Paperboy Johnny Gosch disappears. The town – and nation – cannot believe what happens next.
One morning, a Des Moines paperboy vanishes without a trace, shattering a sense of safety in the community.
One morning, a Des Moines paperboy vanishes without a trace, shattering a sense of safety in the community.
One morning, a Des Moines paperboy vanishes without a trace, shattering a sense of safety in the community.
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On Labor Day weekend in 1982, paperboy Johnny Gosch's mother got an early morning call from an agitated neighbor: They never got their paper.
"I thought he was just running late, delivering the papers that maybe he had overslept," said Noreen Gosch, Johnny's mother. "I jumped out of bed and ran down to Johnny's room and it was empty."
Johnny's dad rushed out to find the wagon, the papers blowing in the wind. They called the police to report that he was missing. The police had another theory: Johnny ran away from home and he'd be back soon.
"He just wouldn't do that. He's a very responsible young man," Noreen Gosch insisted.
Searches went on for months. The family, the police, and the public were confronted with a wide range of theories. Eventually, things quieted down, and even though Johnny wasn't found, a sense of normalcy returned to Des Moines.
Then once more, the unthinkable happened. Eugene Martin, another Des Moines Register paperboy, vanished before dawn.
"If the community vision of this being a safe place to raise kids was teetering a little bit after Johnny's disappearance, that sense of security toppled over," said Dave Busiek, the KCCI reporter who broke Johnny's story.
On this episode of "Hometown Tragedy," learn how the local – and later, national – outcry over these cases changed how authorities deal with missing children.
"Hometown Tragedy" is a Very Local original series that investigates true crimes that rocked communities across America and explores the impact on those left to seek justice.
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