The 14 year old who mysteriously boarded a train and never returned | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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[Music] website in many ancient civilizations the oak tree was considered to be sacred some believed that the Mighty Oak
hold great healing powers or could facilitate communication with the gods oak trees can live for hundreds of
years it takes many years for them to Bear acorns and thus acorns are often used as a symbol of patience and
maturity with their tall sturdy trunks Deep Roots and sprawling branches today the oak tree continues to be viewed as a
symbol of strength power stability and protection from a young age Andrew Goen was fascinated by science A Gifted
straight A student he effortlessly soared through school winning mathematics competitions at a European
level his above average intellect eventually earned him a place in the United Kingdom's National Association
for gifted and talented youth a government scheme aimed at the country's top 5% of
students when Andrew read that an acorn planted in a tub could grow into a miniature oak tree he had to try it for
himself he Enlisted the help of his father Kevin who was always willing to support Andrew's curiosity and and
encourage his love of learning Kevin gathered up a few discarded acorns and together the Father
and Son planted them into tubs at their Victorian Terrace home in BBY a suburb in England's South Yorkshire
region now all they had to do was [Music] wait [Music] on the evening of Friday September 14
2007 Kevin Goen and his wife glennis both returned home from work to find a typical
scene school had only just returned after summer holidays and the couple's children 14-year-old Andrew and his
17-year-old sister Charlotte had settled back into their familiar routines for Andrew this meant using his
spare time to do the things he enjoyed most playing video games in his family's converted Cellar or playing snooker on
the half-sized table in his bedroom although he had a small group of friends he spent time with at school
Andrew was a shy quiet teen who was content with his own company he preferred spending time at home alone
over going out and socializing and could often be found with his face buried in one of his well- read
books when Andrew didn't surface to say hello his parents thought nothing of it they assumed Andrew was busy with one of
his hobbies and would come out when dinner was ready dinner was always a special time for the Goen family to come
together and connect Kevin and glennis began unpacking groceries and preparing for
the meal they were being joined to the that evening by the family's Vicor and close
friend Alan Murray who lived nearby the goans were Anglican but Kevin and glennis wanted their children to
make up their own mind about religion rather than having it forced upon them because of this they never baptized
their children and took no issue when Charlotte and Andrew both made the decision to stop attending
church by 6:00 p.m. dinner was ready the parents called called out to their children to come and join them Charlotte
quickly emerged from her room but there wasn't a peep from Andrew Kevin went to check Andrew's room
as part of the teens post school routine he always hung his school Blazer and a tie on the back of his bedroom chair
before putting his trousers and shirt in the washing machine this evening was no different
the Blazer and tire were on the chair and the rest of Andrew's uniform was in the wash but there was no sign of him
anywhere throughout the house Andrew was the type of person who left a note even if he was just ducking
to the corner store but there was no note to be found although this was strange Andrew's
parents weren't overly concerned Andrew had friends who lived nearby they assumed he'd gone to visit
one of them and had lost track of time in Andrew didn't have a mobile phone so they couldn't call or text him
he'd had a couple of phones in the past but had barely used them before managing
to misplace them alog together he could be quite absent-minded at times and simply wasn't interested in
the devices he'd even rejected his parents offer of a new one for his recent birthday requesting an Xbox gaming
console instead the goens called the homes of Andrew's friends only to discover that
he wasn't with any of them they were also told that Andrew hadn't been at school that day at
all that Friday morning had started out like any other Andrew had woken a little
later than usual but had still managed to get ready in time to catch the bus to school Andrew attended McAuley kathle K
which was roughly 4 miles or a 15-minute bus ride from the goin's home at around 8:05 a.m. he said goodbye
to his parents and left the house dressed in his school uniform shortly after this Vicor Alan
Murray recalled driving by Westfield Park which was across the street from the goon's home he'd seen Andrew in his
uniform as he passed by but hadn't thought anything of it given that the park provided a shortcut to the school
bus stop with Andrew's uniform at home home but no sign of Andrew himself the gotin
didn't know what to think they contacted molley High an administrator confirmed that Andrew had
been absent that day this was entirely out of character Andrew had a 100% attendance record the
school had even issued him certificates ATT testing to his Flawless turnout one staff member had tried
calling the Goin that morning to notify them of Andrew's unusual absence but there hadn't been an
answer on reflection the staff member realized they must have accidentally dialed the number listed either above or
below Andrews on the register leaving his family out of the loop although it didn't explain why
Andrew's uniform was at home the gozens considered the possibility that he could
have been involved in some kind of incident on his way to school they searched the area
surrounding their home before driving the route Andrew typically took to school there was no sign of him
anywhere they called the local hospitals but no one fitting the teenager description had been
admitted when there was still no sign of Andrew by 900 p.m. his family contacted
the police the goens were absolutely certain that Andrew hadn't run away they described him as a reliable gentle and
caring young man who would never do anything to intentionally cause them to worry according to the goens their home
life was happy and harmonious both Kevin and glennis worked as speech therapists
their incomes afforded them a modest yet comfortable lifestyle which included family holidays abroad to such places as
Egypt and Tunisia as far as the goens knew Andrew had no mental health issues didn't
experience bullying and had no other problems he might want to escape from nothing in his recent Behavior had
been out of the ordinary if anything he had been slightly quieter and even less social
than usual but this wasn't exactly cause for concern Andrew was the type of person
who didn't speak unless he felt he had something worthwhile to say Kevin had recently asked his son how
the new school year was going Andrew gave no indication that anything was a Miss if he didn't feel comfortable
speaking to his parents for whatever reason they were sure he would confide in his sister
Charlotte the Goen siblings had a close Bond both were highly intelligent and were on track to be accepted into
England's most prestigious universities the pair also shared a similar taste in music favoring heavy
metal Rock and post hardcore bands including including slipnot Funeral For A Friend Muse Evan Essence and a Dragon
Force the evening before Andrew went missing had been unremarkable Andrew and Kevin had done a
puzzle together before the whole family ate dinner together the father and son then washed
the dishes afterwards Andrew watched some light-hearted television with his mother
he'd been his normal self upon going to bed although though he had seemed slightly irritable upon waking the next
morning while this was out of character it wasn't ca for alarm he was a teenage boy after
all as Kevin Goen told the daily mail if Andrew was unhappy or suffering a mental illness he did an amazing job
of hiding it Andrew's bank account revealed that after leaving home that morning he
walked to a nearby petrol station and used the ATM to withdraw 200 of the 214 he had in
savings a neighbor of the Goen family had a CCTV camera pointed towards the street its footage from that day
revealed something highly unusual at around 8:30 a.m. just after Kevin and glennis left for work Andrew
returned home min later he appeared back on the street no longer wearing his school uniform but jeans and a black
slip knot band t-shirt he carried a black canvas Satchel adorned with band patches that
his sister had helped him sew on nothing in Andrew's room was missing besides his wallet keys and Playstation
portable handheld gaming console he didn't take the console's charger nor did he take a jumper despite
the temperature drop in the September evenings to Andrew's family this indicated that he didn't intend to be
gone for long but the fact that he ditched school and cleared his bank account without explanation left them
completely baffled even if Andrew had run away due to his age police immediately
categorized him as a highrisk of vulnerable missing person they focused their attention
inwards despite his family's insistence that Andrew was a happy well adjusted teen experience had taught police that
most young runaways were typically trying to escape from some kind of situation at
home they sat each member of the gozen family down for an interview to see if they could uncover any signs that Andrew
was being abused or neglected the goens were adamant that Andrew had an open and honest
relationship with his parents who were neither strict nor controlling Kevin and glennis trusted their children
implicitly and supported their need for individuality and Independence although police took
Andrew's disappearance seriously of the roughly 70,000 youths under 16 who ran away in the UK each year 80% returned
within 24 hours 91% returned within 2 days statistics indicated that it would likely be a matter of time before Andrew
Goen returned home located 85 mil north of Doncaster the seaside town of Whitby was a much
loved vacation spot for the Goen family Andrew adored Whitby and knew the area well if he was going to take off
for whatever reason there was a good chance this would be the place over the weekend Friends of the
goens traveled to Whitby to scour the area for any sign of Andrew they checked his favorite horns asking if anyone had
seen the teen Andrew was roughly 5'3 and of slim build with medium length light brown
hair that swept across his brown eyes most notably he wore strong prescription glasses was deaf in his
left ear and had a double Ridge on his upper right ear unique traits that made him easily
identifiable the weekend pass with no sightings of Andrew in either Doncaster or Whitby nor did he make contact with
his family the goans wondered whether Andrew could have gone to London although the capital city was 170
Mi away it could be reached by train in just under 2 hours while the bustling City could be
seen as an intimidating place for aone shy te from the suburbs Andrew wasn't completely new to the area his family
had friends and relatives who lived in London including Andrew's grandparents over the years the gozin
had traveled to London numerous times Andrew knew the city well and his family thought he would feel comfortable
navigating his way around alone although it would be entirely out of character they wondered whether
Andrew could have made the spontaneous decision to spend the Friday in the city he'd recently mentioned having an
in seeing the Tuton Carman Exhibition at the British museum perhaps ditching school was an
act of teenage rebellion and he' then found himself in some kind of trouble inquiries were made with the
local train station when the employee who had been working the sales counter on Friday
morning was questioned she distinctly remembered serving Andrew he had bought a one-way ticket to London's King's
cross station departing at 9:35 a.m. she recalled the interaction because Andrew looked young to be traveling
alone but more notably he had refused her offer of a return trip even though it only cost around 50
more multiple passengers saw Andrew on the train to London that morning there had been nothing unusual about his
behavior he had kept his head down for the entire Journey absorbed in his PlayStation
Portable one passenger recalled seeing Andrew disembark at King's cross station but no one could attest to where he went
from there the task of scanning through CCTV taken from King's cross station on September 14 was given to the British
transport police the train From Doncaster had arrived at 11:20 a.m. but finding Andrew
gon in the crowd would be no easy feat King's cross is one of the busiest Railway stations in the United Kingdom
with approximately 300,000 passengers passing through each day those assigned to the job were unable to locate Andrew
among the throng the fact that Andrew had traveled to King's cross was a major Revelation
but it raised even more questions over the summer holidays Andrew's parents had given him the
option of going to London to stay with his grandmother but he'd refused so why go there now without
asking for permission the Goen family got their hands on a copy of the latest edition of
time out a free weekly guide detailing all the latest events happening in the city they scoured each page on the
lookout for anything that might have motivated Andrew's travels Kevin had recently taken his
children to London to watch Muse play live it was the first major Rock concert that
Andrew had been to and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience the Goin looked into what
other bands were playing in London on Friday September 14 2007 they considered whether Andrew
could have taken off to the city for a weekend of music and sightseeing perhaps he was following the
mentality of asking for forgiveness rather than permission American rock band 30 seconds
to Mars were playing that night at Brixton Academy as far as the goons were aware
Andrew wasn't familiar with their music a Prague metal band called 6 were playing at the ot2 Academy Islington
which was about a 15minute walk from King's cross although the goens didn't know if
Andrew knew of siik the band did have links to slipnot it was a significant show too
being the last time singer Mikey Goodman would feature on the lineup furthermore Finnish Rock bear and
him were doing an instore signing at a HMV record store on the 17th of September and Andrew was a fan of their
music if music wasn't the motivation Andrew's parents wondered whether he could have gone to London seeking work
experience his sister Charlotte had done so at Andrew's age it was possible he wanted to follow in her
footsteps the fact that he only bought a one-way ticket didn't seem too strange to the
goens perhaps he'd made a momentary error wasn't entirely sure of his plans or intended to spend the night with one
of the family's friends or relatives the problem with this theory was that none of these people had seen
or heard from Andrew police made inquiries with each one and found nothing to indicate that
they'd crossed paths with the 14-year-old at the time bus and [ __ ] travel was free for children under 16 in
London meaning Andrew would have had the means to get around town but the 200b that he taken with him
wouldn't get him very far in terms of food and shelter this led to the possibility that
Andrew was sleeping rough making him vulnerable to the dangers that lurked in the busy city
streets if Andrew had left home without intending to return it didn't make sense
that he hadn't brought a change of clothes or at the very least a warm jumper Andrew was a creature of habit
who enjoyed home Comforts for all his intelligence he lacked Street smarts he also looked much
younger than 14 his family didn't think he would willingly put himself in an uncomfortable dangerous
position that led to another possibility did Andrew gden meet someone in London given that he spent most of his
spare time at home this left him with very little opportunities to cross paths with someone outside of
school ever since Andrew was a young boy he'd attended Boy Scouts and Church in the months leading up to his
disappearance he'd stopped going to both for his family there was nothing suspicious about this Andrew had cited
boredom as the reason for leaving Scouts and his parents thought he was likely just following in Charlotte's footsteps
by stopping Church inquiries were made with members of both organizations no evidence emerged to
indicate that Andrew stopped going for any other reasons the previous summer of 2006
Andrew had attended summer school as part of the gifted and talented youth program it was a residential program
that required him to spend two weeks away from home he'd embraced the experience and
returned home in a great mood some speculated whether he could have connected with someone during this time
but there was no evidence to support this Andrew's classmates and teachers were also unable to shed any light on
why he traveled to London the Goen household only had one computer a laptop that Charlotte had
recently received for her birthday Andrew had barely touched it in the 8 weeks since he'd never shown much
interest in computers as far as his family was aware Andrew didn't even have an email
address at the time social media was still in its infancy and Andrew had shown no desire to
participate Facebook and Myspace were the major networking sites but Andrew didn't have an account with either
[Music] platform examination of Charlotte's laptop failed to uncover anything to
indicate that Andrew had been talking to anyone online he hadn't conducted any online
searches that hinted as to why he'd traveled to London or what his intentions were once he got there
computers used by Andrew were also seized from his school into the local Doncaster
Library nothing was found on any of them that helped with the investigation there was no inexplicable
activity on the Goen family's home phone line given that Andrew didn't have a mobile this meant the only other way he
could have accessed the internet was via one of his gaming consoles Andrew's Xbox didn't have
online capabilities but his PlayStation Portable did he would have been able to communicate with others using its text
voice Bo saw video chat features doing so would require him to have an online account which would in
turn require him to have an email address checks with PlayStation's producer Sony revealed no such account
existed for Andrew Gosden the godden's worst fear was that Andrew was groomed by a pedophile or sex
trafficker and lured to London under false pretense due to Andrew's high intelligence he was mature for his age
and had always related particularly well to adults although Andrew had never expressed it his family considered the
possibility that he could have been struggling with his sexual orientation and had run away because he felt ashamed
or too awkward to come out if this was the case it could also explain why he might be more susceptible
to Grooming by an older male but with no phone or online activity supporting this Theory it
remained to be seen how Andrew could have come into contact with the predator in the week leading up to his
disappearance there had been a slight change in Andrew's routine while he typically caught the
bus to school in the new Academic Year he' twice chosen to walk instead a 4 mile trip that took around an hour and
20 minutes on foot the teenager could have been approached by someone during this time
he could have secretly been given a mobile phone which he used exclusively to speak with this person the two could
have made plans to meet in London for one reason or another with the Grimmer promising Andrew a ride home hence why
he had only bought a one-way ticket but Andrew's family told the times that these long walks could have
just as easily been practiced for a future plan of wandering the [Music] streets Kevin and Glenn gzen traveled to
and from London numerous times scouring the streets for their son they visited all the sites that he'd ever shown
interest in distributing missing person posters at every Museum Train Station restaurant and homeless shelter they
could think of they drummed up as much medor as possible doing whatever they could to
keep Andrew's case in the public Consciousness several witnesses believed that they'd seen Andrew on the day he
went missing one alleged sighting took place at a Pizza Hut restaurant on Oxford Street
just a short walk from King's cross station the way this witness described the boy's mannerisms led the goens to
believe that this sighting was credible but the police were unable to confirm it
another witness reported seeing someone matching Andrew's description sleeping rough near London South Bank
District another believed they'd seen Andrew at a South Bank Park near the London Assembly
Building the goons followed up every lead visiting these locations for themselves to question locals and look
for their son but not a single clue as to Andrew's whereabouts emerged as days passed with no
breakthroughs officers from South Yorkshire police were sent to London to review the CCTV footage taken from
King's cross station they scanned through hundreds of hours of recording boings before
something finally caught their attention at 11:24 a.m. 4 minutes after the train From Doncaster arrived at
King's cross station the unmistakable sight of Andrew Gosden in his black slip knot t-shirt emerged from the
crowd the teenager unremarkably exited through the station's main entrance alone before disappearing from
view by the time police uncovered this sighting inre had been missing for 27 days it was a Bittersweet Discovery for
the Goen family they were frustrated by what they perceived to be a quote slow chaotic and disorganized police
response King's cross essentially acts as an interchange station a plethora of other tube stations and bus stops are
located there including an international station with links to other parts of Europe the existing CCTV footage only
confirmed that Andrew disembarked the train in London it gave no indication as to his movements from there Andrew
hadn't taken his passport with him making it unlikely that he traveled onwards to another country but it was
entirely possible that he could have gotten off one train and have strayed on to
another London is considered to be one of the most heavily surveilled cities in the world according to some sources the
the average person living in London can be caught on CCTV up to 300 times per day but to the dismay of the Goen family
police hadn't requested to check the footage from any other cameras by the time requests were made
to view CCTV footage owned by local authorities no such footage existed as was protocol recordings were
only kept for a certain number of days before the tapes were wiped clean by Wednesday October 17 over a month had
passed with no word from Andrew as reported on the BBC television program missing live a woman named
Philippa was standing on a busy street in London's Covent Garden District when she noticed a passer by Who Bore
similarities to Andrew Goen philipper approached the boy and tried to engage him in conversation
marking that he looked like the missing teenager the boy denied being Andrew Goen but Philip's curiosity was peaked
she followed the boy until losing sight of him near a cafe called The Poetry Place philipper reported this potential
sighting to police according to the goens it wasn't followed up until 6 weeks later the location where philipper spoke
to the boy was outside of an office building CCTV cameras were fitted to the entrance of the building but weren't
working at the time the alleged interaction took place when shown a picture of Andrew
Gosden an employee at the Poetry Place thought she might have seen him in the cafe in the company of two girls
although she acknowledged it could have just been someone who looked similar as many teenage boys in the area had a
similar trendy haircut whether Philip's sighting was legit it or not couldn't be
ascertained reported sightings of Andrew continued to come in some from as far as
South Wales according to Kevin gden the police were either slacked to respond to these
leads or didn't follow them up at all Kevin believed that their focus remained on uncovering why Andrew had
left home rather than what happened from there as Christmas approached the police asked
to question Kevin Goen under caution for Kevin this was the last straw he was convinced that the reason
police weren't making a greater effort to find his son was because they were wasting their time and resources on
investigating him as the prime suspect in Andrew's disappearance a thought nwed away at
Kevin what if he removed himself from the picture forcing the police to to focus on the search for his son
instead one day in the leadup to Christmas Vicor Alan Murray went to the goin's house with some food eager to
help in any way he could as Alan approached the door he heard a crashing noise coming from
inside he let himself in using a spare key there Alan found Kevin Goen hanging from the upstairs
ballustrade he managed to cut Kevin down and Rush him to hospital where it took 7
hours before he regained Consciousness Kevin spent the next few months receiving treatment in a mental
health facility telling the Yorkshire post I cannot begin to describe the depths of misery that this
involved no amount of therapy helped because the situation was unresolvable strained but under deterred
the goens continued doing all they could to keep Andrew's case in the spotlight appearing on numerous television and
radio shows and speaking to any reporter willing to listen Kevin became the family's
spokesperson establishing a website dedicated to the case titled help us find Andrew where he shared news along
with photos of Andrew's happy childhood and a blog posts about the impact of him
being missing police ultimately found no evidence to indicate that the gozens were anything other than the close-knit
loving and supportive family that they described themselves to be a friend of Andrews who had known the
Goen family for 10 years told the Daily Mail people wonder if something was happening at home but I know for a fact
that's not true they're one of the nicest families I [Music] know this made Andrew goon's dis
appearance all the more baffling according to his teachers Andrew had been a shoe in for Cambridge
University but despite his intelligence he' had never been particularly enthusiastic about his
studies the way Kevin saw it Andrew viewed school as a necessity to ensure he had choices in the
future maybe he'd gotten bored or frustrated with the conventional path set out for him and had run away to
start a new life one of Andrew's favorite television shows was the rise and fall of Reginald
perin the British sitcom was about a man who faked his own death to escape the Daily
Grind prior to his disappearance Andrew had also been reading the work of famous
philosopher Fredick nicher he encouraged people to be free thinkers find their own values and Stand
Out Among the masses as his mother told the teleg gra maybe Andrew wanted to step off the
treadmill but the theory that Andrew had run away to start a new life didn't quite fit those close to Andrew knew him
to be nothing but sweet and thoughtful they didn't think he was capable of putting his family through
such immense suffering four months before Andrew vanished 3-year-old meline mccan went
missing from her family's holiday Villa in Portugal the story had dominated the news in the
UK Kevin and Andrew had spoken about how awful it was if Andrew wanted to disappear for good those close to him
felt sure that he'd have left a note or made some kind of contact by now on top of the fact that he didn't
bring more personal belongings with him was the fact that he hadn't brought more
money although Andrew had essentially cleared out his bank account he'd left almost 100 in birthday money untouched
in his bedroom the family also kept a box full of emergency cash for bus fairs and the
like but Andrew hadn't taken any of it given Andrew's age and the fact that he looked even younger than his 14 years
it was unlikely that he could have secured legitimate work or started a new life without adult
help his disappearance was also highly publicized if Andrew was squatting somewhere sleeping rough or had gotten
caught up with the wrong crowd it seemed mindboggling that someone somewhere wouldn't have recognized
him before Andrew went missing he'd expressed his desire to grow his hair long and diet black if he was trying to
evade detection he could have just as easily shaved his head or bleached his hair blonde even if he did alter his
looks there was no getting away from the unique double rib bridge on his upper right
ear that led to the next possibility the reason that Andrew hadn't made contact or being found was
because he was no longer alive if Andrew was indeed being groomed he might have been kidnapped upon his
arrival to London it could have been part of a carefully orchestrated plan involving one or multiple perpet Traders
which ultimately ended in Andrew being held captive or killed but if Andrew had fallen victim
to fair play it wasn't necessarily a premeditated attack it was just as possible that Andrew had traveled to
London of his own accord simply to have an adventure he could have had every intention of returning home without his
family finding out before crossing paths with the wrong person Andrew's age and the fact that he
was traveling alone would have made him particularly vulnerable to opportunistic
criminals he could have been the victim of a robbery gone wrong or placed his trust in a stranger who ultimately
caused him harm alternatively his death could have been the result of an accident if Andrew hadn't voluntarily
run away Fallen victim to fair play or been involved in an accident it left just one other
possibility Andrew had never shown any signs of depression or self harm regardless the
possibility that he could have taken his own life was considered Andrew had always been a deep
thinker while it seemed Unthinkable to his family it was possible that Andrew had an inner world that he'd never
revealed to anyone else perhaps he'd gone to London to spend one final day enjoying some of his
favorite sites before ending things for good saving his family the trauma of discovering his
body this could explain why he only bought a one-way ticket and hadn't bothered to bring a jacket or the
charger for his PlayStation Portable yet it didn't explain why he'd taken his keys or why he hadn't left a
note for his family whom he knew would be worried sick most significantly it didn't
explain the absence of a body the family remained insistent that Andrew hadn't been bullied his sister
Charlotte attended the same school and was an active member of an anti-bullying program it was an issue often discussed
at the family dinner table and Andrew had never mentioned any problems this was supported by one of
Andrew's teachers who told the times Andrew is deep and mature Beyond his years he's quite happy and
self-contained in his own company but he's not alone owner he always had a little posy of friends with
him likewise the school principal said Andrew is a very likable self-facing boy no one's got a bad word to say about him
this is not the sort of school where you can get lost in the system if there had
been any bullying going on we'd have known about it in the wake of Andrew's disappearance
a post appeared on an online Forum her Ed by British Music Magazine Kang according to a user who identified
themselves only as Becks she attended the same school as Andrew and the two were in all of the same
classes beex wrote Andrew did get singled out a lot and only had a couple of friends people
bullied him they wonder why he ran away if true it offered a reason why Andrew had recently avoided taking the
School Bus it also explained why he ditched school completely sought a new beginning or took his own
life but as the weeks turned into months none of the belongings Andrew left home
with on September 14 surfaced if Andrew had gone to London or Beyond to end his own life chances were
that at least something would show up to prove this Theory the same went for the possibility
that Andrew had inoc ly traveled to London to play hookie for the day and been involved in a fatal
accident most accidents would attract attention yet no one had witnessed a thing the river temps runs through
Central London even if Andrew had intentionally jumped or accidentally fallen in someone would have noticed or
a body would have surfaced every potential outcome just raised even more questions
by the time Andrew Goen had been missing for a year a total of 122 unconfirmed sightings had come in from all over the
UK a church service was held in London to Mark the anniversary with Kevin and glennis Goen Penning an open letter to
their son that read we have all missed you so much since the day you left not a day goes by that you are not in
our minds constantly if you should ever read this forget about any water under the bridge and please have no fear about
making contact with us we do not care where you have been or what lifestyle you choose for yourself we only want to
know that you are safe and well and to help and support you if we can we remain as proud of you as we have always been
and love you deeply in conjunction with the anniversary Andrew's face was printed on milk
cartons in Iceland as part of a widespread missing person's campaign a month later Kevin and glenner
shared their story on BBC's popular current affairs program the one show within hours the intercom buzzed at
the lamster police station a market Town 150 Mi southeast of London the station was located in a
business park and the desk wasn't manned Around the Clock instead visitors could
announce their arrival via an intercom outside a male voice said he wanted to report a sighting of Andrew
gden an officer was sent down to take the details by the time they arrived the man
was gone shortly after an anonymous letter arrived at the BBC offices the author
claimed to have been the man who fled from lster station he said that Andrew had been spotted in the town of shury
150 Mi Northwest of London Police were unable to verify this claim or even confirm that the two
informants were one and the same adding to what Kevin Goen described as a new form of subtle
torture he told the Doncaster press Andrew knows that part of the world we've been on holiday there but we
don't really know enough perhaps there's somebody that knows something that we don't but the longer it goes the more we
get thinking he's probably either dead or not free if he's still alive I suspect that
he'll wait until his 16th birthday next July to show his hand Andrew's birthday came and went
with no breakthroughs since Kevin's suicide attempt in 2007 he'd been unable to work
plagued by depression anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder he did everything he could
think of to find his son he relayed messages to Andrew through the media begging him to let them know he was safe
he emailed schools across the country and appealed to the gay community telling Andrew that his family loved him
unconditionally no matter what he attended concerts and music festivals of bands he thought Andrew
might like handing out flyers and scanning the crowds for Anyone Who Bore a resemblance to his
son Kevin said I've really just run out of ideas now I suppose this is the last hope of
finding out what has happened an ongoing concern for the Goin was how much Andrew's appearance could
have changed in 2 years with the photos of him as a babyfaced 14-year-old still circulating
they worried that if Andrew was still alive he might be unrecognizable on the 2-year anniversary
of Andrew's disappearance his family worked with the charity organization missing people to produce several
computer generated images of what Andrew might look like with the passing of time the images brought some comfort to
his family with Kevin remarking it's reassuring to look at that and think yes I'd know you
anywhere by May 2011 3 and A2 years had passed with no developments the goens were growing
increasingly certain that Andrew hadn't run away Kevin told the BBC we just find it impossible to
conceive that he would allow us to go through all this for so long without even some kind of message to let us know
he's okay instead the absence of confirmed sightings led the family to believe that
Andrew must be dead with the help of a friend the goens approached a private firm that
specialized in advanced sonar technology typically used to locate drowning victims at
Sea they arranged for a roughly 7mile portion of the river temps to be searched from wage barrier to Tower
Bridge in central London the Sona revealed a dunen boat an upturned car and finally a
body it wasn't Andrew the results sparked mixed feelings for the goens Kevin remarked
that it was slightly positive because it raised a statistical possibility that Andrew was alive and well somewhere but
quote it still leaves us in this horrible ongoing NeverEnding limbo of just thinking why did you go
September 2017 marked 10 years since Andrew gon's disappearance police launched a fresh
appeal for information circulating Andrew's DNA fingerprints sent dental and medical records to authorities and
Health Care Professionals given that Andrew relied on strong prescription glasses if he was
still alive many believed he would have at the very least sought Optical Care at
some point perhaps making the switch to contact lenses to further alter his appearance a police spokesperson urged a
doctors dentists or hospital staff who might have treated a 24-year-old man with no records from the previous 10
years to come forward the call out was extended to any members of the general public who might
currently know Andrew Gosden but be unaware of his true identity appealing to Andrew directly
the police spokesperson and added please contact us completely confidentially and let us know you are
safe and well and we can reassure your family you have come to no harm Andrew Gosden became the face of
missing people's find every child campaign his age progression images appeared everywhere from doctor's
offices and hospitals to bus stations garbage trucks and shopping centers the goens even consulted with
the Behavioral Analyst to try and figure out why Andrew might have gone to London
on the day he went missing and whether there were any places they might not have thought to
check at the time statistics released by the National Crime agency revealed that
98% of children who go missing in England are found within one week this put Andrew gzen in the rare
2% he was one of 3,000 people in the United Kingdom who had been missing for more than 10
years to Mark the decade long mystery Kevin Goen raised money for missing people by holding a 10-hour vow of
silence 1 hour for every year his son had been missing around this time Michael Dixon
not his real name was chatting online with a young man who went by the username Andy
Ru Andy Ru said he needed help his partner had just walked out and he needed £200 to pay his
rent Michael noticed that Andy Rue was listed as living in Lincoln a city in the English
Midlands Michael didn't live nearby but he offered to transfer Andy Ru some money Andy Ru declined the offer he
claimed he didn't have a bank account because he'd left home at the age of 14 Michael asked him why wondering if it
was because there had been problems at home Andy Ru responded no I just felt like it he then cut the conversation
short Michael Dixon had seen the ongoing publicity about Andrew gon's disappearance and began wondering if
Andy Ru and Andrew could be one and the same he reached out to the Goen family whose interest was immediately
sparked when Andrew was a kid his small bouncy demeanor earned him the family nickname Ru as in
kangaroo although it could have been a coincidence the goans were taking no chances they notified police about this
online interaction and an investigation was launched Andrew's family met with Michael Dixon and traveled to Lincoln
they made inquiries with locals and thousands of missing persons leaflets were distributed around town
four possible sightings were reported but none of them turned out to be Andrew Goen meanwhile police made inquiries
with the chat provider the name of which has not been made public the website administrators had recently made changes
to their system during which a lot of the user data was lost no information about who owned the Andy Ru profile was
able to be ascertained the goens continu to work with Specialists to release age progression
images of what Andrew might look like as the years went by if he was still alive investigators
believed that the best chance of finding him was the distinctive double Ridge on
his right ear if photos of Andrew were posted on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram facial
recognition software could pick up this unique detail the possibility that Andrew could have
left home that Friday to attend a concert in London before meeting F play hadn't been
excluded since 2015 Metropolitan Police had begun working with a team of so-called super
recognizers these are individuals with innate above average skill for spotting faces in a
crowd police appealed for anyone who had attended any concerts around London on the weekend of September 14 2007 to come
forward with any photos or videos they might have taken so that the super recognizers could scan them for anyone
who looked like Andrew in early 2020 the Goin received a word that Andrew's favorite band slipnot
was touring the UK if Andrew was still alive and living of his own free will his family felt
certain he'd attend one of the gigs Andrew's missing person posters were displayed at the events including at a
meet and greet with the band's guitarist Mick Thompson no new leads were generated but
the ongoing search efforts continued to catch the attention of the public who remained gripped by the case 13 years
later Andrew goon's disappearance remained a hot topic for online sleuths each with their own Theory as to what
had happened every possibility had been considered from Andrew falling victim to
a serial killer to him traveling to London to buy the latest PlayStation Portable before an incident
occurred then in January 2022 a story appeared in the news that no one saw coming south Yorkshire police confirmed
that on Wednesday December 8 2021 an arrest had been made in relation to the Andrew Goen case
two unnamed men aged 38 and 45 had been taken into custody on suspicion of kidnapping and human
trafficking the older of the two was also arrested for possessing indecent images of
children police seized a number of electronic devices from the pair but they said that a comprehensive review of
the devices could take up to a year both men were therefore released while the inquiries continued
police refused to disclose any further details telling the media our priority at this time is
supporting Andrew's family while we work through this new line of inquiry we are in close contact with
them and they ask that their privacy is respected as our investigation continues almost 2 years passed before
any sort of update in late September 2023 South Yorkshire police announced that the two
unnamed suspects in the Andrew Goen case had been eliminated from their investigation a spokesperson said they
were confident the two men played no part adding the investigation remains open and active and we would urge anyone
with information to come [Music] forward Kevin Goen told that thin air podcast that if his son's disappearance
has taught him anything it's that a child can have the most secure and comfortable life and still think the
grass might be greener on the other side he is now an ambassador for the charity missing people educating young
people about how to stay safe if they are thinking about running away from home or what to do if they already have
and want to return Kevin told woman's own magazine I hate hate the idea that Andrew might have had a problem he felt
he couldn't tell me that's why I implore all parents talk to your children let them know they can tell you anything and
tell them if they ever consider running away or make a foolish decision there are people who can give them the proper
support they need although Andrew's bank account hasn't been touched since his final
withdrawal on September 14 2007 his family to top it up just in case his room has since been repainted
and decorated but his presence is still strong his favorite t-shirts are still sitting in a drawer and his prized the
gem collection displayed on a shelf the goens have never changed their locks just in
case July 10 2023 marked what would have been Andrew's 30th birthday he had now been missing for for
longer than he was [Music] around throughout these years Kevin Gosden continued to nurture the acorns
that he helped Andrew plant when his son was just 10 years old just as Andrew predicted several of
the acorns sprouted and grew into miniature oak trees Kevin gradually replanted them
over the years keeping one in his own back Garden by Andrew's 30th birthday the oak
tree stood at 6 ft tall and had sprouted acorns of its own on his blog Kevin wrote as Andrew's oak tree Bears the
fruit of the acorn we hope that awareness of his case Bears the fruit that others are helped to find Positive
Solutions in their lives and that other families are spared the pain that too many of us live with every
day in the 16 years since Andrew Goen uncharacteristic Bally caught the train to London and mysteriously went missing
no evidence has ever emerged to indicate whether he is alive or dead and none of
the belongings he left home with have ever been found Kevin Goen finds comfort in the
fact that one of his last memories with Andrew was a happy one the night before Andrew went missing the father and son
did the dishes together after dinner as they stood in the kitchen with tea towels in hand Kevin gave Andrew a quick
hug and told him I love you as Kevin wrote on his blog I am glad that is one of the last
things I ever said to him Andrew is never far from his parents' Minds racked with ambiguous
loss Kevin ashamedly admitted to the son that he sometimes felt envious of parents whose children had been murdered
because at least they had closure he described the experence experience of not knowing as an endless
cycle of horror explaining the pain is like when you have a little kid and you turn your back
for 2 seconds and they vanish but then you find them again that horrible panic-stricken gut-wrenching feeling you
have in that moment goes on and on and on forever for us glennis once described it as someone
coming up to you and sticking a knife in your guts normally would hurt but the knife would be removed and the wound
would be stitched up and heal after a period of time with this someone has stuck the
knife in but you have to walk around with it and it's always there always hurting and getting twisted frequently
and [Music] [Music] regularly [Music]

Case 264: Andrew Gosden

*** Content warning: Child victim, child abuse, suicide, grooming *** When 14-year-old Andrew Gosden mysteriously disappeared from his home in the UK suburb of Doncaster, evidence emerged to indicate that he’d left of his own free will. But Andrew was a gifted, intellectual teenager who came from a loving and supportive family – not your typical teenage runaway.

As the questions began to stack up and the days passed by with no word from Andrew, his worried family were forced to face the unthinkable: had Andrew been lured away and fallen victim to foul play?

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-264-andrew-gosden

Brief Summary

Andrew Goen, a gifted teen, vanished in 2007 after traveling to London, leaving his family searching for answers.

Key points

The Mystery of Andrew Goen. A gifted student goes missing without a trace, leaving his family and police baffled.
The Search for Andrew. Kevin and Glenn Goen tirelessly searched for their son in London, distributing posters and following leads.
Frustration with Police Response. The Goen family expressed frustration over what they perceived as a slow police response to Andrew's disappearance.
A Mother's Heartbreak. On the anniversary of Andrew's disappearance, his parents penned an emotional letter expressing their love and longing.
The Search for Andrew. The Goen family continues to search for Andrew, launching appeals and using technology.
New Leads in the Case. In January 2022, police made an arrest related to Andrew's disappearance.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

The oak tree continues to be viewed as a symbol of strength.

1:14WatchOct 21, 2023

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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