He skipped school, withdrew ยฃ200, bought a one-way ticket to London, and disappeared. Nobody has seen him since.
On September 14, 2007, 14-year-old Andrew Gosden left his family home in Doncaster, England, and appeared to be heading to school as usual.
Andrew was a bright teenager with an excellent school attendance record. His family had no reason to suspect that anything was wrong.
But that morning, he never arrived at school.
Instead, he waited until his family had left home, returned to the house, changed out of his school uniform and put on a black Slipknot T-shirt, black jeans and Vans trainers. He also took his PlayStation Portable.
Then he walked to the railway station.
He bought a one-way ticket to London
On his way to the station, Andrew withdrew ยฃ200 from his bank account, almost emptying it.
He bought a one-way ticket to London King's Cross. The ticket seller reportedly offered him a return ticket for less than ยฃ1 extra, but Andrew declined.
At approximately 9:36 a.m., he boarded a train to London.
He travelled alone, carrying his belongings and playing on his handheld game console during the journey.
The train arrived at King's Cross at around 11:20 a.m. CCTV footage captured Andrew leaving the station about five minutes later.
It was the last confirmed sighting of him.
He was just 14 years old, alone in London, and his family had no idea where he was.
His family discovered he was missing
That evening, Andrew's family expected him to return home from school. When he did not appear, they began searching for him.
They discovered that he had not attended school and eventually learned that he had withdrawn money and travelled to London.
His father, Kevin Gosden, and the rest of the family were desperate for answers.
Andrew had not told them about the trip. He had not arranged a known place to stay, and there was no confirmed evidence that he had planned to meet anyone.
Why had he travelled to London? Did he intend to return home that evening? Had he arranged to meet somebody?
Nobody knew.
The trail went cold
Police investigated possible sightings and followed numerous leads, but none established what happened after Andrew left King's Cross station.
His family continued appealing for information, and missing-person organisations helped keep his case in the public eye.
Andrew had light brown hair, brown eyes and wore strong prescription glasses. He was also deaf in his left ear and had a distinctive double ridge on his right ear. Investigators later released age-progressed images showing how he might look as an adult.
Years passed without a confirmed sighting.
Two men were arrested
In December 2021, police arrested two men on suspicion of offences including kidnapping as part of the investigation into Andrew's disappearance.
The arrests renewed hopes that the case might finally be solved.
However, the men were later released from the investigation. By September 2023, police had confirmed that they had been eliminated from the inquiry.
The arrests produced no answers about Andrew's whereabouts.
What happened to Andrew Gosden?
More than 19 years have passed since Andrew disappeared. He would now be in his thirties.
Investigators know that he left Doncaster, withdrew money, bought a one-way ticket to London and arrived at King's Cross. What happened after he walked out of the station remains unknown.
There is no confirmed evidence establishing whether Andrew was abducted, harmed by someone he met, or deliberately disappeared.
His family has spent years searching for answers, without knowing whether he is alive or what happened to him.
A 14-year-old boy travelled to London alone. A camera recorded him leaving the station. Then every confirmed trace of him disappeared.
Someone may know what happened that day. Even a small piece of information could help investigators understand where Andrew went.
Nearly two decades later, his family is still waiting for answers.