Season 06 Episode 25: Once There Was a Way (Pt.3 of 3)

south of Humor in Arizona. The man was identified as a John E. Gosh. Agonizingly, for Noreen and John Gosh, the man did not fit the description of their son, and was later identified as the adopted son of a couple from Tacoma in Washington. There were numerous strange coincidences besides the name. Just like Noreen and John's son, John E. Gosh was named after his father, also known as John

Gosh Senior. He was almost exactly the same age, having also been born in nineteen sixty nine, only three weeks before the missing boy from Des Moines, and he'd even lived in Oklahoma around the time when Noreen and john Son was allegedly seen begging for help while being dragged

away by two men. Shortly after he disappeared, dental records were requested just to be sure, which ultimately proved beyond all doubt that John E. From Tacoma, who was thought to have been killed in a drug dealing related incident, was not the missing newspaper carrier. For Noreen and john it was yet another hideously cruel twist to their unending nightmare, and one that left them unwilling to invite any more

false hope into their lives. So when the following year, former Nebraska state Senator John DeCamp called them up, claiming he had some vital information he thought they might want to know, it's not surprising they were a little apprehensive about it. As detailed in Part two, John DeCamp was a vocal supporter of the numerous claims of child abuse made against the then chief executive of the Franklin Credit

Union in Omaha, Nebraska, Lawrence King. King was found guilty of embezzling tens of millions of dollars from the credit union, but had also been accused of funneling some of that money into the running of a child prostitution ring, among other unproven allegations. Of particular interest to DeCamp was the individual Poor Banazzi, who testify it as one of the alleged survivors of King's apparent prostitution ring. Banazzi's claims were

later dismissed by a grand jury. As de Camp explained it to Noreen and John Gosh, However, there was much more to the case than had been revealed in the press, the most pertinent part being that Banazzi had not only apparently been abused, but had also been coerced into recruiting other children into the abuse ring too. One of these children,

he apparently told DeCamp, had been Johnny Gosh. Poor Bonazzi was born in nineteen sixty seven and by all accounts, had a deeply sad and traumatic upbringing, growing up in difficult circumstances. He is thought of first suffered sexual abuse

at the age of six. In nineteen ninety, Garry Karadori, the lead investigator hired by the Nebraska state government's committee set up to run their own investigation into Lawrence King, got a tip off about Banazzi and arranged to interview him at the time, Banazzi, who was by then twenty two years old, was serving time in jail on three charges of abusing a minor, but had been named by another apparent victim of the alleged chard abuse ring as

some one worth speaking to. What he eventually told Karadori astounded him. According to Banazi, he'd first been pulled into the ring around the age of ten, and by the age of twelve was regularly being transported across the country by King among others, to attend countless depraved sex parties, where he was forced to take drugs, sexually abused, and even forced to abuse other children for the entertainment of

the guests. Banazi's story had everything from allegations of pedophilia to sadism and satanic ritual including the frequent mention of a strange group of cloaked figures who would often be present at the parties but never revealed who they were. In one particularly harrowing episode, Banazzi described how he and another boy were forced to perform various sexual and violent acts on the body of another victim who'd apparently just

been shot dead in front to them. That boy's body was then said to have been later dumped out of a plane, and all of it was filmed for posterity, he said by a director called Hunter Thompson. B Natzi, who was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder shortly after his arrest, claimed that all the traumatic memories he had were only known to a select number of his purported personalities. It was,

by all accounts, a horrific story. For the Nebraska grand jury who presided over his accusations in nineteen ninety, however, it was all a little too much to be believed. In the end, they ruled that although he had undoubtedly been a victim of sexual abuse at some time in his life, there was zero evidence to prove he'd been abused by anyone related to the Franklin credit union scandal, nor in the manner in which he alleged. Have you ever been interested in a conspiracy theory? What's the most

fascinating one you've ever heard? In Land of Delusion, cultural historian and acclaimed author Colin Dickie dives deep into two bizarre theories gaining traction in the United States and Russia to day from a worldwide empire erased from the history books to a claim that history itself began only eight hundred years ago, taken entertaining but grimly serious journey into the warped logic of conspiracy theorists that may just hint at where present society is heading. In Land of Delusion.

I immensely enjoyed Dickie's book, which was riveting and maddening an equal measure, as I came face to face with one character after another who, despite having access to the exact same information about the world as I do, seem to have come to a completely different conclusion about it, and neither one of us would be able to convince the other who was truly in the right, which, in

a way, is what conspiracy theories are all about. You can learn more about the weird and dangerous world of conspiracy theories, among a wealth of other things exclusively Unscribed scribed as one of the world's largest digital libraries with instant access to e books, audiobooks, magazines, podcasts, and more, all in one subscription, all for one price. Dive into the Land of delusion today with a free sixty day trial at tri dot scribed dot com. Slash unexplained that's

try dot scribd dot com. Slash unexplained to start with a free sixty day trial. Despite the grand jury's ruling, John DeCamp remained convinced there was just too much intricate detail for it all to be dismissed entirely out of hand. In nineteen ninety, dismayed by the grand jury's verdict, he decided to take on the role of Banazzi's legal representative to help get his allegations out to the wider public, and, to his mind, at least bring the men that he'd

accused to justice. In July nineteen ninety one, De Camp claimed to have come across the transcript of a psychiatrist's interview with Banazzi, in which he discussed an incident concerning a newspaper carrier in Iowa. It was then that De Camp said he went to his local library to research the details of John Gosh's disappearance and found it matched

precisely with what Banazzi had told him. Despite everything they had already been through, it was too much for Noreen and John to ignore, and so that same July in nineteen ninety one, the couple traveled to meet poor Banazzi the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln, where he was incarcerated.

It's impossible to put into words how Norin and John would have felt as they sat on the opposite side at the glass screen, waiting to speak to the man who was claiming to have been involved in the abduction of their son. For Noreen, at least, she'd anticipated feeling nothing but anger, but when the slight and fragile looking banacy finally shuffled into view, what she also felt was pity.

And then, over the next hour or so, between sobs and lengthy pauses, he explained exactly how he'd allegedly come to take part in Johnny's kidnapping. According to Paul, who would have been around fifteen on the day in question, he and another child, Mike, were traveling in a car driven by a man he called Emilia, who was said to be one of the enforcers of the apparent sex

abuse ring. At one point, Emilio is said to have told Paul and Mike to duck down in the back, and a few moments later he stopped the car to us some people for directions. When Emilio started driving again, he then said to Paul and Mike to be prepared to hold someone down in the back. A few minutes later, they stopped once more, at which point Emilio was said to have grabbed a boy from the street and pulled him into the back of the car, where Mike and

Paul then held him down as they sped off. In another version of the story, Paul also claimed to have used chloroform to subdue the boy. As Norene and John struggled with the thought of it all, they pressed all to say more about their son, looking for any irrefutable evidence that he was telling them the truth. Banatzi is then said to have successfully described various markings on Johnny Gosh's body, although much of it was publicly available information

according to Johnny's parents. One scar that Paul mentioned on Johnny's tongue, which he'd injured in a fall as a young boy, had not been mentioned before. He also said that Johnny once told him about how his mother taught him yoga. Noreen, who was a yoga teacher, was dumbfounded since that also had never been disclosed to the press before. As the gosh Is said in an Omaha World Herald article a few days later, there was no doubt that

Banatzi knew some incredible things. And by the end of their time together, Noreen and John had little doubt also that Banazzi was telling the truth. Not long after their meeting, John de Camp hired private investigator Roy Stevens to look

deeper into Banazzi's claims. Stevens, the founder of an organization called the Missing Children's Foundation, had achieved some notoriety the year before after getting involved in the case of nine year old Jill Cutzel from Norfolk, Nebraska, who disappeared while en route to her babysitter's house. Convinced that a local man named David Phelps, who lived in the same building as the young girl, was responsible for her kidnap and murder, Stevens took it on himself to force a confession from him.

Phelps was eventually convicted of the crime, though questions remain over the legitimacy of his coerced confession. Stephen spent hours questioning Bonatzi and chased up all manner of leads from Iowa to Colorado. One lead involved a man from Des Moines who Bernatzi claimed had also been involved in Johnny's abduction. This man is said to have been an individual that the Gosches had been suspicious of for some time, but

nothing ever came of it. In the early nineteen nineties, with the ten year anniversary of Johnny Gosher's appearance approaching, producers of the television show America's Most Wanted decided to cover his and Eugene Martin's story. The show, which first aired in nineteen eighty eight for those who aren't familiar with it, ran profiles of fugitives wanted in connection with major crimes and coouraged viewers to call in with any

information that might lead to their capture. The host of the show at the time was John Walsh, the father of Adam Walsh, whose tragic disappearance and murder was discussed in Part two. Paul Bonatzi was featured in the episode where he was filmed once again relaying his story to an agonized Noreene, Expanding on what he'd already told her. He went on to claim that many of the children had been branded with the symbol that was unique to the Chard abuse ring should they ever try to escape.

He also claimed that when he and the other children were ferried about from place to place, they were often kept locked away in various safe houses dotted throughout the country. Bonatzi then led the show's producers to one such place in Colorado, where he claimed to have crossed paths again with Johnny in nineteen eighty six. The building turned out to be an old, abandoned farmhouse in the middle of the desert. Paul broke down as he approached it, seemingly

too overcome with emotion to go inside. After eventually going in, he then guided the crew down to a large basement where he claimed the children had been kept, even pointing out where some of them had apparently carved their initials into the walls. According to the producers of America's Most Wanted, the owner of the house was said to have been

a former prison guard who had seemingly completely disappeared. However, just as it seemed to John de Camp that they might finally be getting somewhere, he claimed in the nineteen ninety two book he later wrote about it, All The Franklin cover Up, Child Abuse, Murder, and Satanism in America, Paul Sparrow, the executive producer of America's Most Wanted, soon

grew anxious about the whole thing. According to DeCamp, Sparrow had been told by the FBI that they were not willing to assist the show with the story, with the implication being that they were unhappy about where the story was leading. Since the show benefited hugely from a close relationship with the FBI, Sparrow didn't want to force the issue and decided to pull back on the alleged Paul

Banatzi connection. Sparrow later said that Johnny Gosh and Eugene Martin's case were the ones that haunted him more than any other. John DeCamp took all of Banatzi's latest revelations to the police, but claimed they were completely uninterested in it. The police counted that they had in fact contacted Banazzi's siblings, who confirmed that he was with them in Omaha the

day that Johnny was abducted. A year later, in nineteen ninety three, a production crew from Yorkshire Television in the United Kingdom were commissioned by the Discovery Channel to make a documentary about the child abuse allegations directed at Lawrence King.

The production team promptly set about digging into the story, recording hours of interviews with many of the apparent victims, along with their supporters such as John de Camp and State Senator Lauren Schmidt, who'd headed the Franklin Credit Union Investigation Committee from the Nebraska state government. Shortly before the film was finished, however, producer Nick Gray was instructed by

Discovery to pull the plug on it. Some, including Gray, leaved their refusal to broadcast it was all part of a deliberate conspiracy to hide the truth of what was going on in Nebraska, as others have pointed out. However, since the film contained countless sexual abuse related allegations against named individuals without any concrete evidence to prove them, it is highly unlikely it could have been supported legally either way. The film, now known as Conspiracy of Silence, was never broadcast.

By the end of nineteen ninety three, with the years of anguish having finally taken their toll on Narene and John's relationship, the couple separated and filed for divorce. Best Fiends as a new, fun, packed, free to download mobile game with thousands of exciting levels for new adventures every time you play with its band of cute creature heroes, match and solve thousands of fun puzzles as you take down your sluggy enemies and blast your way to the top.

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the art Best Fiends. In nineteen ninety nine, Paul Bonazzi, represented by John De Camp, finally succeeded in bringing a civil lawsuit against Lawrence E. King, in which he accused him of continually subjecting him to repeated sexual assaults, false imprisonments, infliction of extreme emotional distress, organized and directed satanic rituals, as well as forcing him to scavenge for children to be a part of King's sexual abuse and pornography ring,

and forcing him to engage in numerous massochistic orgies with other minor children. King was not legally obliged to appear in court, and the case was ruled in Bonazi's favor. It is sometimes stated that Bonazzi won this case and was awarded a million dollars in damages. In truth, how in what is known in legal parlance as a default judgment, this ruling, which was handed down by a district judge, Warren Urban, was merely an automatic ruling which occurs whenever

the accused party fails to engage with the suit. Banazi ultimately received none of the money that was awarded to him, likely due to King's legal representatives later arguing successfully that the case and its judgment should be annulled. More interesting, however, was the testimony that Norien Gosh delivered at the trial.

Having been asked to speak in support of Paul Banazi's claims, Noreen made the stunning revelation that she had good reason to believe Banazi's story because her son Johnny had confirmed it to her. With the court collectively Shocked by this admission, Noreen went on to explain exactly what had happened. Back in March nineteen ninety seven. At around two thirty a m. She claimed she was awoken by an insistent knocking at

her front door. When she finally got up to open it, she found two sheepish looking young men on her doorstep, one of whom introduced himself as Johnnie her Son. In a state of shock, Noreen invited the two men inside, where the apparent Johnny, who would have been twenty seven at the time, proceeded to tell her about everything that had happened to him, confirming that he had indeed been kidnapped and indoctrinated into a child sex abuse and pornography ring.

The two men had since escaped together and were in hiding, living at an undisclosed location somewhere else in the country. Noreen then claimed that she offered to call the police immediately, but Johnny had begged her not to, saying that their lives would be in danger if anyone from the ring ever found out where they were. Before Noreen even made it home from court, her testimony was all over the news,

and everyone seemed to have an opinion on it. How on earth had she kept that a secret, they asked, And why hadn't she alerted the police or done more to make her son stay For Noreen, however, it was simple. Johnny had asked her not to tell anyone, and so she didn't. Noreen's ex husband, John Gosh Senior, who unlike Noreen, had by then begun to reevaluate Paul Banatzi's possible involvement in the case, later stated that he was unconvinced by

nori story. In two thousand nor In Gosh's own account of the story, Why Johnny Can't Come Home, was published, which helped to raise the profile of the story once more. However, in the years that followed, despite the Goshes continuing to hire private detectives to keep working on the case, little new came to light. That was until one Sunday in August two thousand and six. It was August twenty seventh of that year when Noreen awoke one morning to find an envelope who had been left for her on her

front doorstep. Inside it, much to her horror, she found a series of photographs showing a collection of young boys who had all been tied up and gagged. Some of the photos showed a group of three boys together, while others showed images of a boy on his own, which

Noreen was utterly convinced was Johnny. In one of the photos, whoever had delivered them had ringed what looked like some kind of mark on one of the boy's arms and labeled it the Brand, a clear reference to the symbol that Paul Banazzi alleged many of the apparent victims of the child abuse ring had been branded with. Noreen immediately took the pictures to West Des Moines Police, after which it transpired that other people connected to the case had

also received the same photographs. In the end, three of the children shown in the pictures were traced back to a case from nineteen seventy nine in Hillsborough County, Florida, long before Johnny's disappearance. The boy in the other images was never identified. As of today, it has been forty years since Johnny Gosh disappeared. It's whereabouts and the truth

about what really happened to him remain completely unknown. If you enjoy unexplained and would like to help supporters, you can now do so via patroon To receive access to add three episodes, just go to patron dot com Forward slash Unexplained Pod to sign up. Unexplained, the book and audiobook, featuring ten stories that have never before been covered on the show, is now available to buy worldwide. You can purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Waterstones, among other bookstores.

All elements of Unexplained, including the show's music, are produced by me Richard McClane smith. Please subscribe and rate the show wherever you listen to podcasts, and feel free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation of your own you'd like to share. You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast dot com or Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook dot com. Forward Slash Unexplained Podcast