(West Des Moines, IA) -- September 5 marks a somber anniversary. It's been 44 years since the kidnapping of West Des Moines paperboy Johnny Gosch.
The 12-year-old disappeared on his Des Moines Register paper route. The case was never solved. Johnny was one of the first missing children to have his photo on a milk carton. In 1984, Anderson Ericksen Dairy put photos of Gosch and another missing Des Moines paperboy, Eugene Wade Martin, on cartons. Martin disappeared in August of 1984. His case also remains open.
Johnny's mother, Noreen Gosch, says West Des Moines Police initially delayed taking a missing person report due to outdated 72-hour waiting rules. The law was later changed, requiring immediate action for missing children. The abduction also prompted the creation of the National Missing and Exploited Children’s Network.
The West Des Moines Police Department says the Gosch case is an open and active investigation. Listen to an extended interview here.