Robert Piest
Robert Piest was a 15-year-old student at Maine West High School and employee at a pharmacy in Des Plaines, Illinois.
Robert Piest was a 15-year-old student at Maine West High School and employee at a pharmacy in Des Plaines, Illinois. Piest lived with his family and worked part-time at the Nisson Pharmacy owned by Phil Torf. Piest's disappearance on December 11, 1978, triggered the investigation into John Wayne Gacy. Piest was a classmate of Joseph Kozenczak's son at Maine West High School.1
Disappearance and Investigation
Robert Piest left his shift at the Nisson Pharmacy on December 11, 1978, to meet John Wayne Gacy about a job opportunity with Gacy's company Painting Decorating Maintenance (PDM). Piest was last seen entering Gacy's home at 8213 West Summerdale Avenue in Norwood Park. Pharmacy owner Phil Torf and coworker Kim Byers reported Piest's disappearance to the Des Plaines Police after he did not return from the meeting. Joseph Kozenczak, captain of the Des Plaines Police Department, took charge of the case due to his son's connection to Piest at Maine West High School.1
The investigation led to a search of Gacy's home on December 13, 1978, based on the connection to Piest's disappearance. A photo processing receipt from Piest's pocket was used to obtain a second search warrant on December 21, 1978, resulting in the discovery of bodies in the crawlspace. Piest's body was found in the Des Plaines River in April 1979. The case was prosecuted by Terry Sullivan, who secured Gacy's conviction for Piest's murder among 33 others.1
Sources
- Dovey, S. (2023). Eye of the Chickenhawk. United States: Thehotstar. ↩
Local network
Robert Piest's direct connections. Click any node to navigate, drag to pan, scroll (or pinch) to zoom. + 2‑hop expands the neighborhood one level further.