North Carolina man identified as victim of John Wayne Gacy

3 years ago 231

This undated photograph provided by the Cook County Sheriff's Office shows Francis Wayne Alexander. Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, that Alexander has been identified arsenic 1 of the six remaining unnamed victims of serial slayer John Wayne Gacy. Alexander was killed by Gacy sometime betwixt aboriginal 1976 and aboriginal 1977. He would person been 21 oregon 22 years aged astatine the clip of his murder. (Courtesy of the Cook County Sheriff's Office via AP)

CHICAGO – A North Carolina antheral who moved to Chicago was 1 of the victims of John Wayne Gacy, who was convicted of sidesplitting 33 young men and boys successful the 1970s, authorities said Monday.

Francis Wayne Alexander would person been 21 oregon 22 years aged erstwhile Gacy killed him sometime betwixt aboriginal 1976 and aboriginal 1977, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said astatine a quality league successful announcing the recognition of Alexander's remains.

Alexander's household didn't adjacent recognize helium had been dormant each these years, the sheriff said.

“They conscionable loved him, but they thought that helium wanted thing much to bash with them, truthful that’s wherefore determination was ne'er a missing person’s report,” Dart said.

In a statement, Alexander’s sister, Carolyn Sanders, thanked the sheriff’s bureau for giving the household immoderate level of “closure.”

“It is hard, adjacent 45 years later, to cognize the destiny of our beloved Wayne,” Sanders wrote. “He was killed astatine the hands of a vile and evil man. Our hearts are heavy, and our sympathies spell retired to the different victims’ families. ... We tin present laic to remainder what happened and determination guardant by honoring Wayne.”

Alexander’s remains were among 26 sets that constabulary found successful the crawl abstraction nether Gacy's location conscionable extracurricular the city. Three different victims were recovered buried connected Gacy's spot and different 4 radical whom Gacy admitted sidesplitting were recovered successful waterways southbound of Chicago.

In 2011, Dart's bureau exhumed the remains of 8 victims, including Alexander, who had been buried without constabulary knowing who they were. Dart called connected anyone who had a antheral comparative vanish successful the Chicago country successful the 1970s to taxable DNA. That was the clip erstwhile Gacy was luring young men and boys to his location to yet termination them.

Within weeks, the sheriff's bureau announced that it had identified 1 acceptable of remains arsenic those of William Bundy, a 19-year-old operation worker. In 2017, it identified a 2nd acceptable arsenic those of 16-year-old Jimmy Haakenson, who disappeared aft helium phoned his parent successful Minnesota and told her that helium was successful Chicago.

The details of Alexander’s beingness successful Chicago are sketchy. Born successful North Carolina, helium moved to New York, wherever helium was married, and past connected to Chicago successful 1975, wherever helium was soon divorced.

According to the sheriff’s office’s quality release, the past known grounds of Alexander’s beingness were postulation tickets helium received, the past 1 successful January 1976 — a twelvemonth successful which helium earned small money. How helium crossed paths with 1 of the astir notorious serial killers successful American past is simply a mystery, arsenic authorities accidental each they cognize is that “Alexander lived successful an country that was frequented by Gacy and wherever different identified victims had antecedently lived." Gacy lured immoderate victims to his location by promising to prosecute them for operation jobs, but Alexander worked successful bars and clubs.

The recognition of Alexander came unneurotic erstwhile the sheriff's section teamed up with the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit that uses familial accusation to find relatives of dormant radical who person not been identified. The enactment compared the DNA illustration from the unidentified victim's remains to profiles connected a genealogy website to find imaginable relatives. That led it to Alexander's family, and Alexander's parent and half-brother provided their DNA for comparison.

Between the familial testing, fiscal records, post-mortem reports and different information, investigators were capable to corroborate that the remains were Alexander's. And determining erstwhile helium was killed mostly stemmed from knowing erstwhile the unfortunate who was buried connected apical of him went missing.

Dart and Lt. Jason Moran, who headed the investigation, said the section mightiness beryllium capable to usage the method utilized to place Alexander to place scores of different radical successful the region who died and were buried anonymously.

“This is 1 of the newest investigative tools for investigations of missing and unidentified persons,” Moran said.

Dart said Alexander's household wasn't acceptable to talk publically astir the recognition and his bureau declined to springiness Alexander's hometown. But successful its quality release, the sheriff's bureau did convey the constabulary section successful Erwin, astir 35 miles (56 kilometers) southbound of Raleigh, for its help.

The submission of DNA from radical who suspected Gacy mightiness person killed their loved ones has helped constabulary solve astatine slightest 11 acold cases of homicides that had thing to bash with Gacy, who was executed successful 1994. It has besides helped families find loved ones who portion missing, were alive, including a antheral successful Oregon who had nary thought his household was looking for him.

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