Research Paper On John Wayne Gacy

Introduction

My presentation was over John Wayne Gacy and the use of forensic anthropology and odontology in identifying the decomposed victims under his crawl space in 1978 and the advances in forensic DNA and genetic genealogy that led to the identification of multiple victims 45 years after his arrest.

John Wayne Gacy, also known as the "Killer Clown," was an American serial killer who committed at least 33 murders between 1972 and 1978 in the Chicago area. Gacy was a well-respected member of his community, dressing up as a clown for children's birthday parties and even volunteering for local political campaigns. However, aside from his public image as an outstanding community member, Gacy would lure young men and boys to his home under

During his parole, Gacy moved to Chicago where he sexually assaulted another young boy, but the Chicago court dismissed the complaint after the boy failed to show up in court. Unfortunately, the Iowa Board of Parole never heard about this incidence and Gacy’s parole ended in 1971 where his criminal records in Iowa were sealed [8].

Killing Spree & Arrest

After becoming a free man, Gacy would establish a construction company, remarry, get involved in more politics and continue to kidnap, rape, torture, murder and bury over 33 young boys and men between the ages of 14-21 from 1972 to 1978.

It was not until the kidnapping and murder of Robert Piest in December of 1978, that led detectives to Gacy’s home where they found evidence linking him to Piest and obtained warrants to dig through Gacy’s crawl space. They found 29 bodies buried in his property, with another 4 victims, including Piest, to have been dumped in the Des Plaines River.

Gacy was arrested and charged with 33 counts of murder.

Forensic Anthropology &

In 1913, a case involving the identification of the remains of a man killed in a train accident was solved using dental evidence. The victim's dental records were compared to the teeth of the unidentified body, and a match was made. This case led to the development of a national database of dental records, which has since become a standard tool for forensic odontologists. During World War II, forensic odontology played a crucial role in identifying the remains of soldiers killed in battle as dental records were used to identify thousands of soldiers