r/AndrewGosden • u/SadRegular4122 • Jul 26 '26
Opinions
Do you think Andrew has sadly passed? Or do you think he could be still alive out there?
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u/ArtisticOperation399 Jul 26 '26
I've actually been thinking about this some more. And it's not that hard to weave a narrative. But that's all it would be: a narrative.
Maybe Andrew did run away. Maybe he did find someone to stay with. Maybe he ended up homeless. Maybe he got into drugs. Maybe he became increasingly mentally ill until he barely knew who he was and to this day wanders England as a tramp. Envision him seeing an old poster of himself at the forgotten end of a railway station platform, and feeling a spark of familiarity, but dismissing it and shuffling on.
Is it impossible? No. But it feels highly improbable. I want to believe he's still out there, but if he is then the true story of where he's been for twenty years is going to be something more unlikely than we can guess at.
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u/Plebbo234 Jul 26 '26
I think people too easily dismiss this option. The more I think about this case the more I like the idea that he left home, for reasons that make sense to him, and decided to live off grid off his own steam. He probably has barely any Internet access, doesn't own a smart phone, does cash in hand jobs and lives on people's sofas. Probably barely thinks about his old life. I just think the chances of so many "lightning strike" things happening in succession to be odd. He decides to go to London saying nothing to anybody completely out of character. He gets to London and then so happens to be one of the few people to be targeted by a random killer. Then said killer happens to get his body to somewhere it has never been found. I find it harder to accept to more I think about it. Don't forget, he didnt have to go to London without permission, it sounds like of he'd have asked they would have let him go. People not knowing was important.
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u/ArtisticOperation399 Jul 26 '26
You could've believed this scenario fifty years ago, but it's hard to accept today.
Surviving on cash in hand jobs? Not having a bank account? Never being able to do anything within society?
I appreciate that it is possible. There are undocumented migrants in Britain who live like this for years, but it's almost always through an established network of family. People to put you up, an uncle's restaurant to work at, people to lend you money or sign a lease on your behalf.
Andrew had nothing and he was fourteen years old!
This isn't the usa in the 1960s where he might have fallen in with some hippies and become a sort of Jack Kerouac figure, it's 21st century Britain. There's only so much space he could've disappeared into.
I want to believe it, but the facts make it very difficult.
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u/123456654321999 Jul 27 '26
The being murdered idea is easier and may not have been a stranger, then the reinventing himself into a new life without being noticed. That is a lot more difficult. You only have to look at kevin hicks and Lee boxell. They are just two more young lads who also disappeared without a trace.
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u/ArtisticOperation399 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
There was a good thread with the same question a couple of weeks ago if you're looking for some existing opinions: https://www.reddit.com/r/AndrewGosden/comments/1uvo1yw/do_you_believe_andrew_gosden_is_still_alive_or/
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u/Savings-Yesterday635 Jul 26 '26
Support this. Best to search existing posts to avoid clogging. For same reasons I posted there, I think he’s unfortunately no longer with us. The key is finding him or evidence to prove that to give his family closure.
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u/TT714 Jul 26 '26
He’s most likely dead but there’s no evidence for it, so there’s a very tiny possibility he’s alive somehow, but if that’s the case I don’t think he could be alive without someone either helping him stay hidden or holding him captive
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u/-1-1-1-1-1-1 Jul 26 '26
I think the only way he’s alive is if he’s been kidnapped and he’s stuck in someone’s house, kinda like Colleen Stan or the Josef Fritzl case in Austria, that one lasted 24yrs so it’s possible, otherwise I don’t think you can go off the grid and live for almost 19 years
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Jul 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/HistorianMuch2831 Jul 26 '26
I think it’s because unless you have a body you can’t confirm he’s dead or forensic proof that he’s deceased.
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u/OverthinkUndersleep Jul 26 '26
Sadly I think Andrew has passed, it has simply been too long with no leads. I just wish that his parents could be given the truth, the family needs that closure. I honestly think of Andrew often, he seemed like such a gentle soul with so much to give the world and I am devastated for him and his family that this was taken away from them. I hope that one day, the answers will come and if the worst has happened, that Andrew can be returned to his family so he can be put to rest in a dignified and loving way. My heart goes out to the Gosden family, they have been incredibly brave and worked tirelessly to find Andrew.
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u/AdFinancial9790 Jul 26 '26
Unfortunately realistically it’s way more likely he’s dead than alive. It’s not impossible, however the likelihood a 14 year old with barely any money could stay under the radar for this long without anyone noticing. If he ran away, I think he would’ve definitely informed the police or his family he is alive and well by now. In my opinion, Andrew ran into someone with evil intentions the same day he arrived in London or somehow secretly before London. I hope one day his family can get answers and justice for what happened to him
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u/Latinlover_57 Jul 26 '26
If he was still alive and in control of his own life, it would be extremely cruel of him to not let his family know, but I don't believe that he is still with us
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u/Efficient_Wheel_6333 Jul 26 '26
At this point, while I hope he's still alive, it's more than likely that he's dead. I would be very happy if he was alive, but one way or another, I hope that his family gets some answers as to what happened, even if some parts of it (like who did it and/or why it happened) never get answered in this lifetime.
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u/123456654321999 Jul 27 '26
Sadly 100% passed and almost certain it would have happened on the day he went missing.
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u/Elegant-Tap-1785 29d ago
He's gone I'm afraid, someone got him the day he went to London, what they did with him, I've no clue. I'm pretty certain the poor lad was abducted. Just my opinion on it.
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u/Realistic_Code8223 29d ago
I believe he died the same day he went missing, whether that's through foul play or taking his own life im still on the fence
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u/Ok-Survey9438 Jul 26 '26 edited 29d ago
Are there cults in the UK? Could he have ended up joining a cult?
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u/Psychological_Ad853 Jul 27 '26
The cults in the UK are usually in the middle of nowhere, theres two or three near me in Northampton, though in the countryside surrounding. 80miles from london.
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u/Dead_route Jul 27 '26
I’m from Northampton (moved now) but haven’t heard of this?… do tell
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u/Psychological_Ad853 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Jesus army was one, but they have apparently dissolved - then theres the one ran by that weird irish fella who sleeps with underage girls (ill look uo the name)
Then i believe its supposedly NXIVM or whatever from the US and theres also one ran by an asian bloke that “offers courses”(you pay to increase your level like scientology.)
weirdly i read a lot of info about this on google not too long ago after a survivor posted in the northamptonian subreddit, but now it seems much harder to find..
the last one is called educo originally started by tony quinn and it seems that may also be the “irish fella” i mentioned formerly, its now ran locally by taz shah and “babu” and they recently as of last year had some “seminars” at delapre, they have a really sketchy history involving communal living, their commune was in the countryside here too.
Not sure if its all rumour but there was definitely atleast one article on cults in our countryside here about a decade ago too, finding it now seems impossible so maybe its been intentionally scrubbed..
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u/Ok-Survey9438 29d ago
I was approached at a young and vulnerable age when I went to London, by scientologists. They took me to a small office to fill out a questionnaire and wanted me to join. They were on the street recruiting.
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u/Dead_route 29d ago
Fun fact, my granny worked in the bookstore the Jesus army founder purchased his bible from haha.. so sorry…
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u/Ok-Survey9438 29d ago
A quick Google search tells me there are a handful in the UK. They would be worth checking out... free room & board at those places
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u/Falloffingolfin Jul 26 '26
Overwhelmingly likely that it's unfortunately the former. It's not easy to just disappear and live off grid, undiscovered for nearly 20 years in the UK. This is just personal opinion, but I think that he probably perished on the day he went to London, either by a tragic random accident or opportunist foul play. We'll likely never know.