"You're not a PI in real life are you?"
Nah, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night. But seriously, I just did a google on missing children similar to those of the Gosch boy and it took about 30 minutes. So, I'd be pretty surprised if someone hasn't noticed this before. A boy kidnapped from a paper route in AZ should have stood out like an elephant in the living room.
But then again, maybe it wouldn't be so surprising that no one has looked at this. I wouldn't convict Wilson on what I know but I would certainly bet money that he is the culprit in the Gosch and Martin case.
Perhaps Noreen's theory about organized abduction isn't that far off either. I mean, if you look at the pictures whoever abducted these boys seemed to be experienced and organized. The bindings are very consistent in each case. The Gosch boy appears to have been kept for more than one day (most cases like this either end up as long term abductions OR the vitcim is killed within 3 hours). Also, note the burn mark on the Gosch boy at his left waistline. Stun gun? This seems a bit organized so it could be that Wilson was not acting alone or in isolation.
I'm going to look at other cases and verify what I've suspected; that there were in fact *very* few abductions that match the criteria of age, appearance, sex, geography and timeframe. I think the quoted statistic of 100 to 300 stranger abductions a year is misleading b/c most of those children are 16 or over and there are other circumstances involved in their disappearance.
A Stephen Wilson timeline?
A pattern of 10 children all sharing similar characteristics and whose cases have similar MOs began in 1981 with Bryan Bleyl of Phoenix, AZ. This data was retrieved from the databases of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children online. There were no other abductions clearly matching this demographic and MO.
1.) On Feb 28, 1981 at Phoenix, AZ Briain Bleyl went missing. He was abducted from the roadway on his paper route. Stephen Wilson was indicted for his murder and tried in 1990. He was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Link: www.ncmec.org
2.) On Sep 5, 1982 at West Des Moines, IA John David Gosch went missing. He was abducted from the roadway on his paper route.
Link: www.ncmec.org
3.) On May 8, 1983 at Lemon Valley, NV Anthony Bernard Franko went missing. He was abducted from the roadway. His appearance is similar to that of boy pictured in photo received by mother of Johnny Gosch.
Link: www.ncmec.org
4.) On Jun 16, 1984 at Klamath Falls, OR William Dale Gunn went missing. He was abducted from the roadway. His appearance is similar to that of boy pictured in photo received by mother of Johnny Gosch.
Link www.ncmec.org
5.) On July 11, 1984 at Hinsdale county, CO Christopher James Harvey went missing. He was abducted from the roadway. The road led a couple miles up to a campground and the site was exactly one day's drive between both Phoenix, AZ and Des Moines, IA.
Link: www.ncmec.org
6.) On Aug 12, 1984 at Des Moine, IA Eugene Wade Martin went missing. He was abducted from the roadway on his paper route.
Link: www.ncmec.org
7.) On March 29, 1986 at Des Moines, IA Marc James-Warren Allen went missing. He was abducted from the roadway.
Link: www.ncmec.org
8.) On Aug 14, 1986 at Myrtle Point, OR Jeremy Donald Bright went missing. He was abducted at or near the Coos County, OR fairground.
Link: www.ncmec.org
9.) On Oct 22, 1989 at St. Joseph, MN Jacob Erwin Wetterling went missing. He was abducted from the roadway.
Link: www.ncmec.org
10.) On Jul 25, 1991 Moscow Hills, MO Charles Arlin Leon Henderson at went missing. He was abducted from the roadway.
Link: www.ncmec.org
After this the pattern of similar aged boys of similar appearance, similar demographics (middle class to upper middle class families) with similar MO ends.
Stephen Wilson died of AIDS in December, 1993.