John Wayne Gacy victim identified 41 years after disappearance

July 19 (UPI) -- Investigators in Illinois identified the remains of one of the seven unnamed victims of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, the Cook County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.

Sheriff Thomas Dart said a body found Dec. 29, 1878, in a grave with multiple victims in the crawlspace of Gacy's Norwood Park, Ill., home was that of 16-year-old James "Jimmie" Byron Haakenson. Jimmie's mother reported him missing in the summer of 1976 after he left his home in St. Paul, Minn. She said she last heard from him in a phone call on Aug. 5, 1976.

The state of Illinois executed Gacy in 1994 for the murders of 33 boys and young men, eight of which were initially unidentified. Dental records were the primary identification tool used by forensic scientists at the time, and none were available for Jimmie.

The sheriff's office reopened the investigation in 2011 to identify the remains and has since identified Jimmie and William Bundy.

Scientists at the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification used DNA samples collected from Jimmie's two siblings to positively identify his remains.

Dart said the investigation to identify the remaining six victims was ongoing.

"Anyone who may believe their missing male relative was a Gacy victim is urged to visit the Sheriff's website for additional information," a press release from the sheriff's department said.