John Wayne Gacy killed at least 33 men and young boys back in the 1970's. Since that time, the family of Harold Lovell thought Harold was one of those victims. Turns out though Harold just walked away from his family in Chicago one day and did not talk to them for 33 years. A police detective finally tracked him down this week and found Harold living in Florida. Apparently Harold had done lots of yard work for John Wayne Gacy and John even invited him into the house several times but Harold never went in. The sad part of all this is that Harold's mother died thinking her son had been killed when he was actually alive. How do you disappear for 33 years and never say a peep to your family? Witness protection?
It might be less hurtful thinking your child died rather than them simply not wanting you to know they're alive. That's pretty rough to walk away from your family like that and let them think what they will about what happened to you.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he didn't know they thought he was dead...
ReplyDeleteBut if someone has a family they need/want to walk away from without contact, they should just outright say "I am leaving, do not contact me."
I'd find it hard to forgive this guy, is at all- if he were a close family member of mine.
I think they tracked him down somehow because of his prior arrests.
ReplyDeleteI think this guy has had his share of problems. Maybe the Mom was better off.
ReplyDeleteDid the family just assume he was one of the victims or was there evidence other than working for JWG? Did this dude fake his death? I just think there is way more to this story.
ReplyDeleteCheryl, you beat me to it. There has to be more to the story. For some reason he didn't want his family to know he was alive - maybe he didn't think they would care.
ReplyDeleteMan, I don't know....but that T-shirt is the bomb!
ReplyDeleteHis photo gives me the creeps. Must scroll past...
ReplyDeleteUmm, isn't this what we WANT Lindsay to do? And Ali??
ReplyDeleteStrange-so the guy lived in Chicago, knew Gacy and MUST have seen all of the news coverage as it was happening. How could he NOT know that people thought he might have been a victim??? He should have sent some kind of word to someone to say that he was alive.
ReplyDeleteI think it is awful his Mother mourned his loss and the SOB was still alive. Pretty crappy.
ReplyDeleteHe was having problems with his mother and step father so he left. WE DON'T KNOW what happened between them so none of us have any right to say what he did was wrong. People stop talking to family ALL THE TIME.
ReplyDeleteThis shit head deserved a bit time visit from the karma train. It is not exactly like this was some small regional news story either. He had to have known he was listed as a victim.
ReplyDeleteDamn .. I still remember watching TV in my grandparents bedroom and seeing the story coming out of Chicago when I was up here in Minnesota with my Mom for Christmas. It was the first time I realized home wasn't safe any more.
I don't believe the mother was better off at all.
ReplyDelete@Lady J: I agree. We don't know why he walked away from his family. He could be very justified.
ReplyDeleteI know I haven't spoken with my parents for 5 years now. The last thing I told them was to forget that they had a daughter and that if they were to come to my house they would not be welcome and I would call the cops.
I understand why someone would do this.Some people have toxic families and the only way you can maintain your sanity is to walk away.
ReplyDeleteOT -- Gacy traveled to 13 states and to Canada for a construction company before he was caught. Officials in those other jurisdictions are now checking cold cases for the periods he was in their area[s].
ReplyDeleteHe appears to have not known that he was on the Gacy victim list. His name was on the "suspected" list, and he left his stepfather's house after a fight with his stepfather and his mother. I don't think we're justified to hate on him for leaving.
ReplyDeletehttp://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-10-27/news/fl-missing-man-gacy-20111027_1_theresa-hasselberg-gacy-case-john-wayne-gacy
Yeah, I read in another article that he felt he wasn't wanted at home. He was 19 at the time. He apparently did try to find his mother but she had already died.
ReplyDelete