John Wayne Gacy: New victim of serial killer identified 49 years after he killed dozens and hid them in his crawl space

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy One of the unidentified victims of John Wayne Gacy, who raped, tortured, and killed 33 boys and young men in the 1970s and stored them in a crawlspace under his home, has been identified thanks to DNA and genealogical data. During his murders, after he lured his victims to his home, Gacy would often earn their trust through food or drinks and then offer to teach them a magic trick, sometimes while dressed as his clown characters. Nearly 50 years have passed since Gacy's murders, but thanks to a process called genetic genealogy, another victim was identified by the Cook County Sheriff's Office in partnership with a group called the DNA Doe Project. The DNA Doe Project uses genetic genealogy – combining DNA records with genealogical data like newspaper reports, public records and family trees – to find the family members of people who have died without being identified.