Timothy David O’Rourke, a 20-year-old white male, was killed on June 30, 1978, in Norwood Park Township, Cook County, Illinois. His remains were recovered near the Dresden Island Lock and Dam in the Des Plaines River and he was later identified by fingerprint analysis as Body 31 among the victims of John Wayne Gacy.

Gacy lured victims—many young men he met in social settings or with job offers—to his home, where he raped, tortured, and murdered them. O’Rourke was noted as someone who frequented gay bars, a detail that matches Gacy’s known pattern of targeting men in such environments. The discovery of O’Rourke and other bodies helped reveal the scope of the crimes.

The loss of O’Rourke is part of a larger case that devastated many families; anyone who knew Timothy, his movements in 1978, or has information about him is asked to come forward.