Why a Booktrail?
1972 – 1978: The Real Story Of John Wayne Gacy
Killer Clown
What you need to know before your trail
He was a model citizen. A hospital volunteer. And one of the most sadistic serial killers of all time. But few people could see the cruel monster beneath the colorful clown makeup that John Gacy wore to entertain children in his Chicago suburb. Few could imagine what lay buried beneath his house of horrors–until a teenaged boy disappeared before Christmas in 1978, leading prosecutor Terry Sullivan on the greatest manhunt of his career.
Locations
ResetTravel Guide
Des Plaines Illinois
The cities of Chicago and Des Plaines were horrified to discover that over the years, one of their most trusted and respected business men had been torturing, raping and killing young boys and men in the area.
Gacy only really came to police attention when he took Robert Piest from a chemist where the boy worked, on the premise that he had a job with his building company which paid more. His mum was waiting in the chemist to pick him up. He was never seen again.
Remarkably there is now a house which has been built on the plot of the house of horrors. It was underneath Gacy’s house in Summerscale where he buried most of his victims.
Joseph Kozenczak knew early on that this man was dangerous and he did everything in his power to bring him to justice. His methods and discoveries are now used apparently within the police and FBI to track other serial killers.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: Killer Clown
Destination: Des Plaines, Chicago Author/Guide: Terry Sullivan Departure Time: 1972 – 1978
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
