Photos Of Boy Kidnapped In '82 A 'Horrible Prank'?

[azathoth777]

update to story: Mom Sent Photo of Son Missing Since 1982 http://www.horror.com/forum/showthre...threadid=24347


What were believed to be new photographs of a boy kidnapped nearly 25 years ago, may have turned out to be a hoax.

Johnny Gosch, 12, disappeared back in 1982 while delivering newspapers on his daily route. Authorities concluded that he had been kidnapped, although his body was never found. His photo became one of the first of a missing child to be put on a milk carton. A couple of weeks ago, someone left a set of photographs in an envelope on the doorstep of Gosch's mother.

One photo, in black and white, shows a boy bound and gagged on a bed. Another is a color photo of the same boy in a similar pose with two others boys. One of them was initially believed to be Gosch, sparking a possible new break in the case.

But now that hope has turned to confusion.

A veteran Florida investigator says the photographs are not new, and that he personally saw them during the late 1970s while investigating another case -- several years before Johnny Gosch disappeared.

"I remember this case," he said. "I identified the kids portrayed in the photos. It was definitely investigated by me several years prior to the disappearance of Johnny Gosch."

Nelson Zalva says he was working for the Hillsboro County Sheriff when someone found the pictures and called. Zalva spent "a long time" identifying the kids. When he finally tracked the boys down, they claimed to have posed voluntarily for the pictures. Because of that, no arrest was made.

However, Johnny's mother, Noreen, believes the boy in the photos is indeed her son, and that they were taken within hours or days after his abduction. She claims that in the black and white photo, Johnny is wearing the same sweat pants he wore on the day he disappeared.

Noreen also believes Johnny is still alive. In fact, she told authorities that he visited her in 1997, appearing at her door with a man she had never seen before. Noreen claims he stayed for more than an hour, detailing his breaking away from a human-trafficking ring. Johnny reportedly told his mother that he was in hiding and would probably never see her again. Noreen believes his abductors got him involved in criminal activity, which is why he is hiding his identity

Lt. Jeff Miller, a West Des Moines Police spokesman, said the investigation is continuing into who left the photos at Noreen Gosch's house.

"If they are not of Johnny Gosch, someone is playing a horrible prank," he said.

[scaryminda15]

that is down right horrible and mean