UK UK - Andrew Gosden, 14, Doncaster, South Yorks, 14 Sep 2007 #2

[cuecard]

I can’t believe this poor boy has been missing for so long. His family must be going through hell. I always thought he went missing in London. He could have ended up being given a lift back and something happened to him closer to home? Doubtful I know. Plus the arrests specific to his case seem to be taking a very long time.

I'm trying to think of the arrests/subsequent info taking a long time in a positive way - i.e there is a concrete trail that they are thoroughly investigating and looking into regarding Andrew which will hopefully lead the way to the right answers.

 

[paracletus____]

Kevin Gosden's latest blog post, published on Andrew's birthday. Praying for Andrew and his family.

Andrew’s Oak Tree

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Kevin Gosden's latest blog post, published on Andrew's birthday. Praying for Andrew and his family.

Andrew’s Oak Tree

I saw that as well. I respect his father so much for being so honest and truly hope some answers come for them this year.

 

[cuecard]

His family have missed him longer than they had him. I hope Andrew’s 30th year finally brings answers - the Gosden family more than deserve them.

 

[paracletus____]

Two men were held in 2021 on suspicion of kidnap but police confirmed on Monday there was no update in the case.

From the latest BBC article Andrew Gosden: Father of missing boy marks son's 30th birthday

 

[ChatteringBirds]

From the latest BBC article Andrew Gosden: Father of missing boy marks son's 30th birthday

In the article:
"...Two men were held in 2021 on suspicion of kidnap but police confirmed on Monday there was no update in the case."

So we know for sure they still don't have an update - yet. Hopefully they are still making progress.

 

[paracletus____]

Yeah, that's the passage I was quoting. I don't know exactly how it works when it comes to police making statements (I have trust issues with them after how spectacularly they botched the initial phase of the investigation), but I hope the trail hasn't gone cold, so to speak.

 

[dotr]

https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2023-07-10/dad-of-boy-missing-for-16-years-still-barely-able-to-function

''The father of a boy who went missing 16 years ago has said that he is still "barely able to function" on what would be his son's 30th birthday.

Andrew Gosden, from Doncaster, was 14 when he disappeared in London in 2007. There have been no confirmed sightings of him since.

Speaking in a blog written on 10 July – Andrew’s birthday – his father Kevin spoke of his ongoing struggle to process his son's disappearance.

He said: "I have struggled with crippling anxiety and depression, to the extent that it is barely possible to function.

"No matter how many years pass by without him, those feelings never change and are often intensified by seemingly small things that would not have been a problem before he vanished. ''

 

[emem1138]

My heart hurts for the Gosden family.

 

[avobo00]

In the article:
"...Two men were held in 2021 on suspicion of kidnap but police confirmed on Monday there was no update in the case."

So we know for sure they still don't have an update - yet. Hopefully they are still making progress.

It’s a horrible thing to have to write, but do we believe they have evidence of Andrew from the men’s devices? It’s coming up to two years now since the arrests and at the very least I feel the Gosden’s deserve to know if something of Andrew was found on those devices.

 

[paracletus____]

It’s a horrible thing to have to write, but do we believe they have evidence of Andrew from the men’s devices? It’s coming up to two years now since the arrests and at the very least I feel the Gosden’s deserve to know if something of Andrew was found on those devices.

It's difficult to say for sure. They specifically said the men had been arrested in connection with Andrew's disappearance, so I have to assume there must be something explicitly referencing Andrew, whether a conversation, texts or images. I'm just going by common sense, but there may be something I'm missing due to being unfamiliar with police procedures. I wonder if we have anybody on the forum who worked directly in similar roles.

One thing that confuses me is, I can't understand whether all the charges were related to Andrew or just some of them. The images seemed to be only in possession of one of the men, but the wording of the articles always sounded ambiguous to me.

 

[StillDiggin]

'My son vanished 16 years ago without a trace - it's a living nightmare'

It's been 16 years since 14-year-old Andrew Gosden boarded a train in Doncaster to London before seemingly vanishing into thin air. On what would be his 30th birthday, South Yorkshire Police say the case remains open

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[paracletus____]

'My son vanished 16 years ago without a trace - it's a living nightmare'

It's been 16 years since 14-year-old Andrew Gosden boarded a train in Doncaster to London before seemingly vanishing into thin air. On what would be his 30th birthday, South Yorkshire Police say the case remains open

www.mirror.co.uk

Almost 16 years on, South Yorkshire Police say the case remains open with two men currently under investigation after an anonymous tip off.

This is a small new bit of information that wasn't previously mentioned. This means there's at least a third person out there that might have an idea of what happened to Andrew.

 

[CooperDyl]

This is a small new bit of information that wasn't previously mentioned. This means there's at least a third person out there that might have an idea of what happened to Andrew.

Considering they seized the computer of one of the men, I would warrant a guess the third party may have identified a picture/video on the device as featuring Andrew? Imo.
Considering they were revealed as being investigated for I believe human trafficking, I’m not sure what such an image would show. Otherwise, perhaps a document containing Andrew’s name?

Although if it were open and shut I imagine we’d have heard more since police mentioned they were under investigation…

 

[paracletus____]

Considering they seized the computer of one of the men, I would warrant a guess the third party may have identified a picture/video on the device as featuring Andrew? Imo.
Considering they were revealed as being investigated for I believe human trafficking, I’m not sure what such an image would show. Otherwise, perhaps a document containing Andrew’s name?

Although if it were open and shut I imagine we’d have heard more since police mentioned they were under investigation…

Yeah, the lack of details in what the police have released makes it difficult (not saying we are entitled to know, just observing).

The men were detained on suspicion of kidnapping and human trafficking, and the older one was also detained on suspicion of possession of indecent images of children. So, I have to assume that none of the counts have been confirmed as of yet, that includes the images, otherwise they wouldn't still be out there (one would hope...).

In that case, how would they be able to link it to Andrew? Is it because the tip-off they received specifically mentioned Andrew? That's the only reason I can think of, now that we know it was an anonymous tip-off.

I'd be interested in understanding whether their assumption that examining the devices could take up to at least 12 months meant they actually found encrypted data, or that it was just the time it would take to verify whether there was anything suspicious at all on them. I'm assuming it's the former.

On a personal note, I have to say that the fact that these guys are from London and have been released, meaning they could be sitting next to me on a park bench, or on a bus, or on a train, freaks the hell out of me. It's made me extremely anxious when out and about in London.

 

[CooperDyl]

Yeah, the lack of details in what the police have released makes it difficult (not saying we are entitled to know, just observing).

The men were detained on suspicion of kidnapping and human trafficking, and the older one was also detained on suspicion of possession of indecent images of children. So, I have to assume that none of the counts have been confirmed as of yet, that includes the images, otherwise they wouldn't still be out there (one would hope...).

In that case, how would they be able to link it to Andrew? Is it because the tip-off they received specifically mentioned Andrew? That's the only reason I can think of, now that we know it was an anonymous tip-off.

I'd be interested in understanding whether their assumption that examining the devices could take up to at least 12 months meant they actually found encrypted data, or that it was just the time it would take to verify whether there was anything suspicious at all on them. I'm assuming it's the former.

On a personal note, I have to say that the fact that these guys are from London and have been released, meaning they could be sitting next to me on a park bench, or on a bus, or on a train, freaks the hell out of me. It's made me extremely anxious when out and about in London.

The fact it was so quickly linked to Andrew’s case by police really made me think they had solid evidence the two were involved in his disappearance, but the fact we’re 18 months down the line with no further information is super confusing.

Why exactly was it linked to Andrew? Have they found evidence of any crimes, whether linked to Andrew or other victims? What was it that caused the suspicion of those particularly charges, if it was more than just an tip? Are the men still under investigation? Being watched during their day to day lives? If human trafficking was suspected, which side of the ‘deal’ (so to speak) were these two men on?

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Sorry to make such speculation, but I wonder if the older man was suspected of possessing images, but unless LE can find the images on his electronics and confirm they are real first-generation photos (rather than photoshopped/fake/real but obtained from another person), the case can't proceed?
- Opinion and speculation about possibilities only.

 

[emem1138]

Sadly, I think that because of the length of time between now, the arrests and the time period when Andrew went missing this case may involve many more victims, survivors, and predators than only Andrew. And there may be a chain link between it all that LE is sorting through.

 

[infinit]

I'd be interested in understanding whether their assumption that examining the devices could take up to at least 12 months meant they actually found encrypted data, or that it was just the time it would take to verify whether there was anything suspicious at all on them. I'm assuming it's the former.

I work in cyber security. tl;dr there are only very, very niche circumstances where I would expect it to take anywhere close to 12 months. With the right tools (which the Police have) you can typically get into a device or access the data on a drive pretty quickly or just not at all, there are some rare exceptions but that's the rule of thumb.

e.g. most device or operating system vulnerabilities are pretty instantaneous. If you're having to attempt brute forcing a password and haven't within 24 hours the odds that you will be able to within a practical timespan drops drastically.

Actually analysing what is on a device or drive once into it can take longer depending on a variety of factors, primarily how much is on it - But again a year is a stretch.

EDIT: When it comes to brute forcing this is a bit out of date but sums up the point.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Actually analysing what is on a device or drive once into it can take longer depending on a variety of factors, primarily how much is on it - But again a year is a stretch.

I think LE pretty quickly said it could take up to a year to analyze the devices they found; do you have a theory then about why?