Genealogy data helps authorities identify 1 of 6 unidentified victims of Gacy

CHICAGO — Genealogy information helped Cook County investigators identify a young North Carolina man as one of the unidentified victims of John Wayne Gacy.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart made the announcement Monday along with members of the nonprofit DNA Doe Project, which helps law enforcement agencies identify bodies through DNA.

Francis Wayne Alexander disappeared between November 1976 and March 1977, according to authorities. His body was one of the unidentifiable bodies found in Gacy’s crawl space.

Using a DNA profile produced for genealogical research, the DNA project compared the victim’s profile to others on a genealogy website and found potential relatives. Those who submit DNA to websites for family lineage research can choose to allow their data to be used for purposes such as locating missing people.

Alexander, who had recently divorced, had lived in Chicago for only about a year, Dart told reporters at his Maywood office.

Alexander’s family was notified Friday, according to the sheriff’s office. He is survived by his mother, two half sisters and two half brothers.

Family members did not attend the news conference Monday but released a statement: “Let us start by thanking Sheriff Tom Dart, Lieutenant Jason Moran, the hardworking officers of the Cook County sheriff’s office and the DNA Doe Project. Without their tireless efforts our family would not have the closure we do now.

“It is hard, even 45 years later, to know the fate of our beloved Wayne. He was killed at the hands of a vile and evil man. Our hearts are heavy, and our sympathies go out to the other victims’ families. Our only comfort is knowing this killer no longer breathes the same air as we do,” the statement said.

“We can now lay to rest what happened and move forward by honoring Wayne. We ask that you respect our wishes of privacy as we process this tragedy.”

In December 1978, Gacy, a politically active contractor, confessed to killing dozens of young men and boys. After being provided a map by Gacy, authorities found 29 of his 33 victims in a crawl space beneath his northwest suburban home. Four other victims were dumped from a bridge, but later found.

Monday’s identification leaves five victims unidentified.

Gacy’s yellow brick ranch house at 8213 W. Summerdale Ave. was razed in April 1979, and remained a vacant lot until a new home was constructed.

Gacy was executed by lethal injection in 1994 at the old Stateville prison facility.

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