The Case of Kenneth Ray Parker

Kenneth Ray Parker, 16, disappeared from Chicago on October 24, 1976. He was later identified as one of John Wayne Gacy's victims after his remains were recovered from the crawl space beneath Gacy's home. Parker's murder occurred on the same date as Michael M. Marino's, whose remains were also found beneath the property.

Kenneth Ray Parker was 16 years old and lived in Chicago. He disappeared on October 24, 1976, during the period when Gacy's murders were occurring with increasing frequency. By the autumn of 1976, several young men had already disappeared in the Chicago area and would ultimately be connected to Gacy. Parker became another victim in a series that investigators would not uncover until more than two years later. His disappearance remained unresolved while Gacy continued to operate his construction business and maintain his outward reputation in the community.

Parker was murdered by Gacy and his body was concealed beneath the house at 8213 West Summerdale Avenue in Norwood Park Township. The crawl space beneath the property was used by Gacy as a burial site for many of his victims. Parker's remains were eventually recovered during the extensive excavation that followed Gacy's arrest in December 1978. His remains were found in proximity to those of other victims murdered during the same period.

Parker's disappearance was initially investigated as a missing-person case, but there was no known evidence linking him to Gacy. That changed after 15-year-old Robert Piest disappeared from a pharmacy in Des Plaines in December 1978. Police learned that Piest had been seen with Gacy shortly before his disappearance and began investigating Gacy's home and activities. The investigation led to the discovery of human remains beneath Gacy's property. Investigators subsequently excavated the crawl space and surrounding areas, ultimately recovering the remains of numerous young men and boys. Parker's remains were among those recovered and were eventually identified through forensic investigation.

John Wayne Gacy was convicted of Kenneth Ray Parker's murder in 1980, along with 32 other murders, and sentenced to death. Parker's remains were recovered from Gacy's home during the 1978 investigation and subsequently identified. Gacy was executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center on May 10, 1994.

Kenneth Parker was Gacy's tenth identified victim in the chronological sequence. His case is particularly important when viewed alongside Michael M. Marino, who disappeared and was murdered on the same date. Both were eventually identified among the remains recovered from Gacy's property. The two cases should remain separate CrimeTrakr case files, but their shared date can be noted when both records are available.