Francis Wayne Alexander (March 11, 1955 - c. December 1976), previously known as "Body 5" while unidentified, was a victim of notorious American serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
He was identified by The DNA Doe Project in October 2021.
Case[]
Disappearance[]
Alexander was born in Manchester, North Carolina, and later moved to New York. He was married for about three months before getting a divorce in 1975. Alexander moved to Chicago in February 1975 and worked in various bars and clubs. Alexander remained in frequent contact with his family even after he moved away. Alexander's half-sister remembers receiving a postcard from him before Christmas in 1975.
In this postcard, Alexander stated that he loved her and would see her soon. She assumed her brother would follow through on his promise. However, Alexander did not show up, and his family became worried after not hearing from him regularly. They then tried to report his disappearance to police in California, as they thought he was working in the state. However, a misunderstanding between the family and police led to no missing person report being filed.
According to police, Alexander received a traffic ticket in Chicago on January 5, 1976.
Discovery[]
Investigators located Alexander's body in the crawl space of serial killer John Wayne Gacy's home in Norwood Park, Illinois, on December 26, 1978. Alexander's murder is estimated to have occurred between January 20, 1976, and March 15, 1977, based on his last known activities and his location in the crawl space. His cause of death was never able to be determined. Investigators then attempted to identify Alexander's body. After the investigation was unsuccessful, Alexander, still a John Doe at the time, was buried at Oakridge-Glen Oak Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois, on June 12, 1981.
The remaining unidentified victims of Gacy are Body 10, Body 13, Body 21, Body 26, and Body 28.
Identification[]
The Cook County Sheriff's Office and the DNA Doe Project teamed up in an effort to identify Body 5. The DNA Doe Project compared the DNA profile from Body 5 in the hope of finding potential relatives. This process led to members of Alexander's family, where Alexander's mother and half-brother then provided their DNA for comparison. The tests confirmed that the victim was Alexander on October 25, 2021.
It is unknown where Alexander met Gacy or if he willingly accompanied him. There was no evidence of Alexander having a career in construction or having made contact with Gacy. However, Alexander lived in an area in Chicago frequented by Gacy and where other victims had lived.
Characteristics[]
- Possibly had suffered a broken nose during life.
- Brown hair.
- 6th lumbar vertebra.
Clothing and accessories[]
- Light-colored long-sleeved shirt or jacket.
- Dark-colored trousers.
- Sock.
- Leather belt with buckle.
- Key fob bearing the name "Greg" on it, most likely belonging to victim Gregory Godzik.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Body 5 (3).jpg (9 KB)")
.jpg "Body 5 (2).jpg (9 KB)")
