Just Identifying Gacy’s Victims Part 1

Published: Dec. 2, 2022, noon

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 thirty-three victims remained unidentified for more than thirty years. Listen along as Commander Moran discusses how the Forensic Services Initiative team re-opens cold cases, utilizes modern DNA analysis for human identification, and began the journey to give Gacy’s victims their names back. This episode is funded by The National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence. Some content in this podcast may be considered sensitive and may evoke emotional responses or may not be appropriate for younger audiences.