Chilling unsolved mystery of 14-year-old who bought a one-way train ticket and was never seen again

The case surrounding a boy who went missing at 14-years-old has remained unsolved to this day.

Andrew Gosden hasn't been seen since September 2007.

On 14 September, Gosden went to catch a bus to school but didn't get on it.

He then withdrew £200 from his bank account and bought a one-way ticket to London from Doncaster.

And nearly seventeen years later, his whereabouts are still unknown.

Andrew Gosden (PA)

On the morning he disappeared, Gosden was last seen 8:30am BST, heading down Littlemoor Lane, Balby, towards Westfield Park, as per the BBC.

After his parents went to work, he'd returned home and changed out of his school uniform into regular clothes - a black T-shirt, jeans and trainers.

He then removed £200 from his bank account, and did not leave a note as to why, before heading to Doncaster Station.

Gosden reportedly refused a return ticket, despite it costing a similar amount, and boarded the 9:35 train, scheduled to arrive at King's Cross at 11:20am.

It was there that CCTV footage caught Gosden at the station, however, he was not spotted after that.

Gosden's school had noticed his absence and tried reaching out to inform them, however, they'd mistakenly called the wrong parent and left the voice note with them.

The boy's family called the police that night and a search began.

His parents made leaflets and posters, as well as public appeals and emailing every school in the country in an attempt to find him.

According to The Sunday Times, although it was established that he'd boarded a train to the capital, the CCTV footage wasn't recovered until 27 days after his disappearance - leaving the police with a cold trail.

Gosden hasn't been seen since (PA)

Police theorised that he'd gone to meet someone he'd met online, however, he didn't use a computer at home and didn't have an email account.

Searches of his school and library computers also found no activity linked to him, The Daily Star reported.

His motive for travelling to London has never been established.

In the years since, there have been reported sightings of him around London, however, The South Yorkshire Police said that no positive sightings had been confirmed.

In 2022, two men were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and human trafficking, however, they were released without charge in September 2023.

Gosden's family said their 'hearts go out to the men who have been exonerated of any involvement in Andrew's disappearance', adding they had 'no connection to our missing son and we feel profoundly sorry for the inevitable distress that such allegations will have caused'.

No other arrests have been made regarding this case.

Gosden's dad, Kevin said in 2009: "In my heart, I still think his disappearance was a spur-of-the-moment thing."

Topics: UK News, Crime