The Case of the Missing Paperboy Revived -- After 24 Years

By: Noreen Gosch never imagined that a simple envelope could be so painful.

It was left at her front door Sunday with no name or address -- but inside were two photographs that brought back memories of her son's disappearance 24 years ago during a paper route in West Des Moines.

One picture shows 12-year-old Johnny Gosch with his mouth gagged, his hands and feet bound, and he was wearing the same sweatpants he wore when he disappeared Sept. 5, 1982. The other photograph shows Johnny with two other unidentified boys, also bound and gagged.

"It's like reliving it," Noreen Gosch told The Associated Press on Thursday. "But the bigger picture is, 'Why are they doing this?'

"Whoever had these photos had them for 24 years. I don't understand why they would do this now. It must be some kind of message."

The mother says she submitted the photographs to investigators Tuesday and they have confirmed the photographs are authentic and likely taken within "hours or days" of the abduction. She says they are searching for fingerprints that could lead them to the source and possibly a breakthrough in a case that has long baffled authorities.

Meanwhile, others connected to the case have reported receiving the photographs through anonymous deliveries and the Internet.

"We are in the process of researching where they came from and whether they've been doctored up," West Des Moines police Lt. Jeff Miller told the Des Moines Register.

Johnny Gosch's disappearance triggered nationwide concern over abducted children. He was one of the first faces of missing or abducted children to appear on milk cartons across the country.

Several theories have developed since the boy vanished before dawn while delivering Sunday newspapers. His newspaper wagon was discovered near his West Des Moines home, but few substantial clues have been discovered since then.

The boy's mother believes her son was taken by child pornographers. She has told authorities her son briefly contacted her in 1997 but feared for his life and declined to give details about where or how he could be contacted. She also claimed abductors got him involved in child pornography and other crimes, which is why he is hiding his identity.

While Noreen Gosch has gained hope for justice, she says the photographs might bring closure for other grieving families. The National Center for Missing Children is examining the other boys in the photograph and matching it with its database of missing children.

"These kids have parents someplace," Noreen Gosch told The Associated Press. "I'm sure they feel the same way I did. ... Hopefully we can do some good and give these parents some peace."

Noreen Gosch has devoted her life to finding her son, the youngest of three children. She has held bake sales to raise money for private detectives, followed her own leads and prodded police to try harder. Noreen Gosch has also written a book called "Why Johnny Can't Come Home."