The Truth About John Wayne Gacy's Kids

If you've been looking for new ways to pass the time during the pandemic, then there's a good chance you've listened to more than a few podcasts. It won't surprise you, then, that among the most popular genres of podcasting is true crime. It would be an understatement to call the field "over-saturated," with podcasts like My Favorite Murderer and True Crime Obsessed garnering thousands of listeners a week. This uptick in interest in true crime has led to an increase of content across all mediums, including music, film, and television, which is why, in March 2021, Peacock will air a new documentary, John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise.

For those who don't eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, Gacy is a convicted serial killer charged with murdering 33 boys between 1972 and 1978, per Biography. A serial killer is scary enough, but people were particularly disturbed by Gacy's crimes because he seemed to be a pillar of the community. Even more horrifying were Gacy's hobbies, which included dressing up as a clown for children's birthday parties, giving a whole new meaning to the term "killer clown."

Those who knew him were especially shocked by his crimes. Like other notorious serial killers such as Ted Bundy, Gacy not only seemed like a high-functioning member of society and an all-around nice guy, but he was also a father of two. Gacy died in prison in 1994, but what about his kids? Where are they these days? Let's investigate.

As we mentioned above, one of the most horrifying things about John Wayne Gacy was how normal he seemed. Gacy lived in suburban Illinois, managed a chain of KFC franchises, and was a married father of two. Together with his wife Marlynn, Gacy had two children, Michael and Christine, per Biography.

Just a year after his daughter's birth, Gacy was charged with sexually assaulting two boys in 1968. Gacy was sent to prison, and his wife filed for divorce, per Inside Edition. Marlynn retained full custody of the children. He never saw the kids again, according to the book Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders.

Fortunately for them, little to nothing is known about Christine and Michael today. If they are still alive, they would be in their 50s and have likely changed their names — as other members of Gacy's family have done — to put some distance between themselves and their father's crimes. In fact, with the exception of his sister Karen Kuzma, no one in Gacy's family has ever spoken about him. "How can you love somebody like that? How can you love somebody that is so evil, that you can love them but at the same time hate them?" she said in a documentary interview. We can only assume Michael and Christine would echo those sentiments.