‘The last time my son was seen he stepped onto a train. He was never heard from again’
kEvin Gosden remembers her son saying “see you later, dad” on his way to school 18 years ago as if it were this morning.
These were the last words he heard from 14-year-old Andrew as what started as an ordinary day turned into a nightmare from which the family could never wake up.
She said goodbye to Andrew as they left their home in Doncaster on 14 September 2007; but the family later realized that he never came to school.
Instead, it emerged that after the rest of the family had left the teenager withdrew £200 from a cash machine before returning home, wearing jeans, a T-shirt and her favorite bag. He then walked to the station and caught a train to King’s Cross. After that he disappeared.
The family did not realize Andrew was missing until early that evening. Alarm bells rang when he didn’t come down for dinner; Panic only set in after a friend at school confirmed that Andrew had never been to school; This was completely out of character.
Mr Gosden said: “There was nothing unusual about his behavior on the evening before he disappeared or at any time thereafter.” Independent. “’We thought something was deeply wrong here, we just don’t know what yet.’”
That day has been haunting him ever since. “I still live there,” he said. “That panicked feeling, it just won’t stop – it never stops. So the anxiety pushes me through life. It’s terrible. It’s absolutely paralyzing . . .
“It’s definitely like, ‘Is this really real?’ I had and still feel the feeling you think of. For a long time I carried a needle in my pocket to poke myself to see whether I was awake and alive or asleep and dreaming; but when it moved into my dreams with nightmares and flashbacks the needle stopped working. Here you are, stumbling along.”
Independent It is joining forces with Missing People to launch a new, free, 24-hour service that will be a lifeline for youth in crisis. Our aim is to raise £165,000 to fund SafeCall, a service that helps the 72,000 children reported missing each year find the support, safety and connection they need.
donate Here or donate £10 by texting SAFE to 70577. Missing Persons – enough for one child to get help.
Mr Gosden wholeheartedly supported the campaign, describing SafeCall as “absolutely necessary” and “an investment in people’s lives”. He’s relied on Missing People for nearly two decades. “They’ve been helpful in so many ways over the years… they’ve really helped me get through the worst times.”
She said Andrew’s disappearance and the way it was handled in the early days left her with lasting mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. These led to malfunctions and a near-fatal suicide attempt, eventually forcing him into early retirement.
The family immediately started searching; He distributed leaflets and put up posters in Doncaster, London and wherever Andrew might have traveled. But Mr Gosden said the initial police response was slow and disorganized, a devastating blow in the critical first 48 hours.
“Their lack of trying to find him and the pressure they put on me led to me attempting suicide, which I almost succeeded in,” he said. “So I have anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. At that moment I thought, ‘I have to get out of the way or they’ll never find Andrew.'”
However, he stressed that South Yorkshire Police had handled the case well since 2018 and acknowledged that under-resourcing had likely contributed to early failures.
Police also took swift action in response to AI deepfake articles, images and videos claiming to have found Andrew or his remains. “Imagine if they started being shared,” he said. “This would absolutely destroy all the effort we have tried to make over the last 18 years to maintain awareness of Andrew’s disappearance.” The events left him feeling “extremely anxious, powerless and helpless.”
The family still has no idea what happened to Andrew, and for him, the uncertainty is agony in itself.
Andrew, who would now be 32, was a “deep thinker,” “incredibly intelligent,” self-sufficient, confident and fun. Like the rest of his family, he loved rock and metal music and was best friends with his sister Charlotte, now 34.
“Before Andrew went missing, I thought losing your child was the worst thing that could happen to a parent, but now I realize having no idea what happened to them is even worse because you can’t work it out in your mind,” she said.
“People ask me if Andrew is alive or dead; it depends on what day you ask me. We don’t know. All we know is that no one has been found and no one has contacted me with information.”
Still, he said, there are still glimmers of hope, and some days are brighter than others. “We’re trying to keep hope alive that we’ll find something.”
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Knowles, who led the investigation in recent years, said: “I have been in regular contact with the Gosden family and am incredibly grateful to them for their support as we work together to answer questions that have remained unanswered for so long. We carefully consider any information received, ensuring it is recorded, catalogued, and followed up where reasonable investigative circumstances exist.”
Please donate now To the Independent and Missing Persons’ Safe Call campaign, which aims to raise £165,000 to create a free, nationwide service to help vulnerable children find safety and support.
If you or a loved one is lost, text or call the charity Missing People on 116 000 for advice, support and options. It’s free, confidential and non-judgmental. Or visit www.missingpeople.org.uk/get-help
If you are experiencing feelings of distress or finding it difficult to cope, you can speak to Samaritans confidentially on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org or visit . Samaritans Website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are a US resident and you or someone you know needs mental health help right now, call or text 988 or visit: 988lifeline.org To access online chat on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis helpline available to anyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country you can go www.befrienders.org To find a helpline near you.
