Author Topic: NORWOOD PARK JOHN DOE (#6): WM, 14-18, body discovered in the residence of serial killer John Wayne  (Read 375 times)

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https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2018/07/facial-reconstructions-2-unidentified-john-wayne-gacy-victims-released

Gacy Victims Released

Among the many bodies pulled from the Chicago crawlspace and property of John Wayne Gacy in 1978 were six victims of the serial killer who, 40 years on, have yet to be identified.

As Cook County investigators work to give true names to the remaining “John Doe” victims, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has lent its aid by producing and publishing forensic facial reconstructions of two of the victims, John Doe #10 and John Doe #13.

The new images of the two victims, both determined to be white males who were killed sometime between 1972 and 1978, were each created by a NCMEC forensic artist and based on the structure of the skeletal remains.

John Doe #10 was between the ages of 17 and 21 at the time of his death, and stood at a height between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-11, according to NCMEC. Although his hair and eye color could not be determined, investigators know the male had injured his collarbone at some point in his life, and that the injury had healed well by the time of his death. They also determined he had been treated by a dentist in life and had a few dental fillings.

John Doe #13 was between 18 and 22 years old and stood at a height between 5-foot-9 and 6-foot-2, NCMEC says. He had wavy, dark brown hair and a unique dental trait: one of his upper teeth was displaced behind another one of his teeth. NCMEC notes this is a distinct detail that may have been noticed by those who knew the male in life.

Those who believe they may have information about the boys’ identities are encouraged by NCMEC to contact them at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or the Cook County Sheriff’s Office at 708-865-6244.

Of the 33 known victims of Gacy, eight remained unidentified when, in October of 2011, the Cook County Sheriff’s Department announced a new effort to identify them, according to the Associated Press. The next month, investigators identified 19-year-old William George Bundy as one of the victims, and in July 2017, 16-year-old James “Jimmie” Byron Haakenson was also identified, through a DNA comparison with two of his siblings.

DNA from all six remaining unidentified victims has been obtained and tested by Cook County investigators and is suitable to be compared to a living family member, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

In September 2015, investigators identified a 1979 homicide victim, who was not a victim of Gacy, as 16-year-old Andre “Andy” Drath, following a DNA sample submitted by Drath’s sister as part of the effort to identify Gacy’s victims. Although the sister’s DNA did not match any of the unidentified Gacy victims, the sample remained in CODIS where it was later compared to Drath’s DNA, uploaded to CODIS in 2014. The Gacy investigation has led to the solving of four unrelated cold cases and seven unrelated missing persons cases (five found alive), according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Gacy killed men and boys between 1972 and 1978, while he was working as a building contractor and performing as “Pogo the Clown” at children’s parties, according to the AP. He **** many of his victims before killing them by strangling and, in at least one case, stabbing. Police investigating the disappearance of 15-year-old Robert Piest executed a search warrant at Gacy’s house in December 1978 and discovered the bodies in Gacy’s crawlspace. Gacy was convicted of the murders of 33 victims and executed in May 1994.