The Case of John Wayne Gacy's Unidentified Victims
Five of John Wayne Gacy's 33 known victims remain unidentified more than four decades after their remains were recovered from his Norwood Park Township property. The victims are known primarily by their forensic body numbers Bodies 10, 13, 21, 26 and 28 and investigators continue to seek DNA matches and information from families of men who disappeared in the United States during the 1970s.
Overview / Background
John Wayne Gacy murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978. Most of his victims were buried beneath his home at 8213 West Summerdale Avenue, while several later victims were disposed of in the Des Plaines River. When investigators excavated Gacy's property in December 1978 and early 1979, they recovered numerous human remains. Although most victims were eventually identified, several could not be matched to missing-person reports or available dental records. Advances in forensic science have allowed investigators to revisit those cases. Since 2011, the Cook County Sheriff's Office has made a renewed effort to identify the remaining victims using DNA testing, genetic genealogy, missing-person records and traditional investigative techniques. Three victims who were originally unidentified have subsequently been named through this renewed investigation: William George Bundy, James Byron Haakenson and Francis Wayne Alexander. Five victims nevertheless remain unidentified.
Crime Scene
Four of the five currently unidentified victims were recovered from the crawl space beneath Gacy's home. The exception is Body 28, whose remains were recovered from Gacy's backyard near the barbecue pit. Gacy's crawl space had become a concealed burial site for numerous victims. Investigators eventually recovered so many remains from beneath the property that the excavation became one of the largest serial-murder crime-scene investigations in American history. The forensic numbers assigned to the remains were identification numbers used during the investigation. They do not represent the chronological order in which Gacy murdered his victims.
Investigation
The unidentified victims were originally examined using the forensic techniques available during the late 1970s. Dental records were particularly important in identifying victims at that time, but several victims could not be matched to known missing persons. The problem was compounded by the fact that not every missing person had been reported missing. Some victims were estranged from their families, while others may have disappeared while travelling. Investigators also believe Gacy targeted people travelling through Chicago, including hitchhikers and people encountered around bus stations. In 2011, Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart reopened the effort to identify Gacy's remaining unnamed victims. Investigators began combining traditional detective work with modern DNA technology. That effort produced several breakthroughs: - William George Bundy was identified in 2011 through DNA comparison with his siblings. - James "Jimmie" Byron Haakenson was identified in 2017 through DNA comparison with his siblings. - Francis Wayne Alexander was identified in 2021 using genetic genealogy, followed by DNA confirmation with his mother and half-brother. Those identifications reduced the number of unidentified Gacy victims to the five who remain today.
Outcome
The five victims covered by this case file remain unidentified. The Cook County Sheriff's Office has obtained DNA profiles suitable for comparison from all five and continues to seek living relatives of men who disappeared in the United States between 1970 and 1979. Investigators specifically note that some Gacy victims may never have been reported missing, meaning that identifying these men may depend upon finding relatives who have never considered their missing family member could have been one of Gacy's victims. The ultimate goal is to restore names to the five men and, where possible, return their remains to their families.
Notes
This case file represents five separate unidentified victims, rather than a single murder. They have been consolidated into one CrimeTrakr case file because there is insufficient publicly established information to create five substantial individual case pages without producing thin or speculative entries. The forensic designations are: Body No. 10 Body No. 13 Body No. 21 Body No. 26 Body No. 28
Other Information
- Five of John Wayne Gacy's 33 known victims remain unidentified.
- The five are known by their forensic designations: Bodies 10, 13, 21, 26 and 28.
- Body No. 28 is believed to have been murdered around January 1974 and was recovered from Gacy's backyard.
- Body No. 26 is believed to have died between June 13 and August 6, 1976.
- Body No. 13 is believed to have died between August 6 and October 5, 1976.
- Body No. 21 is believed to have died between August 6 and October 24, 1976.
- Body No. 10 is believed to have died between March 15 and July 5, 1977.
- Four of the five were recovered from Gacy's crawl space.
- Body No. 28 was recovered from Gacy's backyard.
- DNA profiles suitable for comparison have been obtained from all five.
- The Cook County Sheriff's Office continues to seek relatives of men who disappeared in the United States during the 1970s.
- Three previously unidentified Gacy victims William George Bundy, James Byron Haakenson and Francis Wayne Alexander have been identified through modern forensic investigation.
- Their forensic body numbers are historical investigation identifiers and do not represent the chronological order of Gacy's victims.
- The five unidentified men remain officially unidentified.
The Five Unidentified Victims
Forensic Body No. 28
Estimated period of death: January 1974
Estimated age: 14–18
Location recovered: Gacy's backyard
Body 28 represents one of the earliest unidentified victims associated with Gacy. Investigators believe this teenager was murdered in approximately January 1974, placing his death between Timothy McCoy's 1972 murder and John Butkovich's 1975 murder.
Unlike most of Gacy's victims, Body 28 was not recovered from the crawl space beneath the house. His remains were found in Gacy's backyard, approximately 15 feet from the barbecue pit.
The victim was a young male, estimated to have been between 14 and 18 years old. Despite decades of investigation, his identity has never been established.
Forensic Body No. 26
Estimated period of death: June 13–August 6, 1976
Estimated age: approximately 22–30
Location recovered: Gacy's crawl space
Body 26 was one of several unidentified victims whose estimated death period falls within the exceptionally active summer of 1976.
Investigators recovered the remains from the crawl space beneath Gacy's home. The estimated age of the victim distinguishes him somewhat from several of Gacy's teenage victims, as investigators believe he was a young adult in his twenties.
His remains have undergone modern DNA testing, and a DNA profile suitable for comparison is available. The Cook County Sheriff's Office continues to seek relatives of missing men who disappeared during the 1970s.
Forensic Body No. 21
Estimated period of death: August 6–October 24, 1976
Estimated age: approximately 15–24
Location recovered: Gacy's crawl space
Body 21 is another unidentified young male recovered from beneath Gacy's home.
Investigators have placed his death sometime between August 6 and October 24, 1976. This period encompasses several of Gacy's identified murders, including those of Rick Johnston, Kenneth Parker and Michael Marino.
The estimated age range means Body 21 could have been a teenager or young adult. Modern forensic testing has produced a DNA profile that can be compared with potential relatives.
Forensic Body No. 13
Estimated period of death: August 6–October 5, 1976
Estimated age: approximately 17–22
Location recovered: Gacy's crawl space
Body 13 was another young male whose remains were recovered from Gacy's crawl space.
Investigators estimate that he was killed between August 6 and October 5, 1976. His estimated age was approximately 17 to 22 years old.
His death therefore falls within one of the most active periods of Gacy's known murders, when victims were disappearing from the Chicago area at increasingly short intervals.
Despite forensic examination and continuing identification efforts, Body 13 remains without a confirmed name.
Forensic Body No. 10
Estimated period of death: March 15–July 5, 1977
Estimated age: approximately 17–21
Location recovered: Gacy's crawl space
Body 10 is the final currently unidentified victim in the chronological grouping.
Investigators estimate that this young man was murdered sometime between March 15 and July 5, 1977, placing his death between the known murders of Jon Steven Prestidge and Matthew Walter Bowman.
His estimated age was approximately 17 to 21 years old. Like the other unidentified victims, his remains were recovered from Gacy's property and a DNA profile suitable for comparison has been developed.
The continuing inability to establish his identity means that his family may still be unaware of what happened to him more than 45 years later.
Media
- Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes
- John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise
- To Catch a Killer
- Chicago Tribune
- Cook County Sheriff's Office
- The Washington Post
- Associated Press
- ABC News
- FBI and law-enforcement coverage
- Numerous documentaries and news reports concerning the identification of Gacy's