John Wayne Gacy Victims
Contractor John Wayne Gacy murdered at least 33 young men and boys, burying most under his suburban Chicago home. He was executed in 1994. Several victims remain unidentified.
John Wayne Gacy, a building contractor and amateur clown entertainer, murdered at least 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978 in the Chicago suburb of Norwood Park Township, Illinois.
Gacy lured victims to his home with promises of employment or alcohol, then sexually assaulted and strangled them. He buried 26 of his victims in the crawl space beneath his house and disposed of others in the Des Plaines River.
The investigation began when 15-year-old Robert Piest disappeared after telling his mother he was going to talk to a contractor about a job. That contractor was Gacy. Police surveillance and a search warrant led to the discovery of the mass grave.
Gacy was convicted of 33 murders in 1980 and sentenced to death. He was executed by lethal injection on May 10, 1994. As of 2024, efforts using DNA and genetic genealogy have identified previously unknown victims, but several remain unidentified.
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