Teen’s friend became John Wayne Gacy’s final known victim

Kim Byers will never forget the strange contractor who walked into her job and later killed her childhood friend.

On December 11, 1978, John Wayne Gacy walked into Neeson’s Pharmacy in Des Plaines, Illinois, to take measurements for what he called a “potential facelift” or remodeling job for the store owner. Robert Best, a local high school student and part-time employee, was working alongside Byers — his friend and colleague. This will be the last time she sees him alive.

Gacy was convicted of killing 33 young men and boys in the Chicago area during the 1970s. Authorities discovered most of the victims’ remains in a crawl space under his home or were buried elsewhere on the property.

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Police booking photo of American serial killer John Wayne Gacy on December 21, 1978, at the Des Plaines Police Department. (Des Plaines Police Department/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

His case has been the subject of numerous documentaries, books and shows, most recently Peacock’s scripted series “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy.” Byers’ daughter, Courtney Lund O’Neill, formerly He wrote a book called “Postmortem.” Which explores how Byers provided key details that led to Gacy’s arrest.

“I bumped into John Wayne Gacy the night he took Rob,” O’Neal told Fox News Digital. “He wasn’t a nice guy. He seemed like he was there with a plan when you think about it – and it wasn’t of interest to him. But I think he was keeping an eye on Rob, which is why he came back later that night.”

Michael Chernus as John Wayne Gacy in the Peacock scripted series “Devil in Disguise.” (Brooke Palmer/Peacock via Getty Images)

In the book, Gacy is described as “a large, overweight man with slightly receding brown hair streaked with silver.” He refused to acknowledge Byers. As they bumped into each other in the pharmacy aisles, she looked into his eyes – “dark indigo omen.”

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On that cold evening, Byers asked Best, 15, if she could borrow his blue jacket. While wearing it, I filled out a form to prepare a roll of film and put it in my coat pocket. At the end of his shift, Best asked for his jacket back to take out the trash. The contractor then returned to retrieve his forgotten appointment book.

“He stayed and noticed Rob,” O’Neill wrote. Gacy continued to watch Best pretend to browse the shelves. The killer often assigned high school students to projects and took note of Best’s work and construction ethic.

“Postmortem: What Survived the John Wayne Gacy Murders” by Courtney Lund O’Neill is available now. (fort)

Best was eager to get home, as it was his mother’s birthday. But the contractor offered him a summer job that paid $5 an hour, twice the minimum wage at the time of $2.50. Best was fascinated.

He assured his mother that he would return home in time for the celebration. She was eager to blow out her candles with the family. Best left Neeson’s pharmacy, and never returned.

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Kim Byers previously spoke in Netflix’s true crime documentary Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes. It is currently available for streaming. (Netflix)

“Rob It was taken on his mother’s birthday“I always thought about how terrifying that was for her — being a mother — and for the whole family,” O’Neill said. Rob loved his family and was excited to celebrate with his mother that night. This man ruined everything. “My mother saw her friend Rob leaving with Jassie that night, and it changed her life.”

It wasn’t until the next day when an officer visited Byers and told her that Best never came home.

Original artwork by John Wayne Gacy for “Pogo the Clown”. (Steve Eichner/WireImage/Getty Images)

“This was a boy who went on nature walks and bought soda pop,” O’Neill said. “He was on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout. He was a family man who loved gymnastics, rowing and school. Rob was active and lovable — the youngest in his family, full of dreams. He wanted to buy a Jeep for his first car when he turned 16 that spring. He was just a really good friend.”

Robert “Rob” Best was 15 years old when he was murdered in 1978. Best was seen here in 1978 before his death. (Des Plaines History Center Collections)

When investigators searched Gacy’s home, they found troubling oddities — paintings of a clown, a hallway painted in a strange squiggle of yellow and brown, and a trap door that led to a crawl space. They also discovered amazing memorabilia: a Maine West High School class ring, a gun, handcuffs, keys, and an ID card that was not Gacy’s. Film receipt from Neeson Pharmacy appeared among the evidence.

Police called Byers’ home and asked the teen to come make a statement. Byers later wrote about the film’s setlist she developed.

A blue jacket belonging to Maine West sophomore Robert Best was found at John Wayne Gacy’s home. (Erin Holley/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

O’Neill said there was absolutely no doubt that her mother would cooperate with authorities, hoping her memories would help solve what happened to her friend.

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Courtney Lund O’Neill, a California-based writer, said Rob Best’s murder forever affected her mother’s life. (Leah and Town Nguyen)

“It was very scary at that time,” she said. “As a young woman, her gender and age were often used against her by authority figures. This was not a time when the voice of a 17-year-old girl carried so much weight.”

Byers’ receipt became a key piece of evidence during the investigation into Gacy, People magazine I mentioned. According to the outlet, Gacy denied to police that he had ever met Best. But the police, who had Byers’ receipt, knew he was lying.

John Wayne Gacy, 36, a convicted sex offender, covers his face as a police officer leads him into the courtroom. He was charged with the murder of a young boy. Investigators revealed that he killed more and buried their bodies under his house. (Getty Images)

Police intensified surveillance on Jassi. The contradiction in his statements, combined with new evidence, led to a search of his entire home. That’s when authorities uncovered human remains in the crawl space. Gacy eventually confessed Dozens of young men and boys were killed.

John Wayne Gacy’s backyard structures, circa 1979. (Walter Calley/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Best’s blue jacket was also found.

Although Gacy is often labeled a calculated serial killer, O’Neill disputed this perception, stating that he was “pretty boring.”

Teenagers and young adults whose bodies have been definitely identified as victims of American serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Top row, left to right: Sam Dodd (Stapleton), Robert Winch, James Mazzara, Richard Johnston and John Butkovich. Bottom row, left to right: Matthew Bowman, Robert Gilroy, John Cyzik, Robert Best and Frank Landingen. (Getty Images)

“I think he ran KFC. So what?” She explained. “He had his own construction company. Well, a lot of people do. He was interested in politics. And so were a lot of other people. He had a picture with the First Lady. A lot of people take pictures with celebrities. None of that is interesting in itself.”

Undated archive photo of American serial killer John Wayne Gacy, circa 1975. (Getty Images)

“Even when they studied his brain later, there wasn’t anything interesting to find. It was a completely bland, boring brain. So I remind people in my book not to put serial killers on pedestals, but to actually look at them for what they are. A lot of things about serial killers are exaggerated in a way that can be dangerous. It makes people obsessed.”

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The remains of Francis Wayne Alexander were discovered in December 1978. However, he was not identified until October 2021 thanks to modern DNA technology. (Cook County Sheriff’s Office/AP Photo)

“I think it was very clear that he was a master manipulator,” she continued. “He was charismatic, and could talk himself into and out of anything. He had done this in past murders before Rob Best. And with today’s technology, Gacy couldn’t do any of that successfully. But the fact that he was a leader in his community, charismatic and manipulative, made it the perfect storm for him to hide in plain sight for so long.”

The barren plot of land is an uncomfortable reminder of John Wayne Gacy’s “House of Horrors” that once stood there. (Bettman Archive/Getty Images)

While crews were digging on Gacy’s property, they discovered bodies piled under the house. Best’s body was not among them. Gacy admitted to throwing other victims into the Des Plaines River after running out of space.

Police divers later recovered several remains from the river. Best, who believes it Gacy’s last and youngest known victimHe was identified through dental records.

This undated photo shows remains and evidence being removed from the home of John Wayne Gacy. (Getty Images)

Between 1972 and 1978, Gacy worked as “Pogo the Clown” at children’s parties. He also lured his victims to his house where he killed them. In 1980, Gacy was convicted of murdering 33 young men and boys, making him one of the most prolific serial killers in US history.

Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced the identity of one of John Wayne Gacy’s unidentified victims during a press conference at the Daley Center in Chicago on November 29, 2011. The victim, William George Bundy, who went missing in October 1976, was 18 years old. Bundy was working construction jobs for Gacy. (Cook County Sheriff/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“Even when they went to trial in 1980, my mother tried to make eye contact with Gacy when she took the stand,” O’Neill said. “He didn’t look at her. He told authorities when the investigation began that she was just a teenage girl who wasn’t telling the truth. He insisted that he never spoke to a man named Rob who worked with her at the pharmacy. But she knew.”

O’Neill said the case haunted her mother for years. I often wondered – if the film receipt had not been found, how long would it have taken to stop Gacy?

In 1995, Gacy was executed by lethal injection at the age of 52.

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On July 19, 2017, in Chicago, Sheriff Tom Dart and Detective Sergeant Jason Moran announced the identification of another victim of John Wayne Gacy, James Byron Hackenson of Minnesota. (Nancy Stone/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“My mom always remembered Rob’s love for his family,” O’Neill said. “He loved his family more than anything. He was just a kid who had so much life ahead of him. Everything was just taken away.”

“When I was a little girl, my mother always told me to be careful about guys who wanted to talk to me while riding my bike,” she said. “We were always on alert. I always felt like something had happened. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned what happened, how she lost her friend one night.”