Wayne Bowden is a serial killer who is obsessed with the idea of creating a "body farm" of his own. He targets young women and kills them, then dismembers and disposes of their bodies in a way that mirrors the scientific research done at the real-life "Body Farm" in Tennessee.
It is important to note that while the book is fictional, the "Body Farm" itself is a real facility that uses the decomposition of human bodies to aid in forensic investigations.