The chilling case of John Wayne Gacy, one of America’s most infamous serial killers, continues to unfold decades after his crimes terrorized the nation. Gacy, known for his horrifying acts in the 1970s, was convicted of killing 33 young men. For years, the question of How Many People Did John Wayne Gacy Kill has been synonymous with the gruesome discovery of bodies buried in the crawl space of his suburban Chicago home. Now, even decades after his execution, the aftermath of his heinous crimes still resonates as authorities continue to identify his long-unnamed victims.
In a significant development, Francis Wayne Alexander, who disappeared in the 1970s, has been identified as one of Gacy’s victims. Alexander’s remains were among those unearthed from Gacy’s property in 1978. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart initiated a renewed effort in 2011, exhuming eight unidentified bodies for DNA testing, a testament to the ongoing commitment to bring closure to these cold cases. Alexander marks the third Gacy victim to be identified in the past ten years thanks to advancements in forensic technology and the relentless pursuit of justice. He was believed to be 21 or 22 years old when Gacy murdered him sometime between 1976 and 1977.
John Wayne Gacy’s reign of terror spanned from 1972 to 1978. His modus operandi often involved luring young men to his residence under false pretenses, sometimes impersonating a police officer or offering them construction work. The investigation into Gacy’s crimes was reopened by Sheriff Dart, urging families of missing young men from the 1970s to provide saliva samples for DNA comparison. This proactive approach ultimately led to Alexander’s identification.
Prior to Alexander, William George Bundy, a 19-year-old construction worker, was identified as a Gacy victim months after the renewed investigation began. In 2017, James Byron Haakenson, a missing teenager from Minnesota, was also identified. The identification of Alexander was made possible by matching DNA samples from his mother and half-brother to the remains.
Carolyn Sanders, Alexander’s sister, expressed her gratitude to the sheriff’s office for providing her family with “closure” after 45 years of uncertainty. She poignantly described the pain of knowing her “beloved Wayne” was killed by a “vile and evil man,” but also acknowledged the family’s ability to finally “lay to rest what happened and move forward by honouring Wayne.”
The connection between Alexander and Gacy remains unclear. Alexander had moved to Chicago, was briefly married, and received a traffic ticket in January 1976, after which he vanished from records. However, he resided in an area known to be frequented by Gacy and where other victims had lived. The authorities continue their work to identify the remaining unidentified victims, emphasizing that the quest to answer fully how many people did John Wayne Gacy kill extends beyond the confirmed 33, as they strive to give names and stories back to each victim lost to this horrific chapter in criminal history.
