Postmortem: What Survives the John Wayne Gacy MurdersIn the vein of the bestselling I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, this compelling work of true crime explores the aftershocks of "Killer Clown" John Wayne Gacy's crimes with a uniquely intimate slant, as the daughter of a key witness probes her mother's personal experiences and the legacy of murder within a family, a community, and the American psyche. “A beautifully written memoir about the haunting impact of a sensational crime. I'm still thinking about it.” —Gregg Olsen, #1 New York Times bestselling author On a December night in 1978, Courtney Lund O’Neil’s mother, teenaged Kim Byers, saw her friend Rob Piest alive for the last time. At the end of his shift at the pharmacy where they both worked, fifteen-year-old Rob went outside to speak to a contractor named John Wayne Gacy about a possible job. That night Rob became Gacy’s final victim; his body was later found in the Des Plaines River. Kim’s testimony, along with a receipt belonging to her found in Gacy’s house, proving that Rob had been there, would be pivotal in convicting the serial killer who assaulted and killed over thirty young men and boys. Though she grew up far from Des Plaines, Courtney has lived in the shadow of that nightmare, keenly aware of its impact on her mother. In search of deeper understanding and closure, Courtney and Kim travel back to Illinois. Postmortem transforms their personal journey into a powerful exploration of the ever-widening ripples generated by Gacy’s crimes. From the 1970s to the present day, his shadow extends beyond the victims’ families and friends—it encompasses the Des Plaines neighborhood forever marked by his horrific murders, generations of the victims’ families and friends, those who helped arrest and convict him, fandom communities, and many others. Layered and thought-provoking, Postmortem is a complex story of loss and violence, grief and guilt, and the legacy that remains long after a killer is caught. |
Contents
Prologue 1997 | 1 |
W Summerdale Avenue 2017 | 3 |
Exposure 1978 | 15 |
Des Plaines 2022 | 25 |
Womens Intuition 1978 | 45 |
Kin 2022 | 65 |
Decay 1978 | 81 |
Community 2022 | 97 |
Witness 1980 | 141 |
Posttrial 2022 | 179 |
California 1994 | 193 |
The River 2022 | 209 |
A Fight for Good 2011 | 217 |
Inheritance 2018 | 225 |
What Survives 2022 | 233 |
Refraction 2023 | 243 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Amirante asked baby Barbara birthday boys called camera Chicago Christmas Clown Cook County Cory COURT crawl space Danika death December 11 diary disappearance door Elizabeth Piest eyes feel felt film friends front Gacy's Gacy’s house girl Graveface hair hand happened Hyatt Place Illinois inside jacket Jason Moran John Gacy John Wayne Gacy jury kids Kim Byers Kim’s knew Kunkle lived look Maine North High missing mom’s mother Nathan never night Nisson Pharmacy park parka Piest family Plaines Police Plaines River pulled receipt remember Rob Piest Rob’s Robert Egan Robert Piest says serial killer someone Stateville Correctional Center stop story Summerdale talk Ted Bundy tell Terry Sullivan Thank thing thought told trial trip victims walk wanted watch wonder young