John Wayne Gacy was put to death almost 20 years ago. He had been convicted of the sexual assault and murder of 33 people, most of them teenagers and young men. He buried most of his victims in the crawl space of his house, some others in the yard, and the remaining ones he dumped in a nearby river.

Gacy stands out among the serial killer crowd because of his former occupation as a clown at children’s parties. The joke is that you can actually go out on Halloween as John Wayne Gacy, because none of the other killers wore a costume.

Recently we told you about how the evidence that had been gathered at Gacy’s residence had helped to solve a cold case.

Investigators in Cook County, Illinois, who reopened the Gacy investigation in 2011, are still working the remains of victims in the John Wayne Gacy case, some of which have never been identified. They are encouraging anyone who thinks their missing relative might have had contact with or become a victim of Gacy to submit a DNA sample so they can compare it to DNA from recovered bodies at the Gacy house.

These investigators have catalogued DNA collected from exhumed bones. But that only leads them so far. Without a sample to compare, they are left holding DNA profiles with nothing to link them to.

I ask that anyone who believes their male relative may have been a Gacy victim call 708-865-6244. More tips means closure for more families.

— Tom Dart (@TomDart) April 23, 2014

A DNA sample that one could send to the Cook County lab might include hair from a hairbrush, a toothbrush, or some other item that has physical remains of a missing relative. It has been over 20 years. But the hope is that families might have boxed up personal items of the loved one, and can send something along to the lab for analysis.

Thx to all for support on our Gacy investigation. The mission continues. 1 unidentified victim down, 7 more to go. Call 708-865-6244 w/leads

— Tom Dart (@TomDart) April 24, 2014

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