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Cold cases

Just Identifying Gacy’s Victims, Part 2

December 2022
Series
Forensic Case Studies

In episode two of our Case Studies Part 2: mini season Just Science sat down with Jason Moran, commander of police at the Cook County Sheriff's Office, to discuss how he and his colleagues set out to identify the remaining victims of John Wayne Gacy, decades after their bodies were found. Technological limitations can sometimes make it very challenging to identify decomposed human remains. In the case of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, eight of his 33 victims remained unidentified for more than 30 years.

Transcript
Just Identifying Gacy’s Victims, Part 2
Audio file
Just Identifying Gacy’s Victims Part 2

Just Identifying Gacy’s Victims, Part 1

December 2022
Series
Forensic Case Studies

In episode two of our Case Studies Part 2: mini season Just Science sat down with Jason Moran, commander of police at the Cook County Sheriff's Office, to discuss how he and his colleagues set out to identify the remaining victims of John Wayne Gacy, decades after their bodies were found. Technological limitations can sometimes make it very challenging to identify decomposed human remains. In the case of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, eight of his 33 victims remained unidentified for more than 30 years.

Transcript
Just Identifying Gacy’s Victims, Part 1
Audio file
Identifying Gacy’s Victims Part 1

National Missing and Unidentified Persons System

Overview

What is NamUs?

Resolving missing and unidentified persons cases is especially complex. Information-sharing across agencies and jurisdictions can be fragmented, paired with limited investigative resources and a high volume of cases. In many instances, significant time has passed since the person went missing. Still, we have a societal responsibility to ensure dignified and lawful outcomes. Each resolution can also uncover links to multiple crimes—and...

Just Science

Just Science Podcast: Just Identifying Lake Erie John Doe

Content Advisory
Some content in this podcast may be considered sensitive and may evoke emotional responses, or may not be appropriate for younger audiences.
Date Published
December 2022
Agencies
NIJ-Sponsored
Publication Type
Case Study