The Case of Robert David Winch

Robert David Winch was 16 years old when he disappeared from Chicago on November 10, 1977. He was later identified as one of John Wayne Gacy's victims after investigators uncovered his remains beneath Gacy's Norwood Park Township home in December 1978. His murder occurred during the particularly concentrated period of Gacy's killings in late 1977.

Robert Winch was originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and was only 16 years old when he disappeared in Chicago. He was among the youngest of Gacy's identified victims. Winch disappeared on November 10, 1977, during a period when Gacy was killing with increasing frequency. Russell Nelson had disappeared less than a month earlier, and Gacy would murder Tommy Boling only eight days after Winch. The disappearances of these young men were not recognised at the time as part of a single series of murders. Gacy continued to move through Chicago's social and business circles while concealing his victims beneath his home.

Winch was murdered by Gacy and buried in the crawl space beneath 8213 West Summerdale Avenue in Norwood Park Township. His remains were designated Body No. 11 during the investigation of Gacy's property. They were among the numerous sets of human remains recovered when investigators excavated the house following Gacy's arrest in December 1978. The discovery of Winch's remains formed part of the growing forensic picture that revealed how extensively Gacy had used his home to conceal his victims.

Winch's disappearance remained unresolved until the investigation into Gacy's activities in December 1978. The investigation began after 15-year-old Robert Piest disappeared from a Des Plaines pharmacy after speaking with Gacy. Police subsequently focused on Gacy and searched his home. Investigators discovered evidence indicating that human remains were buried beneath the property. The crawl space was excavated, revealing numerous victims. Winch was subsequently identified among the recovered remains. His identification connected his disappearance to Gacy's growing list of murdered young men and boys. The discovery was particularly significant because Winch was only 16, demonstrating that Gacy's victims included teenagers as well as young adult men.

John Wayne Gacy was convicted of Robert Winch's murder in 1980, along with 32 other murders, and sentenced to death. Winch's remains were recovered from Gacy's home during the December 1978 excavation and identified as those of the missing teenager. Gacy was executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center on May 10, 1994.

Robert Winch was Gacy's twentieth identified victim in our chronological sequence. His murder occurred during an exceptionally concentrated period of Gacy's offending: Russell Nelson: October 17, 1977 → Robert Winch → November 10, 1977 → Tommy Boling → November 18, 1977. Only eight days separated Winch's murder from the next identified victim. Winch's young age is also significant. At 16, he was one of the youngest identified victims in Gacy's series.