The Case of William Huey Carroll Jr.

William Huey Carroll Jr., 16, disappeared on June 13, 1976, after leaving his home in Chicago. He was later identified as one of John Wayne Gacy's victims when investigators excavated the crawl space beneath Gacy's Norwood Park Township home in December 1978. His remains were identified through dental records.

William Huey Carroll Jr. was 16 years old and lived in Chicago with his family. On June 13, 1976, William left his home and disappeared. His disappearance occurred only ten days after the disappearance of Michael Bonnin, another teenager later identified as one of Gacy's victims. At the time, there was nothing to indicate that William's disappearance was connected to a serial killer. Gacy's crimes remained concealed until the disappearance of Robert Piest in December 1978 triggered the investigation that eventually exposed the murders beneath Gacy's home.

William was murdered by Gacy and his body was concealed beneath the family home at 8213 West Summerdale Avenue. Gacy used the crawl space and other areas beneath the house to conceal many of his victims. When investigators excavated the property following Gacy's arrest, William's remains were among those recovered. The recovery of multiple bodies from the property transformed the investigation from a missing-person inquiry into one of the largest serial-murder investigations in the United States.

William's disappearance remained unresolved for more than two years. The investigation into Gacy began after 15-year-old Robert Piest disappeared from a Des Plaines pharmacy on December 11, 1978. Police learned that Piest had been seen speaking with Gacy shortly before disappearing and subsequently began investigating Gacy's movements and property. Searches of Gacy's home uncovered evidence that led investigators to excavate the crawl space. Human remains were discovered, and the excavation continued for days as investigators uncovered victim after victim. William's remains were eventually identified through dental records. His identification allowed investigators to connect another previously unexplained disappearance to Gacy.

John Wayne Gacy was convicted in 1980 of William Huey Carroll Jr.'s murder, along with 32 other murders, and was sentenced to death. William's remains were recovered from Gacy's property during the 1978 excavation and subsequently identified through forensic evidence.

William Carroll was Gacy's seventh identified victim in the chronological sequence. His disappearance occurred only 10 days after Michael Bonnin's, continuing the increasingly rapid succession of disappearances during the spring and summer of 1976.