IA IA - Johnny Gosch, 12, West Des Moines, 5 Sept 1982 #4

[amber1]

Joubert is another excellent suspect. The only thing I have against that theory is that Joubert was arrested in Jan 1984, and therefore can't be responsible for the disappearances of Eugene and Marc.

Obviously that doesn't clear him of taking Johnny Gosch, but personally I've always felt that the similarities between Johnny and Eugene's disappearances was too much for coincidence. Incidentally, Joubert was also a very small man and Johnny Gosch was big for his age, so I'm not sure Joubert would have been capable of over powering him without a struggle. I'd love to know if they questioned him about it before they executed him though.

I have also felt all three abductions are connected. There's just no denying those similarities. It's not a coincidence.

 

[Ozzie]

I just went to the library today and picked up Noreen Gosch's book 'Why Can't Johnny Come Home'. I am going to start reading it and should be finished with it in a couple weeks. Has anyone read the book and how reliable is it?

 

[Spurser]

I just went to the library today and picked up Noreen Gosch's book 'Why Can't Johnny Come Home'. I am going to start reading it and should be finished with it in a couple weeks. Has anyone read the book and how reliable is it?

I read the book. It was hard to read because she obviously is not a writer and the editing was horrible. Kind of hard to follow, but there is alot of information that I had not read before. It was good.

 

[believe09]

I just went to the library today and picked up Noreen Gosch's book 'Why Can't Johnny Come Home'. I am going to start reading it and should be finished with it in a couple weeks. Has anyone read the book and how reliable is it?

I read the book. It was hard to read because she obviously is not a writer and the editing was horrible. Kind of hard to follow, but there is alot of information that I had not read before. It was good.

Personally, I think it is a good starting point to get a sense of her perspective. I think it is also important to balance her beliefs with what LE and the courts have determined about his disappearance.

I think she has suffered greatly.

 

[Jbrown324320]

I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Rothstein, private detective for Noreen last Sunday. He is a retired NYC detective. Wow, the stories he has. They are incredible.

Jim and I do believe that there were child prostitution rings (still are active in many cities), he is alive somewhere and that he can't come clean on who he is or he and his family will be harmed.

 

[amber1]

I had the pleasure of meeting Jim Rothstein, private detective for Noreen last Sunday. He is a retired NYC detective. Wow, the stories he has. They are incredible.

Jim and I do believe that there were child prostitution rings (still are active in many cities), he is alive somewhere and that he can't come clean on who he is or he and his family will be harmed.

I also agree, I believe he is alive out there, and that he was victim to child sex slavery human trafficking.
I wonder if this prostitution ring is still active...and what happened to Marc and Eugene?? Are they still alive too?

 

[Leprikawn]

well if he is out there and alive the people he is afraid of know that. So why not make a video and give it to someone like Nancy Grace?

If Johnny came out alive and said THIS is what happened to me, I believe the people who want to shut him up or "Harm his family" would run for the hills! It would put a huge spotlight on the sex trade and maybe help save some kids. sitting in hiding does nothing to end this!

its one thing for an ex con to file a lawsuit and make claims, and another for a LIVE Johnny Gosch coming forward and telling the truth, and making the world see that his mother isnt a kook after all.

Just my opinion!

 

[Cappuccino]

Common sense tells me that Johnny Gosch was dead before he was even reported missing.

 

[Wondergirl]

What evidence is there that he is alive or dead?

 

[thefragile7393]

What evidence is there that he is alive or dead?

To sum it up-mom swears he is. Statistics on stranger child abduction would say likely he isn't.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

 

[BennyHill2012]

This is my first post. This case (and Maura Murray case) is just absolutley baffling to me. Noreen thinks he is still out there alive, and the statistics are obviously against that. To me, the real question here centers on the evidence for either. As best I can tell, LE has produced no evidence at all to suggest he was killed. Whereas, Noreen has developed some circumstantial evidence that he is still alive. If LE lacks any evidence to back the murder angle, why are they ignoring the circumstantial evidence Noreen has? If she is nuts and LE knows it, why not pursue it and prove it to rule that angle out? This case has festered for 30 years and I don't believe LE is any closer now to solving it than they were in the early days after it happened. Very sad...

 

[marion]

Watched the JG episode of Vanished earlier. Does anyone know for sure if witnesses really did see 3 men abduct JG? I've read lots of stuff online and it's hard to tell what's accurate and what's not. I know Noreen Gosh's intentions are honorable but sometimes I wish we could hear more from LE and less from her.

According to the show, there was a man driving the car, one following Johnny, and one in the backseat that helped get him into the car? The case has all the markings of a serial killer imo except that serial killers usually act alone and certainly not with TWO other MEN. The only other case I can think of that is even similar in that more than one person was involved is the Jaycee Dugard case. Are there other examples of serial killers/abducters having more than one accomplice? This is the one thing that makes me think maybe it wasn't a serial killer and maybe there is a little truth in the pedofile ring theory (although I do think most of it is bunk).

Also, I'm wondering if the neighbor really did see JG's abduction why didn't he/she do something immediately? I realize following may have been out of the question but they could've at least call the police. Or did they and it just wasn't told that they did?

Either way I think most of the answers in this case go back to what the witnesses really saw that morning.

 

[amber1]

Speed Freak Killers are an example of two serial killers together-as well as the Ken and Barbie Killers. There are some out there, but serial killers usually act alone..

 

[Spurser]

Hillside Stranglers, Sunset Strip Murderers, Leonard Lake and Charles Ng, Lawrence Bittaker and Roy(?) Norris, Fred and Rose Marie West. Numerous others that I can't think of right now.

 

[Ozzie]

I finished Noreen's book 'why can't Johnny come home'. I was going to go through it chapter by chapter but I think if you really want to read the book, then read it, it will make you think. As for what happened to Johnny? Well if you believe Paul Bonacci and Noreen, Johnny was abducted by 2 men, 1 driving the car and the other other who came out between some houses and followed him. This is where Paul B.said that him and another young man, pulled Johnny into the car and they all drove off. Paul then said Johnny was taken to Sioux City where a colonel in the military bought Johnny. What do I believe? I believe Paul Bonacci played on Noreen's emotions, or at least his 'camp' did, and made Noreen believe this is what happened to Johnny. I do not believe Johnny came to visit Noreen, why? Because in the book she states Johnny was with someone else, another guy. However, according to other reports previously released to the media by Noreen, I believe she stated that it was Johnny alone who came to visit her, correct me if I am wrong. I don't disagree with Noreen when she states that child trafficking happens, well we all know it does, it's just that people are afraid to admit that it happens. But I do not think Johnny was a victim of this so called 'ring'. I think Johnny was abducted by the same persons or person who would later abduct Eugene Martin and possibly Marc Allen.

 

[amber1]

I always go back and forth on whether or not it was a serial killer(s) or people who took him for child trafficking. I have always believed Marc and Eugene were both victims of who ever took Johnny.
My questions are if it was a serial killer(s), why would they not strike again, even if in other states or areas? What would make them stop? Were they captured, in jail, deceased, etc?

 

[BennyHill2012]

I always go back and forth on whether or not it was a serial killer(s) or people who took him for child trafficking. I have always believed Marc and Eugene were both victims of who ever took Johnny.
My questions are if it was a serial killer(s), why would they not strike again, even if in other states or areas? What would make them stop? Were they captured, in jail, deceased, etc?

I agree that the 3 are very likely connected. My gut tells me that the trafficking angle is most likely only due to the circumstantial evidence offered by Noreen to support it. As for a serial killer scenario, I just have a hard time with it because LE has never offered even a hint of evidence to go that direction. At the end of the day, I fear this case will simply never be solved. LE has been atrocious from the word go, and seem to have little to no interest in solving it now, 30 years later.

 

[Ozzie]

I agree that the 3 are very likely connected. My gut tells me that the trafficking angle is most likely only due to the circumstantial evidence offered by Noreen to support it. As for a serial killer scenario, I just have a hard time with it because LE has never offered even a hint of evidence to go that direction. At the end of the day, I fear this case will simply never be solved. LE has been atrocious from the word go, and seem to have little to no interest in solving it now, 30 years later.

I agree with LE not wanting to solve the case, in fact, from Noreen's book the police did not seem interested in investigating a missing Johnny. It wasn't until another boy went missing that LE perked up their ears and launched a full investigation, which I believe was Eugene Martin's case, and that still has yet to be solved. I am not one to be a conspiracy theorist but I wonder if LE ever had any potential suspects or any leads but they never shared them with Noreen or the public due to lack of evidence, or perhaps it was someone in LE or related to LE that took Johnny. One has to go back to the begining of this case and read the eyewitness accounts of a man asking Johnny for directions? Either this was a ruse to get Johnny into the car or the man really was lost, but decided to abduct Johnny. Which brings me to, could this have been a local man that 'watched' Johnny and decided since he was alone to abduct him? Or was this all random? If my recollection is correct, Johnny's dad went with him on the paper route on a regular basis, except for that day. Which this tells me that whoever abducted Johnny was most likely watching him for longer than just that 1 day he went missing and therefore, was a local.

 

[Leprikawn]

I agree with LE not wanting to solve the case, in fact, from Noreen's book the police did not seem interested in investigating a missing Johnny. It wasn't until another boy went missing that LE perked up their ears and launched a full investigation, which I believe was Eugene Martin's case, and that still has yet to be solved. I am not one to be a conspiracy theorist but I wonder if LE ever had any potential suspects or any leads but they never shared them with Noreen or the public due to lack of evidence, or perhaps it was someone in LE or related to LE that took Johnny. One has to go back to the begining of this case and read the eyewitness accounts of a man asking Johnny for directions? Either this was a ruse to get Johnny into the car or the man really was lost, but decided to abduct Johnny. Which brings me to, could this have been a local man that 'watched' Johnny and decided since he was alone to abduct him? Or was this all random? If my recollection is correct, Johnny's dad went with him on the paper route on a regular basis, except for that day. Which this tells me that whoever abducted Johnny was most likely watching him for longer than just that 1 day he went missing and therefore, was a local.

I think your right that the person was watching him. I think they were probably watching a few paper boys for awhile and when an opportunity came along they took it, or HE took it.
The problem with this case is that you have a very desperate mom wanting her son to be alive, which is understandable, but she has muddied this investigation to no end. She will Not give DNA, or work with the police anymore because she thinks they are all in on it. She has put so many theories out there that anyone investigating this doesnt know what is true! Which lead do you follow? what is fact and what is fiction? and if you actually found out that he was indeed killed, would his mom believe it? Like I have said before, if Johnny is alive, he can come home and he can save many other children and expose people that need to be exposed.

 

[amber1]

I agree-if Johnny was alive and came forward, he could do so much good-if he is alive and in hiding to protect his family and self, in a way it seems so wrong to let so many suffer, especially his mother. This is why I do not think Johnny is still with us, sad to say. If he was alive, how about Marc and Eugene?
I do feel that LE dropped the ball on all three the boys' cases.