John Wayne Gacy (DDP) and police in the Chicago area, genetic genealogy helped solve the case.

 DNA Doe Project (DDP) and police in the Chicago area, genetic genealogy helped solve the case.

Francis Wayne Alexander’s remains were found more than 40 years ago in the crawl space of infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy’s home.

For decades their identity was a mystery, but through the work of a nonprofit group called the DNA Doe Project (DDP) and police in the Chicago area, genetic genealogy helped solve the case.

Alexander’s remains were found on Dec. 26, 1978, under Gacy’s home in Norwood Park Township northwest of Chicago. Alexander likely was killed between early 1976 and early 1977.

Police said Alexander, who was born in North Carolina and went to Chicago after living in New York, was 21 or 22 when he was killed.

his family  moved to New York, where he got married, before moving to Chicago in 1975. He later got divorced and then disappeared, according to Dart.

Dart said Alexander’s family at the time believed he simply wanted to be left alone, and no missing person’s report was ever filed.

He had both the misfortune of living in the area where John Wayne Gacy did most of his killing,

 Gacy was arrested in December 1978. Authorities said he had lured his victims into his home over six years. To get them there, he had promised construction jobs, drugs and alcohol, or by posing as a police officer or by offering money for sex. Police said he often targeted hitchhikers and people at bus stations.

“DNA matches in the second cousin range were found, enabling DDP’s team of volunteer genetic genealogists to construct family trees and identify Francis Wayne Alexander as a candidate for Gacy Victim #5,” the DNA Doe Project said.