Editing John Wayne Gacy (section)

====1976====
One month after his divorce was finalized, Gacy abducted and murdered 18-year-old Darrell Samson. He was last seen alive in Chicago on April 6, 1976.{{sfn|Cahill|1986|pp=150–158}} Gacy buried him under the dining room, with cloth lodged in his throat.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/known-unknown-murder-victims-john-wayne-gacy-killer-clown|title=The 33 Known And Unknown Murder Victims Of 'Killer Clown' John Wayne Gacy|website=oxygen.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928074256/https://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/known-unknown-murder-victims-john-wayne-gacy-killer-clown|archive-date=September 28, 2020|year=2020}}</ref> On May 14, 15-year-old Randall Reffett disappeared shortly after returning home from a dental appointment.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22593975/herald-and-review/|title=Sex-Murder Victim, 15, Identified|work=[[Herald & Review]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=April 13, 1979|access-date=April 24, 2022|archive-date=November 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126190946/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22593975/herald-and-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> Hours after Reffett was last seen by his family, 14-year-old Samuel Stapleton vanished as he walked home from his sister's apartment.{{sfn|Cavendish|1997|p=28}}{{sfn|Sullivan|2000|pp=207–223}} He and Reffett were close acquaintances;{{sfn|Nelson|2021|p=95}} they were buried together in the crawl space, and investigators believe the two were murdered the same evening.{{sfn|Sullivan|2000|pp=301–305}}
[[File:Michael Bonnin John Wayne Gacy June 3, 1976. Chicago Tribune 13 March 1980.jpg|upright|right|thumb|Michael Bonnin]]
On June 3, Gacy killed 17-year-old Michael Bonnin, who disappeared while traveling from Chicago to [[Waukegan, Illinois|Waukegan]]. Gacy strangled Bonnin with a [[Ligature strangulation|ligature]] and buried him under the spare bedroom.{{sfn|Sullivan|2000|pp=301–305}}{{sfn|Amirante|2011|pp=320–326}}{{sfn|Linedecker|1986|p=123}} Ten days later, Gacy murdered 16-year-old William Carroll and buried him in a common grave in the crawl space. Carroll seems to have been the first of four victims known to have been murdered between June 13 and August 6, 1976.{{sfn|Sullivan|2000|pp=207–223}} Three were between 16 and 17 years old, and one unidentified victim appears to have been an adult.

On August 5, 16-year-old James Haakenson is last known to have phoned his family, possibly from Gacy's home.<ref>{{cite news|date=July 19, 2017|title=Timeline of John Wayne Gacy Case|newspaper=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/timeline-john-wayne-gacys-case-48729716|url-status=dead|access-date=July 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720011748/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/timeline-john-wayne-gacys-case-48729716|archive-date=July 20, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.twincities.com/2017/07/19/teen-missing-from-st-paul-for-40-years-idd-as-victim-of-serial-killer-john-wayne-gacy/|title='My Brother Somehow Ran Into Him': A St. Paul Family Confronts the Horror of John Wayne Gacy|work=[[St. Paul Pioneer Press]]|date=July 19, 2017|author1=Mara Gottfried|access-date=November 30, 2020|archive-date=December 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212174958/https://www.twincities.com/2017/07/19/teen-missing-from-st-paul-for-40-years-idd-as-victim-of-serial-killer-john-wayne-gacy/|url-status=live}}</ref> Haakenson died of suffocation. His body was buried in the crawl space beneath 17-year-old Rick Johnston, who was last seen alive on August 6.<ref>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102112054/https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/07/19/john-wayne-gacy-victim/|archive-date=January 2, 2020|url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/07/19/john-wayne-gacy-victim/|title=Minnesota Teen ID'd as John Wayne Gacy Victim|publisher=CBS Local|date=July 19, 2017|access-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sheriff-update-investigation-unnamed-gacy-victims-48724804|title=16-year-old from Minnesota ID'd as Victim of John Wayne Gacy|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|date=July 19, 2017|author1=Don Babwin|author2=Jeff Baenen|access-date=July 19, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720051638/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sheriff-update-investigation-unnamed-gacy-victims-48724804|archive-date=July 20, 2017}}</ref>{{efn|Because Haakenson and Johnston disappeared just twenty-four hours apart and their bones were commingled, they may have been murdered on the same day or even at the same time.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/us/john-wayne-gacy-victim-identified.html|title=John Wayne Gacy Victim is Identified After Four Decades|access-date=August 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106235717/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/us/john-wayne-gacy-victim-identified.html|archive-date=January 6, 2018|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 19, 2017}} {{Open access}}</ref>}}

Gacy is thought to have murdered two unidentified males between August and October 1976. On October 24, Gacy abducted and killed teenage friends Kenneth Parker and Michael Marino: the two were last seen on [[Clark Street (Chicago)|Clark Street]] in Chicago.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UO9eAAAAIBAJ&pg=5070,3504589|title=Two Apparent Gacy Victims Identified|work=St. Joseph Gazette|date=March 31, 1980|access-date=March 14, 2013|via=Google News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928073948/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UO9eAAAAIBAJ&pg=5070%2C3504589|archive-date=September 28, 2020}} {{Open access}}</ref>{{sfn|Linedecker|1980|p=248}} Two days later, 19-year-old construction worker William Bundy disappeared after informing his family he was to attend a party.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.cookcountysheriff.org/press_page/press_GacyVictimIdentified_11_29_2011.html|title=Cook County Sheriff Press – Unknown Victim of John Wayne Gacy is Identified|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223030827/http://www.cookcountysheriff.org/press_page/press_GacyVictimIdentified_11_29_2011.html|archive-date=February 23, 2015}}</ref> Bundy died of suffocation. Gacy buried the body beneath his master bedroom.{{sfn|Foreman|1992|pp=80–83}} Bundy had apparently worked for Gacy.<ref name=bundy>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/chi-sheriff-gacy-victim-identified-through-dna-20111129-story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303222248/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/chi-sheriff-gacy-victim-identified-through-dna-20111129-story.html|archive-date=March 3, 2020|title=Sheriff: Gacy Victim Identified Through DNA|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=November 29, 2011|author1=Jason Meisner|author2=Cynthia Dizikes}} {{Open access}}</ref>

Between November and December 1976, Gacy murdered 21-year-old Francis Alexander. His last contact with his family was a phone call to his mother sometime in November.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-john-wayne-gacy-victim-family-20211026-pvn6irugmvby7moktzqzyd3nyy-story.html|title=Family of Recently Identified Gacy Victim Remembers Him as a Fearless Young Man who Called Home Every Month|first=William|last=Lee|newspaper=[[The Chicago Tribune]]|date=October 26, 2021|access-date=October 26, 2021|archive-date=October 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026233519/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-john-wayne-gacy-victim-family-20211026-pvn6irugmvby7moktzqzyd3nyy-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He was not reported missing as his family believed he had moved to [[California]] shortly thereafter.<ref>{{cite news|title=Family of Recently Identified Gacy Victim Remembers Him as a Fearless Young Man who Called Home Every Month|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-john-wayne-gacy-victim-family-20211026-pvn6irugmvby7moktzqzyd3nyy-story.html|access-date=November 8, 2021|work=The Chicago Tribune|date=October 26, 2021|archive-date=October 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029144031/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-john-wayne-gacy-victim-family-20211026-pvn6irugmvby7moktzqzyd3nyy-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Alexander was buried beneath the room Gacy used as his office.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/dna-brings-pain-closure-family-john-wayne-gacy-80800696|title=DNA Brings Pain, Closure to Family of John Wayne Gacy Victim|first=Kathleen|last=Foody|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|date=October 26, 2021|access-date=October 26, 2021|archive-date=October 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026233519/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/dna-brings-pain-closure-family-john-wayne-gacy-80800696|url-status=live}}</ref>

In December 1976, 17-year-old Gregory Godzik disappeared. His girlfriend last saw him outside her house.{{sfn|Amirante|2011|p=104}}{{sfn|Sullivan|2000|pp=53–55}} Godzik had worked for PDM for less than three weeks when he disappeared. He had informed his family that Gacy had had him "dig trenches for some kind of (drain) tiles" in his crawl space. Godzik's car was later found abandoned. His parents and older sister contacted Gacy about Godzik's disappearance. Gacy claimed that Godzik had expressed a wish to run away from home; he also claimed to have received an answering machine message from Godzik shortly after he had disappeared. When asked if he could play the message for Godzik's parents, Gacy said he had erased it.{{sfn|Sullivan|2000|pp=184–188}}{{sfn|Linedecker|1980|p=93}}