This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/12/john-wayne-gacy-victims-search
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Detectives to search for more victims of serial killer John Wayne Gacy | Detectives to search for more victims of serial killer John Wayne Gacy |
| (3 months later) | |
| Detectives who have long wondered if John Wayne Gacy killed more than the 33 young men he was convicted of murdering may soon be given the chance to search for bodies underneath an apartment complex where his late mother once lived, a Chicago law enforcement official said Saturday. | Detectives who have long wondered if John Wayne Gacy killed more than the 33 young men he was convicted of murdering may soon be given the chance to search for bodies underneath an apartment complex where his late mother once lived, a Chicago law enforcement official said Saturday. |
| Frank Bilecki, a spokesman for Cook County sheriff Tom Dart, confirmed a Chicago Sun-Times report that Cook County state's attorney Anita Alvarez had agreed to ask a judge for a warrant to search the housing complex on the city's Northwest Side. Such requests for search warrants are routinely approved. | Frank Bilecki, a spokesman for Cook County sheriff Tom Dart, confirmed a Chicago Sun-Times report that Cook County state's attorney Anita Alvarez had agreed to ask a judge for a warrant to search the housing complex on the city's Northwest Side. Such requests for search warrants are routinely approved. |
| Dart has been pushing Alvarez's office for months to sign off on the warrant, but Bilecki said the sheriff's office was asked for more evidence. Dart's office then found records showing that Gacy, a contractor, had done handyman work at the complex, and it located witnesses whose sworn affidavits raised questions about Gacy's activities there. | Dart has been pushing Alvarez's office for months to sign off on the warrant, but Bilecki said the sheriff's office was asked for more evidence. Dart's office then found records showing that Gacy, a contractor, had done handyman work at the complex, and it located witnesses whose sworn affidavits raised questions about Gacy's activities there. |
| "These people in their affidavits stated that he was seen at odd hours doing odd jobs around the building," said Bilecki. | "These people in their affidavits stated that he was seen at odd hours doing odd jobs around the building," said Bilecki. |
| Bilecki said that investigators would bring in high-tech thermal imaging devices to detect underground anomalies which indicate that something may have been buried. At the same time, searchers will bore holes in the ground to allow FBI cadaver dogs to search for the scent of human remains. The Northwest Side apartment complex was searched in 1998 and more than a dozen underground anomalies were located, but not all of those sites were investigated further, Bilecki said. | Bilecki said that investigators would bring in high-tech thermal imaging devices to detect underground anomalies which indicate that something may have been buried. At the same time, searchers will bore holes in the ground to allow FBI cadaver dogs to search for the scent of human remains. The Northwest Side apartment complex was searched in 1998 and more than a dozen underground anomalies were located, but not all of those sites were investigated further, Bilecki said. |
| "It should initially be a pretty non-invasive [search]," said Bilecki, adding that the search could become much more involved if any sign of human remains was uncovered. | "It should initially be a pretty non-invasive [search]," said Bilecki, adding that the search could become much more involved if any sign of human remains was uncovered. |
| A search would be the latest twist in one of the most terrifying crime sprees in American history, which ended when investigators discovered 29 bodies buried in the crawlspace of Gacy's Chicago-area home and yard. Gacy, who was arrested in 1978, convicted in 1980 and executed in 1994, has been the subject of countless articles and books and at least one movie. | A search would be the latest twist in one of the most terrifying crime sprees in American history, which ended when investigators discovered 29 bodies buried in the crawlspace of Gacy's Chicago-area home and yard. Gacy, who was arrested in 1978, convicted in 1980 and executed in 1994, has been the subject of countless articles and books and at least one movie. |
| His case has remained in the headlines thanks largely to Dart, who has been trying to identify the remains of still unknown victims of one of the most notorious serial killers in American history. | His case has remained in the headlines thanks largely to Dart, who has been trying to identify the remains of still unknown victims of one of the most notorious serial killers in American history. |
| Recently, the sheriff's department announced it was submitting the DNA of Gacy and other condemned murderers who were executed in Illinois to a national database, in the hope of clearing the coldest cases across the country. Detectives say that because Gacy traveled extensively, he may have killed people in other locations. | Recently, the sheriff's department announced it was submitting the DNA of Gacy and other condemned murderers who were executed in Illinois to a national database, in the hope of clearing the coldest cases across the country. Detectives say that because Gacy traveled extensively, he may have killed people in other locations. |
| Dart previously exhumed for DNA testing the remains of young men whose bodies were found in Gacy's crawlspace but never identified. One such man was subsequently identified. | Dart previously exhumed for DNA testing the remains of young men whose bodies were found in Gacy's crawlspace but never identified. One such man was subsequently identified. |
| guardian.co.uk today is our daily snapshot of the top news stories, sent to your inbox at 8am |