29 Below

by Jeff Rignall, Ron Wilder

John Wayne Gacy was a lot like other folks on Summerdale Avenue. The clientele at the Good Luck Lounge, a bar near his northwest side Chicago home, remember him as a heavy-set guy who did some construction work and an inordinate amount of boasting. Gacy provided summer jobs for teenage boys in the area. On special occasions, he dressed in a clown suit and passed out candy to kids. Five summers in a row he hosted a picnic for 400 guests. Neighbors, Business Associates, and Friends always had a good time. Everyone thought he was a pretty typical fellow. Jeff Rignall was 26 years old. He was small and attractive and had a great-looking tan. His early business success, his friends said, depended on a lot of enthusiasm and a little bit of good luck. He enjoyed a reputation as a cracker jack renovation man. He and his partner Ron Wilder would buy a building, restore it, and put it back on the market. When they needed a car, they started a limousine service. When they needed to get out of town for a few months during the winter, they made real estate deals in Florida. Jeff Rignall was chloroformed and brutally raped by a man driving a black sedan. When police refused to cooperate, Jeff embarked on a four-month investigation on his own. His search led him to John Gacy. Though Jeff lived through the attack, he found out to his shock and horror that there were 33 victims who did not. Gacy was captured in December. He may have killed more people than any other criminal in US history; a grim first for the second city. This is the story of that vicious assault, the bitter aftermath, and the irrevocable effect it has had on Jeff Rignall's life.

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1979