The Case of Gregory John Godzik

Gregory John Godzik, 17, disappeared from Chicago on December 12, 1976, after dropping his girlfriend home following a date. He had recently begun working for John Wayne Gacy's construction company and had previously told his family that Gacy had him digging trenches beneath the house. After Godzik disappeared, Gacy claimed he had run away. His remains were later recovered from the crawl space beneath Gacy's home.

Gregory Godzik was 17 years old and a senior at Taft High School in Chicago. He had recently started working for Gacy's construction company, PDM Contractors, and had been employed there for only a few weeks before his disappearance. On December 11, 1976, Gregory went out on a date with his girlfriend. He dropped her off at home later that evening but never returned to his own home. Gregory's employment with Gacy would later become an important part of the investigation. He had reportedly told his parents that Gacy was a good employer and had also mentioned that Gacy had him digging trenches in the crawl space beneath the house. Those trenches would ultimately prove to be the burial area where Gacy concealed many of his victims.

Gregory was murdered by Gacy and buried beneath the house at 8213 West Summerdale Avenue in Norwood Park Township. The crawl space had been used by Gacy as a burial site for numerous victims. Investigators later discovered Gregory's remains there during the excavation of the property following Gacy's arrest. Gregory was designated Body 4 during the original investigation.

Gregory's family became concerned when he failed to return home after his date. His abandoned car was subsequently discovered, and his parents contacted Gacy in an effort to find out what had happened to their son. Gacy told the family that Gregory had planned to run away from home. He also claimed that Gregory had contacted him after disappearing, but when asked about the alleged message, Gacy said he had already erased it. The explanation did not satisfy Gregory's family, who hired a private investigator to try to locate him. Gregory's disappearance remained unresolved until Gacy was arrested in December 1978 following the disappearance of 15-year-old Robert Piest. A search of Gacy's home uncovered human remains beneath the property. Gregory's wallet was also found during the investigation, providing an important connection between the missing teenager and Gacy's home. His remains were subsequently identified among those recovered from the crawl space.

John Wayne Gacy was convicted of Gregory Godzik's murder in 1980 as part of the prosecution involving 33 victims and was sentenced to death. Gregory's remains were recovered from Gacy's home in December 1978 and identified during the investigation. Gacy was executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center on May 10, 1994.

Gregory Godzik was Gacy's thirteenth identified victim in our chronological case sequence. His case is particularly disturbing because Gregory had worked for Gacy shortly before his disappearance and had reportedly been involved in digging the very trenches beneath the house that Gacy later used to conceal victims. Gacy's subsequent claim that Gregory had simply run away also delayed the family's understanding of what had happened.