How Many People Did John Wayne Gacy Kill?

John Wayne Gacy killed at least 33 boys and young men. In the late 1970s authorities discovered 29 bodies buried on his property outside Chicago, the majority of which were found in the crawl space of his home. Four other bodies were located along the nearby Des Plaines River. Gacy was convicted of murder in 1980, and while on death row he alluded to more murders. However, he provided no details, and additional victims were never confirmed.

Gacy’s first known victim was Timothy McCoy, a 16-year-old he met at the Greyhound bus station in Chicago in 1972. The teenager had a layover on his way home to Nebraska, and he agreed to go to Gacy’s house. There Gacy fatally stabbed him. Over the next six years, Gacy committed 32 other murders. His crimes typically followed a pattern. He would lure victims to his house—sometimes offering a job at his construction company—and then give them alcohol or drugs. At some point he would mention a “magic trick,” which would involve the young men putting on handcuffs. Gacy would rape and then murder them, usually by strangulation or asphyxiation. Gacy’s last known victim was 15-year-old Robert Piest, whom he killed in 1978. His disappearance sparked the investigation that led to the arrest of Gacy.

Determining the names of Gacy’s victims proved difficult in a number of cases, and the most recent identification occurred in 2021. Five bodies remain unidentified.