Disappearance of Johnny Gosch

John David Gosch (November 12, 1969 – disappeared September 5, 1982) was a paperboy in West Des Moines, Iowa, United States, who disappeared between 6 and 7 a.m. on September 5, 1982. He is presumed to have been kidnapped. Gosch's picture was among the first to be featured on milk cartons as part of a campaign to find missing children. As of 2026, there have been no arrests made; the case is now considered cold but remains open.

Gosch's mother, Noreen, claimed that he escaped from his captors and visited her alongside an unidentified man in 1997. She claimed that her son had told her that he had been the victim of a pedophile organization and had been cast aside when he had grown too old but subsequently feared for his life and lived under an assumed identity, feeling it was not safe to return home.

Gosch's father, John, divorced from Noreen since 1993, has publicly stated that he is not sure whether such a visit actually occurred. Many have also speculated that the visit did occur, but that the visitor was someone else pretending to be Johnny. Authorities have not located Gosch or confirmed Noreen's account, and his fate continues to be the subject of speculation, conspiracy theories and dispute.

The case received renewed publicity in 2006 when Noreen reported she had found photographs on her doorstep depicting Gosch in captivity. Some of the photos received were said to be children from a case in Florida; however, one boy in the photos was never identified. Noreen insists that boy is Johnny.