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

[matchaoatmilk]

I’ve lived in London for years and have been to King’s Cross a handful of times, but I never knew it used to have a shady reputation. London is huge, and I only ever take two or three tube lines to get where I need to go. There are stations and lines I’ve never even seen or been on—like the Metropolitan or District.

There are literally endless ways Andrew could have gone after leaving the station. He could’ve taken a bus anywhere, but we don’t know where, because the options are infinite. The police can check the routes, but we don’t know which stop he got off at, or where he walked to.

I feel like a lot of the discussion on Reddit and here is just repeating the same theories over and over, and we’re no closer to finding him—or his body. It seems extremely unlikely he’s still alive. For example, my sister applied for a strawberry-picking job outside London, and even that wasn’t cash-in-hand. They required proof of the right to work, including a valid passport and National Insurance number. Realistically, how could he be hiding anywhere?

I also can’t imagine him willingly choosing to be homeless, unless something like drugs were involved—but even then, drugs cost money, and how would he get them? I’ve never done drugs, so I have no firsthand experience, but it seems like we’re all really stretching for scenarios at this point.

What else is there left to discuss that could actually bring us closer to finding him?

 

[matchaoatmilk]

No idea. Everyone is different. My husband has had the same hairstyle since he was 11 and he has no desire to change it because he hates change. He also stopped growing when he was Andrew's age. I stopped growing when I was 9. Maybe Andrew has the same hair or doesn't. Maybe he grew in height or maybe he stopped. We have no idea and can only speculate.

My mate is 5"0 and same age as what Andrew would be and he stopped growing at like 12.

 

[matchaoatmilk]

Seems from looking at that thread this was a recent sighting given person was described as in their 30s. Andrew in the unlikely event he's still alive I'm sure would've radically altered his appearance so could be blonde, skinhead, anything. And if you're walking past someone it is too brief a glimpse to see if ear formation is similar to when the appeals went out.

Double ridge in the ear is actually mentioned in the comments below then the OP replies he looked exactly like Andrew....but much taller.

That's another thing there can't be no idea about. If he lived and stayed similar height or had a massive growth spurt?

How is anyone going to spot his double ruched ear from far away? I know I wear high index lenses for my astigmatism and my bad myopia, but there's no way anyone can possibly see that? I barely notice when people walk around wearing earrings.

 

[matchaoatmilk]

Where Andrew was losing his cellphones as he was such a homebody?
If seriously losing more than one phone in school that had no serious issues going on, then somebody should return it, right? Or not?
Was he losing things often? Or just stuff that would interest bullies?
How many hours of playing could his game get without charging?
Would returning ticket "work" after midnight or just during same day?
What exacly was the reasoning behind him not having an email at the time almost all people his type had?
What would cost about 100-150£ that Andrew could be interested in but available only in London?

Were these questions answered?

I got my first email address in 1996 and my partner got theirs in 2004 when Gmail was invite only. We are both in our 30s with a two year age gap. I definitely agree that no two people are the same. Who is he going to email at that time when it was noted that he was a homebody who didn't really like talking to people? Hell, sometimes I preferred my dogs/cats to hanging out with people when I was his age. It's not unusual. I think we are grasping too hard because we don't have enough evidence. The LE that searched his internet stuff was a different LE so we can't assume all LE is incompetent. We also have to take into account that not all students come from the same socioeconomic background. Maybe his family couldn't afford internet until 8 weeks before he went missing? We don't know why a computer wasn't in the home. Some families adapt early to technology and some don't. My parents know all about how to use technology and my in-laws literally couldn't find themselves out of a Windows lock screen and they are all the same age.

And to note he probably didn't sell his PSP. You need to give ID at CEX and GAME to prove that you aren't selling stolen goods. It would've been flagged by now.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

These children were often picked up, offered food or shelter, and then trafficked or abused

At least we can assume Andrew wouldn't have gone anywhere with someone who approached him at King's Cross offering food or shelter. Just my opinion, but the one thing I could imagine is if someone who had a Taxi offered something like a free ride from one part of London to another.

We don't know if he was known to lose other items.

True, but his father did say he was a bit like an "absent-minded professor." If his phones were actually stolen by bullies, it tells us a reason he maybe ditched school, but I really think he intended to go back home that same day or maybe the next.

How is anyone going to spot his double ruched ear from far away?

Exactly, you couldn't. You'd have to go up to the person, start a conversation, get a good close look to see it.

 

[matchaoatmilk]

Where are you finding your statistics for how many people take their own lives? I'm finding about 6,190 people in England and Wales were recorded in 2024. The highest rate was for males 50-54 years old.

"If you are struggling to cope, please call Samaritans for free on 116 123 (UK and Ireland)."

Source: Suicides in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics

As far as how many people go missing in London, I think we have to look at how many teenagers went missing from London in maybe 2005 - 2009 never to be seen again. Most are located relatively quickly. Andrew and Alex Sloley are the most well known cases who were never seen again, but aren't the only teens who went permanently missing from London around that time. I can't remember if we ever compiled a list in this thread, though I don't think the chance is high that another case had the same cause as Andrew's. IMO.

+3



Tens of thousands
of people go missing in London annually, with reports varying but often exceeding 30,000 or even 50,000 incidents, placing huge pressure on police; while most people are found quickly, the sheer volume includes many repeated cases, especially among children, and underreporting means the true figures are likely much higher.
Key Figures & Trends:

• High Volume: The Metropolitan Police have dealt with around 55,000 missing person cases in a year, though figures vary.
• Pressure on Police: The "vast scale" of missing reports, sometimes over 36,000 annually, strains police resources.
• Children Missing: In 2022-23, over 9,000 children went missing in London, leading to nearly 30,000 separate incidents, as many children go missing multiple times.
• Underreporting: The actual number of missing people is likely much higher than reported, with some estimates suggesting up to two-thirds of missing incidents aren't reported to the police.
• Quick Resolution: About 80% of missing people are located within 24 hours, and many cases are resolved without major police involvement.

Why the Numbers Are High:

• Repeated Incidents: Many reports involve the same individuals, especially children who repeatedly leave placements, often to stay with friends or family, leading to multiple reports.
• Vulnerability: Missing people, particularly children, face high risks, with domestic abuse and other personal safety issues contributing to disappearances.

 

[matchaoatmilk]

At least we can assume Andrew wouldn't have gone anywhere with someone who approached him at King's Cross offering food or shelter. Just my opinion, but the one thing I could imagine is if someone who had a Taxi offered something like a free ride from one part of London to another.



True, but his father did say he was a bit like an "absent-minded professor." If his phones were actually stolen by bullies, it tells us a reason he maybe ditched school, but I really think he intended to go back home that same day or maybe the next.



Exactly, you couldn't. You'd have to go up to the person, start a conversation, get a good close look to see it.

The odds of going up to a stranger and striking a conversation and trying to inspect their ear without looking suspicious is well I don't know. I know I probably wouldn't do that. I don't talk to strangers on the tube or train. I get annoyed when tourists come up asking me for directions. I'm terrible with directions. Can't people just use the maps app on their phone.

 

[vagab0nd]

The odds of going up to a stranger and striking a conversation and trying to inspect their ear without looking suspicious is well I don't know. I know I probably wouldn't do that. I don't talk to strangers on the tube or train. I get annoyed when tourists come up asking me for directions. I'm terrible with directions. Can't people just use the maps app on their phone.

Four of my friends have bought houses outside London with gardens. They have planted flowers, but they haven't done a proper dig up of their gardens. He could be buried in a garden and we would never know because how many homeowners do you know in the UK that do proper dig ups like that? In the first home I owned I had a tree chopped down and planted flower beds, but if there were a body in the ground then I had no idea. It was never a thing that crossed my mind. Why dig up a garden just for fun? I'm only doing yard work if I have a reason to. Any theory is plausible because we have no viable leads. He could have taken a bus to a woodland. Hertfordshire National Park isn't too far from London I think. He could've been hurt in someone's flat. There's a ton of flats you can get to by bus from London. It would be difficult to search every single one.

 

[matchaoatmilk]

Four of my friends have bought houses outside London with gardens. They have planted flowers, but they haven't done a proper dig up of their gardens. He could be buried in a garden and we would never know because how many homeowners do you know in the UK that do proper dig ups like that? In the first home I owned I had a tree chopped down and planted flower beds, but if there were a body in the ground then I had no idea. It was never a thing that crossed my mind. Why dig up a garden just for fun? I'm only doing yard work if I have a reason to. Any theory is plausible because we have no viable leads. He could have taken a bus to a woodland. Hertfordshire National Park isn't too far from London I think. He could've been hurt in someone's flat. There's a ton of flats you can get to by bus from London. It would be difficult to search every single one.

National Parks are a stretch but you never know. I agree with the garden stuff but we don't know. Most house have fences and unless you are looking out the window at the exact moment you wouldn't know what your neighbours are up to. He could literally be anywhere. I don't think a sleuther is going to be the one to find him though if I'm honest. Nobody is coming up with any new novel suggestion. Podcasts on Spotify are just repetitive and AI slop on TiktoklYouTube isn't helpful.

 

[beubeubeu]

Someone stole my phone during my senior year of high school. It was some boy in my culinary arts class. I wasn't friends with him. I never spoke to him. All I knew about him was he was adopted and his adopted mom was a teacher at the elementary school and he seemed to mind his own business most of the time. I had no idea he had taken my Motorola Razr from my bag until my mom contacted the school admin and he fessed up and the admin gave it back. Though upon receiving my phone back it was missing the case and he claimed not to have touched that. He never told me why he took my phone or anything. I was so worried when my phone went missing too because I had never lost anything physical in my life. I thought I was losing my mind because I knew where I last had it. Kids will do stupid things. Maybe a bully took it and he couldn't be arsed to fight back or tell anyone. Who knows.

Yeah, but losing or "losing" a phone once is not really unusual. You can lose it, it can get stolen or it can get stolen but assumed lost. And of course, if youre doing some wild bike/skating skits, you can end up losing the phone from the pocket and accidentally breaking it but that wasnt Andrew's thing.
So either he was out-of-this-world unable to focus on such details like keeping track of his phones (which would also mean notoriously losing pens, notebooks, money, bank card and everything else - which isnt mentioned) or he got these phone stolen - either to sell or just to make sure Andrew doesnt have them anymore. May be theoretically possible that Andrew was selling/exchanging these phones but that would be just a huge financial loss and getting very little value out of these devices (not much reason to go that far with it as he had some other money and wasnt that desperate).
One more possibility may be just hating on whole idea of a cellular phone thats with a person at any time. Not so common but some people were and still are like that - and if "forced" to own a phone by getting one as a gift, they will look for an excuse to not use it anyway.

We don't know if he was known to lose other items. There are no widespread reports from his family or investigators suggesting he was generally "forgetful" or prone to losing other personal belongings (like keys, wallets, or school equipment).

Makes it easier to imagine that he could genuinely lose these phones. Could also imply that these werent like super important to him.

A original Sony PSP on a full charge typically lasts between 3 to 6 hours of continuous gameplay.

So thats about enough to last the travelling time. He was playing, not "saving it" for later, so he didt have a plan to wait for something or someone for long after arrival.

There's no trains at midnight. Maybe tubes around London, but definitely no trains to Yorkshire. I think my last train home I can catch from London Liverpool St Station is like 11:35pm.

I meant it more as how that system worked. We had something like this where I lived and you could get returning ticket for pretty cheap but only as long as you used it on same day. After midnight itd expire and youd have to buy another ticket. Was it like that there, so that cheap returning ticket would work ONLY if Andrew had a plan to go back and be ready to get into a last train on that day (or earlier) or would it also "work" the next day.
Going on a concert theory - could make sense. Why pay even 50p extra if already knowing that concert will most likely last till 23:00 and no way of catching last train back home if ticket would be only good to use on the specific day.
If it was possible to use such ticket on next day - would it be whatever hour and whatever train you can catch or a need to say specificall at what time you plan to go back, so had to know in advance that 100% sure 14:30 on 15th - if not, that 50p would be as good as put directly into the trash?

As it ended up made very telling, and implying that there had to be no plan of ever coming back (suicide theory) or not coming back via train (so being sure of having ride back home theory) while it may be just unwilingness to waste any amount of money while not knowing at what exact time he will be catching train back home OR already knowing that return will have to be next day morning.

If it was just like pay 50p and you will have a ride back home anytime you wish, today, tomorrow, Sunday (or maybe even next week) and he refused that then oh yes BIG THING, MEANS A LOT - but depends on the limitations that came with this huge discount on a ticket. Who would buy such ticket even for this bit of money if sure that - lets say - a concert will last till midnight and on next day that ticket will be no use?

He probably didn't have an email address because he didn't have people to email. He probably didn't see a point or saw it as a tool for bullies to contact him so he avoided it. Someone on Reddit said when he first went missing the local paper reported it and a bunch of his classmates commented about him being bullied so that's why he walked home before he went missing. No idea if that's true and the article is long gone and they didn't take any screenshots.

Its not only people who you're sending emails to. Registering at pretty much any website, forum, newsletter required email. No need to share it with whole world and especially bullies.

Someone on Reddit said when he first went missing the local paper reported it and a bunch of his classmates commented about him being bullied so that's why he walked home before he went missing. No idea if that's true and the article is long gone and they didn't take any screenshots.

Well, surely neither do I have any idea about it since I havent even got that deep into this case.
But just looking at the surface of it and the info that there is:
- lost phones,
- sudden decision to walk back home instead of taking a bus despite of NOT having that idea before (that wasnt a short walk and it wouldnt be very pleasurable for someone who isnt taking long walks on regular),
- him oversleeping on the day of disappearance,
- having cool parents who arent forcing stuff on him, who were taking him at concerts and supporting his interests and education,
- no known tracks of him having any sorts of online relationships (love, friendship, or even hobbyist stuff that would be traceable),
- having the ability to "legally" go to London to visit relatives and visit whatever store he might be wanting to visit on the way there

Just by the surface of it... that doesnt look like a kid who runs away to make his dream of seeing his beloved band's concert. To me, just like this basic impression it looks like a kid who has trouble - and he either doesnt seem these troubles as serious enough to tell his parents about it or he feels to embarrassed to admit that hes bullied (or just doesnt want to worry his parents) but he feels bad, very bad about it, bad enough he decides to give up on facing these issues on that particular day and goes away to meet someone who he trust to chat, to spend some nice time with without the dread of his troubles, whitout the dread of having to explain it to his parents - of maybe specifically just to build up the courage to tell them.
Sadly that doesnt even mean that person who Andrew went to see was even aware that hes coming on that day. Could be even his grandma. But cause he was all nervous and appeared kinda lost and unsure - he would catch an eye of every predator out there.
More likely not his grandma but someone else. Who? Sadly not neccessarily someone that would be foreseen for his family as such a trustworthy person for Andrew cause in their knowledge they may not know each other that well and it was just that specific combo of (mostly unknown to us) factors that resulted with Andrew going to London and trying to visit and talk to that person.
Could have a plan of spending night at relatives house anyway later (just without their knowledge beforehand).