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Cook County Sheriff's Department / AP
Daniel Noe went missing in 1978.
CHICAGO — A search for victims of serial killer John Wayne Gacy has led authorities to solve an unrelated cold case – a young man who vanished in 1978 while hitchhiking home to Illinois from Washington state.
Cook County, Ill., Sheriff Thomas Dart said Thursday that Daniel Raymond Noe, then 21, was living in Bellingham, Wash., and working as a surveyor and a factory employee. On Sept. 30, 1978, Noe called his father in Peoria, Ill., to tell him he would return home to complete college at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
Noe was never heard from again.
After reaching out to family and friends and getting no results, Noe’s family filed a missing persons report on Dec. 12, 1978, Dart said.
The sheriff’s office recognized Noe fit the profile of Gacy victims – male, white, 14 to 25 years old, potentially traveling through the north side of Cook County hitchhiking or on a Greyhound bus.
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Gacy was convicted of murdering 33 young men between 1972 and 1978. Gacy was executed in 1994, but authorities kept up the search for victims and last year renewed their efforts, Dart said.
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Detectives took DNA samples from Noe’s parents and sent them to the University of North Texas Center for Identification, looking to see if there was a match with DNA of suspected Gacy victims, he said.
DNA testing didn't provide a link to a Gacy victim, but did match remains found by hikers in 2010 on a steep side of Mount Olympus in Utah, not far from the Interstate 80 that was on Noe’s route home, Dart said.
According to his Bellingham roommate, Larry Wehking, Noe enjoyed mountain camping trips and loved the outdoors, Dart said.
Utah police searched the Mount Olympus area and found no signs of foul play, Dart said.
Chicago investigators finally confirm the identity of serial killer John Wayne Gacy's "Victim 19". WMAQ's Phil Rogers reports.
Dart’s office has solved numerous unrelated, cold missing-person cases and has collected over 40 DNA samples from family members of missing persons fitting the known Gacy victim profiles, the sheriff said.
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"While solving these cases is a bittersweet moment, the Cook County Sheriff's Office is pleased to give families some sort of closure regarding their missing loved ones."
Noe’s family, through his brother, Michael Noe, thanked authorities “for their diligence in locating our loved one after a 34-year absence. Without their help we would not have closure, and Daniel would not be coming home to finally be laid to rest.”
Services for Daniel Noe will be held Monday and Tuesday in Washington and Illinois, Dart said.
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Leave a Comment:
Utah police searched the Mount Olympus area and found no signs of foul play, Dart said.
Thank you Captain Obvious, for stating that there were no signs of foul play when if there ever were any signs, they would have been washed away about three decades ago.
True. But the trail stops there and with that. So, the family has to just assume that their son died from a fall or the elements or something else. Not great, but better than having to assume that their son died by the hands of another.
Absolutely. At least the family now has closure.
Still, that was a statement that for the sake of common sense could have been left out.
Are you really that stupid AZ? Have you been on a mountain before? They don't get washed away. This is not a city street, you buffoon.
yeah that Sheriff Dart, a real Inspector Clouseau...
For some types of violence there would be signs. For instance, a skull can show gunshot or blade marks. A stabbing might leave blade slice marks in the sternum or ribcage. Bullet shrapnel can be lodged in bone. A broken hyoid would point to strangulation. ropes may be found around skeletal remains, or trashbags and duct tape. So no, it doesn't necessarily all "wash away".
Dear Fre...
Name calling certainly wasn't called for. Have you every heard the word EROSION? That means worn or washed away, which would happen on a hill or mountain side, especially after a 30 year time span.
I don't think Gacy was in Utah Az..
There that sums up your brilliant response.
Bullet holes and knife marks don't erode very easily from bone, even after 32 years. All that statement meant is that there is no existing evidence of foul play, so there is no need to investigate further. You people are reading way more into it than what it means.
Don't forget to smear leftwingers whenever John Wayne Gacy is in the news: former Democrat precinct captain.
Abe Lincoln was a Republican. He freed the slaves, forced the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments on everyone. Pretty liberal.
Romney's old man wanted out of Vietnam too when he ran for his party's nomination in '68.
Mikey,
Yep, Abe freed the slaves. And the liberals have been enslaving them ever since with their entitlement programs. Gacy would have just f_cked them in the a_ss and tortured them. Oh yeah, same as the dems. LMFAO!!
Who knows what happened! But, just nice I suppose even after so long to finally know 'where' he is . . . unfortunate for whatever reason he did not make it home.
CROOK County, FELLIN-ois [DEMOCOMMIE] pretend Sheriff Dart solves another Non-Crime. Great job Clown-Cop. How much did this big caper cost the Taxpayers? What a political Hack Goof. Only in Obamaland. Hey Dart, did you KNOW John Wayne Gacy when he was a fellow Crook County Democrat Politician, [Democrat Precint Captain] ???
I bet it did not cost the taxpayers that much. The Gacy files had to be huge, and even though this didn't match any of Gacy's victims, his dna was already filed away. I think it was probably cost-effective, if you want to put a price on finally knowing what happened to a loved one and being able to bring him home and lay him to rest. There can't be much worse than having year after year go by without knowing.
I am sure the family can find some closure in knowing their son had been found in 2010, thirty-two years after his disappearance. It is good knowing he did not die by the hands of John Wayne Gacy. I wish the family peace.
would your MG stand for Mulberry Grove? if so i graduated from there in 2012
My condolences with the family. I cannot imagine living with a huge black hole like this regarding one of my children. I am so sorry, but then again, glad they have their loved one home.
Good that they never stop looking. Great that they could put this family's mind to rest on one aspect so that they are not going through the agony of thinking on a Daily basis where is my son? I would want to know. May God Bless this family and ease their pain that has just freshened with such final news.
My respects to the Noe family and friends. After 34 years, Daniel can now 'go home' and be reunited with his family.
And to some of the other posters, this article should not inspire any politically motivated comments. There are other threads for that foolishness. This is a story about a family, their loss and potential 'closure'. If there is such a thing.
Even if your son is of college age , could you imagine not knowing all those years ...
my condolences to the family
I am sympathetic to the family and am glad they can at least bury their family member.
bad comments aside, it is at least some closure knowing what happened to their family member. there is never an easy side of losing a child but not knowing is agony everyday. my thoughts are with the family as they go through this time.
While working in the library at a state facility for the criminally insane, I had to order a special book for a psychiatrist regarding serial killers. I was scanning through it and came across an indepth description (from police and the mental health authorities who interviewed Gacy), that made my skin crawl. Although I had read things in the media regarding Gacy, what I read in that book was stuff that was never published in the media. John Wayne Gacy was truly one of the most sadistic people that ever lived on this planet. The lengths that man went to to torture his victims was astonishing. He was a monster in every sense of the word.....
@AZ ~ perhaps the sheriff's office was sharing part of the forensic report. Evidently experts were able to determine that the skeletal remains showed no signs of human caused violence. That must be more comforting to the family than the thought of Gacy taking their son's life.
Gacy is burning right now telling the devil to kiss his azz....
Pup1: Huh? This is about a family finally knowing what happened to their loved one. Not about JWG. Or the fictitious Devil. Or anything else. It's about the family getting closure and finding solace.
Instead of all the carping and put downs of Tom Dart, and acting like you all KNOW how crimes are solved and what evidence would or would not be there after all these years (and playing amateur sleuth from behind your computer screen), and blah, blah, blah, kindly put your over-inflated egos back in place for a moment (if you're able to that is) and realize that this story is about a family who FINALLY knows what happened to their loved one - and thankfully he didn't end up being murdered by Gacy. At least that's some solace for them. In other words, some of you, GROW UP!!!!
I think comment 1.3 by Fre is the dumbest comment I have ever read! After 32 years most of the evidence would have washed away. Footprints, tire tracks, fingerprints etc. The boy could have been stabbed and the blade may not have hit bone which would possilbly show up in forensics. The sherriff said that there is no evidence of foul play but that doesn't mean there was no foul play. Make sure brain is engaged before mouth opens! Fre, ever heard of erosion?
Imaginethis
I am with you!
In 1977 I was 16 and a friend and I hitch-hiked from Northern Wisconsin to New Jersey where the cops busted us...we were just naive,crazy kids and its an adventure I will always cherish.We met so many great people,from a sweet old man who bought us dinner to some hippies driving a school bus!! bad Things could have happened but America is not evil...its pretty amazing.
I hitchhiked around America and coast to coast in 68 & 69;South North and East to West but wouldn't do it in California. America was good and safe all over. But after '70 or '71- I considered it dangerous. The only ticket I ever got was back in my home town. The only trouble with drivers I had was back in my home town too. I am very grateful for anyone who picked me up. I am female too. I am now 64.
John Wayne Gacy deserved the 17 minute delay because his drip tube messed up during his execution.
James
Sounds like you had a good time! I have worked on the river for many years and have seen a lot of people in different vessels that have storys similar to yours. I have yet to hear a bad one. Don't get me wrong, I have seen tragedy but it is always accidental except I did see one suicide. A jumper off a bridge.
@james Mack-3785308......james you sound like a good hearted person, and I am sure you are . However, you have to realize, (no) MUST realize, even in America, now days, people have to be aware and assess their surroundings and the person / people they are involved with or who they met......I agree with you, America is pretty amazing, unfortunately, at times America, can be a hell on earth.... Use YOUR common sense ..... please
I was born 1958, approx 100 miles north of NYC. Unbendable rules: Never get in anyone's car and DON'T EVER HITCH HIKE!!! (Because there are bad people that do bad things.) Nothing new there. Still good rules!
From what I've gathered about JWG, if he had gotten hold of this kid, there would still be evidence of the violence. Really glad there wasn't any.
A shame this happened, but pleased he's finally going home, and the family has concrete knowledge and closure about their loved child. RIP.
I wish they had put that he was not found to be a victim of Gacy earlier in the article. It was making me sick at heart.
My heart and prayers go out to the family for begin able to have their son home to bury and know he was found at last.
Always amazing that hikers find what is hid so long. Good for them. Great service to this family.
i have done extensive research on Gacy; he was the subject of my college thesis. when visiting the chicago area, we went where his house used to be. of course shortly after he was arrested they tore the house down looking for bodies.
there is a new house (well, not "new" by now) and they gave it a different address so the #'s weren't the same...can you imagine living there?
the family in this article can finally have closure. but to the other families down the years who have had their children found after many years as well, I think it must be a horrible experience not only to have your child killed (even if it was an accident), much less to not know where he/she is.
and i disagree with those who said this article ISN'T about Gacy also; his name was mentioned in the title as well as in the article; whenever they find a body meeting the "profile" it's ALWAYS about Gacy. i'm sure they will never find all the bodies he was responsible for murdering. luckily, the child in this story was not one of his victims.
KUDOS! for the Police and Family!