I probably seen most videos on the web about Andrew, it all seemed pretty interesting to me when learning the whole story etc. I feel a bit close with this case idk maybe because i was a bit alternative when it came to style,gaming,music etc exactly how Andrew was.
I read the posts on this sub a lot, but when i was saying to my friend about this case they didn't seem interested in. Like he told me there are hundreds of this cases, so what ? Ofc he hasn't seen any of the documentaries etc to get the whole vibe/situation, but i was wondering if there is something about this case which makes it special than others ?
Probably because he was an intelligent teenager from a loving nuclear family, no substance abuse involved as far as we know, who seemingly disappeared without trace in one of the largest population centres in Europe.
It’s interesting because some of that is just what we’ve been told. His school marks/ uni trip speak for his cleverness (well in terms of grades anyway) but I do wonder if everything actually was ok with his family and at home, or that is just a line they’ve thrown out. Not saying it’s not true or anything. I just wonder if family life was as happy as it’s been made out to be.
He was fleeing…
From What??
A bully. A friendship that ended. A relationship that ended. Abuse of some kind. Sometimes it's as simple as being ignored by someone or people you care about/nobody listening.. because after so long you get tired of the same bs routine. But really only Andrew could give his reasons for going that day. There were probably many reasons tbh and he was at his breaking point with something.
I agree
Teenage rebellion takes on several forms, but I think in this case it was simply dying hair black and listening to alternative music styles. The comment about not wanting to buy a dishwasher because drying plates after the evening meal was when the family got to chat is instructive: I doubt Kevin would have volunteered that information had there been skeletons in the cupboard.
I’ve no idea what you’re referring to re dishwasher lol.
Well, with tragic irony it seems that the couple teaching others how to regain their speech during the day would have had some deficit with their own children had the quality time of them drying the dishes together after dinner been substituted for a dishwasher accomplishing the task.
For me, the thing that makes it most mysterious is the fact we don’t even know why he went to London that day. Like, not only did he disappear without a trace but for whatever reason, he made the decision to travel somewhere two hours away from home that day, which was already completely abnormal for him. It’s just so weird that we might never know why he travelled there and if his reason for travelling there is why he disappeared or if it was completely random and it just so happens that it was on the day he was doing his first ever ‘rebel act’ against his parents or something , if you get me? Idk, I think about what his thinking could have been all the time.
What really interests me about the case is the fact that there isn't, as far as we're aware, any hints, evidence or clues as to where or what Andrew went after that final CCTV of him at Kings Cross. There was also nothing we're aware of that happened before Andrew left home that tells us why he chose to go to London that day.
This leads to so many different theories and ideas it's almost impossible to know where to start. With most missing people investigations, you have a rough idea of what likely happened (suicide, a day out gone wrong, meeting up with someone online, ran away from home, etc) but you can't really say that about Andrew as it could have been any of the them or something else entirely.
I think as well as it happened in the recent past, 2007, there is that small but diminishing possibility that he's still around today, and he's also of a similar age to many who are really interested in the case. It's also very likely that someone who knows something is alive and well today, and who knows possibly lurking around on this sub or following the case very closely.
Probably because of the fact that there are no answers I think. He left seemingly voluntarily but we dont know why he left, where he went (besides likely Pizza Hut), what he was thinking..the entire case is a mystery.
It’s a complete standstill case. There’s no proof he passed or is living. For the sake of his family and loved one’s we shouldn’t insist on either unless there’s sufficient evidence. I recognize that the more time passes, the less likely it is that he is alive but this is such a strange case where there is absolutely no evidence that would suggest exactly what occurred after he arrived at the station or why he decided to leave home. There are a number of possibilities. All we know is that he vanished into thin air. It’s also frustrating that there isn’t more CCTV evidence. This could be due to A. Police not acting quickly enough B. Andrew could have gotten into a vehicle or gone towards a secluded area. Can someone correct me if I’m wrong: I read that his school also took a while to report him missing that day? Anyway, the public is at a loss and it’s just saddening and frustrating.
Two mysteries:-
Why did he go to London?
Why didn't he come back?
The main question is the latter, but we have no idea what happened in the circumstances of his disappearance, so all we can do is speculate on the former.
More actually: why did the school phone the wrong family? Why did he hide in the park? Why did he put his uniform back? why did the police not find the CCTV quick enough? Why did he not take all his money?
Everything about this case is so unusual that’s why it stands out. If he had internet access or if he went missing from his normal activities or if he was unhappy the disappearance could be explained in many ways. But the story just doesn’t add up no matter what theory you apply.
He left on his own terms and I think he is alive. I think whatever chain of failures made in the investigation is why we don’t know how, why or where he ran away.
When did he hide in the park?
It is unknown if he hid in the park or indeed spent anytime in the park. He was seen crossing the road to go into the park shortly after leaving home. He wasn't seen in the park or by anyone at the bus stop as far as we know.
He can't have gone straight home as his parents were there for a while. So it is likely he hung around the park for a bit. Again, it isn't known when he went back home or how long he spent there, just when he left home again on the way to the station (neighbour's CCTV) and the earliest he could have arrived (after parents leaving).
ATM he used was near the exit across the park, but the time of the withdrawal hasn't been made public. It is likely the police have a better idea of his possible timings/route in the morning. For example, they probably traced the kids waiting at the bus stop - which would limit the times he could have left the park as otherwise they would have seen him.
I think it’s cause theres literally no suspect and it’s the biggest case where we have basically nothing to go off of
For me it’s because he was from a town very close to where I grew up.
Is Andrew's disappearance something most of the locals are aware of?
I'm from a totally different part of England, and he's not well known around here.
Yes and no. It’s not something the younger people are aware of but anyone over 25ish probably has a vague idea. They’ll recognise the name if they don’t know the details.
A lot of people on here say it wouldn't be possible for him to be out there somewhere, as he'd be recognised by someone, but I don't necessarily think that's the case as his face isn't as well known outside of Doncaster and perhaps London as many on here believe it to be.
I don’t agree with the fact he would be recognised at all. Yeah it would only take one person, but I look completely different now at 37 to how I looked at 14. I think most people do.
A single person or two reporting something into Missing People or the police would likely be dismissed very quickly as just being a lookalike, and probably wouldn't cause the police to go out searching and yes he probably looks very different these days if he's still around.
Because there's simply no viable theory that can be ruled out by the known evidence.
Whether foul play (premeditated or opportunistic), Andrew acting on his own wishes, some form of mental health crisis or simply an innocent day out that ended in a tragic accident, there's literally nothing to go on.
Compared to say, Madeline McCann, where foul play must have been involved somehow due to her age, or Asha Degree, where her belongings were recovered some years ago, Andrew's case has nothing beyond those CCTV shots and a possible sighting at a Pizza Hut.
Because we don't know why he got on that train. It's as simple as that. When a child disappears, it always captures the attention of the larger community. When he acted out of character and left no trace, we're only left with questions upon questions.
Because it’s such a strange case. That quite a young, small for his age, not very streetwise teenager who was kind of cautious and not particularly adventurous randomly wagged school one day (very out of character), withdrew nearly all of his money from his bank account, went several hours by train across England to London and then vanished off the busy streets of London. That he only bought a one way ticket, when a return was only 50p extra and took his PSP but not the charger with him is kind of contradictory (if one way suggests running away from home, then why not take the charger and if it was just a day trip, why not pay the 50p extra). Then there’s the fact he seemingly had no online or mobile phone presence as a quite intelligent teenager in the late 2000s.
There’s a lot of contradictions and strangeness about the case that make it puzzling and I think that’s why there’s a lot of interest
I think the main two unusual points are
Lack of CCTV despite the thousands of CCTV cameras in London. Of course we later learned that police didn’t check them in time.
The fact Andrew was seen to be leaving of his own accord, not looking distressed. Whatever we think happened to him (and all opinions on here differ) - Andrew looked cool calm and collected walking down the road towards the train station, and exiting Kings X.
Seemingly clever kid disspearing into thin air without a single lead since it happened I guess. Regardless of anyone's theories, the truth is we have ZERO idea of what happened to Andrew after he left King's Cross. We have no idea why he went to London either. With all these burning questions that will likely never have an answer, it's no suprise it's a popular case within the true crime community.
and sadly, I think it's a near certainty that we will never find out what happened to the kid either. Police may or may not know more than they've let on, but in terms of the public, its near impossible this case ever gets solved
For me it’s the fact that he went missing in a massive city which you would’ve expected multiple people would’ve saw something
No. London is a massive city and so everyone tunes everyone else out.
What people dont tell you is there was a huge amount of kids around Andrews age who went missing under identical circumstances in that area of London, spanning from the 1970's to the mid 2000's.
Tell us about some.
Because he is a white teen.