger, but Kristin Bixler thought she could help her son.

Family members and neighbors had noticed 30-year-old Graham Bixler’s sporadic behavior, and Kristin Bixler had moved out of her own home and slept in her car to try and keep herself safe from him.

“Kristin wanted to sell the residence and use the funds to help Graham,” a witness told investigators in court documents. “Kristin was extremely scared to leave Graham alone because he might hurt someone.”

Graham Bixler is now charged in his mother’s death after police were called for a welfare check at their Zionsville home on Monday.

Officers found a woman’s body in a wooded area behind the home. The body was next to a wheelbarrow, handsaw, tarp, multiple holes dug in the ground and a pickup that was stuck in the mud, according to a probable cause affidavit for Graham Bixler’s arrest.

The woman had contusions, lesions, lacerations and abrasions all over her body as well as significant trauma to her head.

More Indianapolis crime news: Locked in a closet, rarely fed: The weeks before girl's death revealed in court docs

Due to the extremeness of the woman’s injuries, the Boone County Coroner’s Office is awaiting DNA testing to confirm her identity, but police point to her hair color, body frame, weight and a tattoo in identifying her as Kristin Bixler, according to the affidavit.

When she was found, it appeared as though Kristin Bixler had been dead for at least 24 hours, investigators said.  No one had heard from her since April 3.

Graham Bixler, who did not speak to investigators after his arrest, is facing a murder charge and is in custody at the Boone County Jail. An attorney was not yet listed for him in online court records before publication of this article.

Bixler has a history of mental illness and had been violent in the past, including with his mother, according to the affidavit.

Family, neighbors noticed Graham Bixler's sporadic behavior

On Monday, a family member called police because they were worried about Kristin Bixler since it had been several days since they and other loved ones heard from her.

The family member knew Kristin was in fear of Graham Bixler and had moved out of her home in the 5300 block of West Old 106th Street because of it. The mother had told family she had been battered by Graham Bixler in the past, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Other family members knew Kristin Bixler was in fear of her son. Graham Bixler had a history of odd and threatening behavior as well as drug use, family told investigators.

Another family member warned Kristin Bixler she needed to be careful around Graham, according to the affidavit.

Previous coverage: Man jailed on abuse of corpse, murder charges after woman found dead in Zionsville yard

Neighbors also noticed odd behavior from Graham Bixler, including one who saw him walking around outside naked and screaming. In another instance the neighbor caught Graham Bixler staring at him from behind a tree line near their homes, according to the affidavit.

A few days before the woman’s body was found, a different neighbor noticed Graham Bixler running around outside naked “acting crazier than in the past,” the affidavit reads.

Before she was killed, Kristin Bixler had returned to her Zionsville home to collect some of her belongings, her mother told police.

Graham Bixler detained by Carmel police day before body found at Zionsville home

Graham Bixler was not located when police responded to the Zionsville home.

It turned out he was already in custody. Graham Bixler had been detained by police in Carmel on April 7. He was found with blood on his clothes and was dressed inappropriately for the weather, according to the affidavit.

Graham Bixler was taken to a mental health center under an emergency detention order then he was secured in an emergency room.

Among the belongings Graham Bixler had on his person when he was detained were a credit card belonging to his mother and a grocery list with the following items: orange juice, cheese, chips and shovel, according to the affidavit.

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19. 

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Zionsville homicide: Man arrested in death of mother