The Case of Timothy Jack McCoy

Timothy Jack McCoy, 16, was murdered by John Wayne Gacy on January 3, 1972, after Gacy encountered him at a Chicago bus terminal and offered him a ride home. McCoy accompanied Gacy to his Norwood Park Township home, where Gacy later attacked and killed him. His remains were recovered from the crawl space beneath the house in 1978 and identified in 1986.

Timothy McCoy was 16 years old and had been travelling through Chicago when he encountered Gacy at the Greyhound bus terminal. Gacy later told investigators that he approached McCoy and offered him a ride home. McCoy accepted and accompanied Gacy to his home at 8213 West Summerdale Avenue in Norwood Park Township. The circumstances surrounding McCoy's death represented the beginning of Gacy's known series of murders, although the crime would not be discovered for more than six years.

The murder occurred inside Gacy's home. According to Gacy's later account, McCoy had been sleeping at the house when he encountered Gacy in the kitchen during the early morning hours. Gacy claimed that McCoy approached him with a kitchen knife, and that he wrestled the knife away before stabbing McCoy multiple times. Gacy buried McCoy's body in the crawl space beneath the house. He later concealed the burial area beneath concrete.

McCoy's disappearance was not connected to Gacy at the time. His remains remained unidentified beneath Gacy's house until the extensive investigation following the disappearance of Robert Piest in December 1978. When investigators began excavating Gacy's crawl space, numerous human remains were discovered. McCoy was eventually identified through forensic investigation and dental records. His identity was formally established in 1986, more than 14 years after his murder.

John Wayne Gacy was convicted of murdering Timothy McCoy as part of the 33 murders for which he was prosecuted. McCoy was subsequently identified as Gacy's first known murder victim. His remains were recovered from the crawl space beneath Gacy's home after investigators began excavating the property in December 1978.

Timothy McCoy was Gacy's first known victim. His murder is particularly significant in the chronology because it was followed by a gap of more than three years before the next identified Gacy victim, John Butkovich, was murdered in 1975. The discovery of McCoy's remains years later helped establish the extent of Gacy's crimes.