Andrew Gosden

Case background and investigation

Andrew Gosden was 14 when he disappeared on Friday, September 14, 2007. He lived with his family in the Balby area of Doncaster, South Yorkshire. South Yorkshire Police's appeal page describes him as academically gifted with a perfect school attendance record, and notes that he is deaf in his left ear, needs strong glasses and has a distinctive double ridge on his right ear.

According to the BBC, Andrew set off that morning as if going to school, but returned home once his parents had left for work and changed out of his uniform. The police appeal says he left wearing a black Slipknot T-shirt and black jeans and carrying a messenger bag with his bank card and a PlayStation Portable. He withdrew £200 from a cash machine and bought a one-way ticket to London at Doncaster station. The BBC reports that he is believed to have turned down a return ticket even though it cost a similar amount. He left no note.

He travelled on a mid-morning service that reached London King's Cross at about 11:20am. CCTV recorded him leaving the station at 11:25am, which police describe as the last confirmed sighting. According to the police appeal, there have been no confirmed sightings since, and the reason for his journey has never been established.

The family and the charity Missing People have run repeated public appeals, and age-progressed images have been issued to show how Andrew might look as an adult. The BBC reported that the family also commissioned their own searches, including a sonar scan of the River Thames.

On December 8, 2021, South Yorkshire Police, assisted by the Metropolitan Police, arrested two men in London, aged 38 and 45, on suspicion of kidnap and human trafficking; the older man was also arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children. The arrests were made public in January 2022 and were believed to be the first in the case. In September 2023 police announced that both men had been released without charge. Detective Chief Inspector Andy Knowles said the force was confident the men had played no part in the disappearance. Andrew's parents, Kevin and Glenys Gosden, said publicly that the men had no connection to their son and expressed sympathy for the distress caused to them.

Police say the investigation remains open. Wikipedia's account of the case, citing news coverage, records a further anniversary appeal in September 2025. Anyone with information is asked to contact South Yorkshire Police or Missing People.