Men arrested over Andrew Gosden disappearance 'eliminated from inquiry'
Two men who were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a teenager who went missing 16 years ago have been released.
Andrew Gosden was 14 years-old when he left home in Balby, Doncaster, to go to school on 14 September 2007.
He withdrew £200 from his bank account, bought a one-way train ticket to London and boarded the 9.35am GNER service from Doncaster.
CCTV cameras captured him at Kings Cross station later that day.
He was wearing black jeans, a t-shirt emblazoned with the logo of rock band Slipknot, and carrying a bag over his shoulder.
That was the last confirmed sighting of the teenager.
A 45-year-old man and a 38-year-old man were arrested in London by officers from South Yorkshire Police and Metropolitan police in December 2021.
Detectives interviewed the men and seized a number of electronic devices which were analysed by specialist officers.
The accounts provided by the men have now been confirmed and they have been eliminated from the inquiry.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Knowles is leading the investigation. He said: “We’re confident the two men arrested played no part in Andrew’s disappearance and have been eliminated from our inquiries, however the investigation remains open and active and we would urge anyone with information to come forward.
“It’s now been 16 years since Andrew’s disappearance and we know in that time people’s views, opinions and loyalties can change. Even the smallest piece of information could help detectives find answers for Andrew’s family who have campaigned tirelessly for answers.”
Andrew’s parents, Kevin and Glenys Gosden, have released a statement in which they said:"Our hearts go out to the men who have been exonerated of any involvement in Andrew’s disappearance. They have no connection to our missing son and we feel profoundly sorry for the inevitable distress that such allegations will have caused.
“The past months of this investigation have been a period of additional difficulty for our family, intensifying our sense of living in limbo, not knowing what happened to our much-loved son. We are grateful to South Yorkshire Police for helping us to draw a line under this specific aspect as a result of their time-consuming and considered approach to the investigation."
“As a family, our emotional reaction is to feel that, after so much effort over the past 16 years, we remain no closer to discovering what has happened to Andrew. "
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