I first heard about the disappearance of Johnny Gosch on a podcast a couple of years ago. What caught me about it was that it was relatively unknown for me, so I didn't feel like I was hearing about something that had been rehashed over and over on other platforms, and because this case is like a cornucopia of conspiracy, police ineptitude, multiple missing children, and just general mystery.
Currently on Netflix, Who Took Johnny (2014) delves into the (now) 34 year old missing persons case of 12 year old Johnny Gosch . The documentary's focus is Johnny's mother, Noreen, who has spent the last three decades trying to uncover what happened to her son.
I don't want to give a whole lot about the film away for you readers who haven't heard anything about the case, but I highly recommend this one. Especially if you have an affinity for conspiracies and true crime. It's equal parts crazy and heartbreaking because at the end of the day, a boy went missing and no one knows who is at fault. Families were destroyed and to make it worse, Johnny's disappearance wasn't the only one that occurred in that area around that time (which is briefly covered during the documentary). That's where the film starts to take a turn into sketch-land.
Disappearance and conspiracies aside, the film reveals how poorly the police handled the disappearance. Whether it was unwillingness or inexperience, the Des Moines PD dropped the ball in the first hours of Johnny's disappearance (and for a long time afterwards), and it's very evident. It's not hard to become a little mad and ultra-suspicious of what exactly happened in this whole tale.
Johnny Gosch Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Gosch
There it is. My pick of the week! Give it a watch and come back and let me now your thoughts in the comments. Or find me on Twitter: @TheStaceyBeth
Come back every Friday for my next PotW!
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