John Wayne Gacy Biography

John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was born on March 17, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois, to John Stanley Gacy and Marion Elaine Robinson. He had two sisters. His father was an auto repair machinist and ‘World War II’ veteran.

His father was an abusive alcoholic and young John had a very difficult relationship with him. His father used to mercilessly beat him for no reason, and even rendered him unconscious with his brutal physical assaults. His mother tried her best to protect John from his father, but to no avail. Another unfortunate incident happened in John’s life when he was sexually molested by a family friend.

To add to his woes, he suffered from a heart condition because of which he could not participate in sports. Overweight and uncouth, he was often mocked by his neighboring bullies. His ill health also prevented him from performing well at school.

In the 1960s, he joined ‘The United States Junior Chamber’ (Jaycees), and became a tireless worker for the organization, which was a non-profit venture aimed at providing opportunities for young men to develop personal and leadership skills through service to others. He became a well-known figure within the organization and had risen to the position of vice-president of the ‘Waterloo Jaycees’ by 1965.

One of the boys he assaulted, Donald Voorhees, informed his father about Gacy’s misdeed. The father immediately contacted the police, who then arrested Gacy. Although the police could not find conclusive proof at the time, they indicted Gacy on sodomy charges.

Gacy then hired one of his employees to physically assault Donald Voorhees in an effort to discourage the boy from testifying against him during the upcoming trial. The employee attacked Donald, who immediately reported the assault to the police. Gacy was convicted of sodomy charges in December 1968, and sentenced to 10 years at the ‘Anamosa State Penitentiary.’ Disturbed by her husband’s criminal activities, his wife divorced him.

He remained active in the community as well, and often dressed up as a clown to entertain sick children. He threw parties for his neighbors and was successful in creating a positive image of himself in the society. Unbeknownst to his neighbors, Gacy was living a secret life as a rapist and murderer—he had not reformed, as his wife and mother believed.

On the personal front, the relations between Gacy and his wife deteriorated during the 1970s, due to his open confession that he was bisexual; the couple divorced in 1976. His reputation in the society suffered following his divorce and people began to notice a stench around the area where his house was located. Rumors of him molesting his teenage employees also surfaced during this time.

A teenage boy named Robert Piest disappeared in December 1978. Shortly before his disappearance, Robert had told his mother that he was going to visit a contractor to discuss a job opportunity. A friend of Robert identified the contractor as John Gacy, and the police obtained a search warrant for Gacy's home.

An extensive search of Gacy’s home and the surrounding region in December 1978, revealed horrifying secrets, and the police discovered several bodies around his property. Even though he initially claimed innocence, he eventually confessed to the police that he had committed approximately 25 to 30 murders since 1972. His last known victim, Robert Piest’s body, was finally recovered from Grundy County in April 1979.