Andrew Gosden was a 14-year-old boy when he went missing on the 14th of September, 2007 from his home in Doncaster.Andrew got dressed into his school clothes and left the house as he always did to catch the bus to school. However, this didn't seem to be his plan on this day as, when his parents had left for work and his sister was at school he returned to the family home, put his school uniform in the wash and got changed into a Slipknot t-shirt, jeans and some trainers before packing a bag and leaving his house with the intention to catch a train.
On his way to the train station, Andrew went to a cashpoint and withdrew £200 worth of cash (his parents have put money into his account since this day but there have been no more withdrawals made). When he got to the train station, he bought a one-way ticket to London's King Cross station. The man who served him his ticket did ask Andrew if he'd like a return ticket for only a few pounds more but Andrew insisted that he just wanted a one-way ticket.A man who was on the train to Kings Cross station from Doncaster recalls sitting near a boy matching Andrew's description playing on his PlayStation console, however, Andrew did not take the charger for his console which suggests he did not plan on using it after this time, but why?
The very last sighting of Andrew was on a CCTV image from Kings Cross station the same day at 11:20am so it is at least known that he got to London, but why was he travelling there?
Theories surrounding his disappearance
Some people speculate that Andrew actually intended to run away and start a new life in London, however, I don't believe this theory has much supporting evidence. How did he plan on starting over with such a small amount of money? If this was his intention, why wouldn't he have taken the £100 worth of birthday money in his bedroom? What would have made him want to leave his family home and go to London specifically?
The theory that I find most probable is that Andrew was actually travelling to meet someone in London who he had met online. In terms of the train ticket, he may not have purchased the return as the person he was meeting may have said they could drive him back home or that they would pay for his ticket home after they had spent the day together. Also, this may explain why he didn't pack a lot of things or take his console charger as he could have planned to go for a few hours/the day and then return home. In this case, it may be that Andrew ran into some trouble in London - that the person he thought he was meeting wasn't actually that person. Although Andrew was academically smart, was he street smart?
Although police could not find any evidence of Andrew speaking to someone online from looking at his computer at home, it is very possible that he used an internet cafe or school computers instead. This theory is also backed up by the fact that he only took £200 with him - why would he have withdrawn this amount of money if he had intended on committing suicide or never coming back? This was probably enough for his trip to London, whatever he had planned to do there and then his trip home.
Andrew's parents still hold onto the hope that he is alive and well 10 years on from the day he disappeared and that one day he will resurface which I don't think is completely out of the question. You can find the contact details for his case on this website. At the time of his disappearance, he was 5' 3" tall, of slim build with light brown hair and eyes. He also has a very unique "double ridge" on his right ear and wore very strong prescription glasses.
Thanks for reading,
Holly Amber X
Disclaimer: I will try to present the information as factually as possible and use information which I have found from credible websites/sources. In presenting the theories, these are merely speculation and do not always reflect my personal opinion. The main aim of this series is to raise awareness of cold cases and get people interested in speaking about them and keeping the story alive.
I find this case so sad, he looks like such an innocent boy. I actually think there is too much emphasis on London when people look at this case. I think the answer lies back in Doncaster, someone he met over the Summer or he met when he started walking home from school. I also saw a poster on Reddit say he may have made it back to Doncaster and met his fate there, something I haven't seen anyone discuss. Just because nobody saw him after the KC CCTV, doesn't mean he didn't head home.
ReplyDeleteThis case intrigues me as well. Especially because he was a gifted student and reported to be extremely bright. However, I've read that his parent reported that he was "absent-minded" which would explain leaving the charger and the money in his bedroom, and that he was NOT street smart. I fear he was abducted by an adult, or lured into a dangerous situation that he was naive about.
ReplyDelete