Noreen Gosch has been searching for justice for her missing son Johnny for more than 30 years. A new documentary about her battle to find her son makes its theatrical premier in Iowa next week.
Michael Galinsky, one of three filmmakers who worked on the film Who Took Johnny, says it was both a heartbreaking and compelling project.
“Noreen is a really powerful person and a really powerful character. There was also a lot of really good archival footage. You get a good media perspective of what had happened and Noreen’s story of what had happened. By combining those two things, you get a much fuller picture of what took place,” he says.
During this Talk of Iowa interview, host Charity Nebbe talks with Gosch and Galinsky about the new film and about what could have happened to Johnny Gosch.
Few of us ever expected something like this living in a small community. It just didn't happen. - Noreen Gosch
Noreen says that among other factors, her son’s case spurred an awareness of child abduction and human trafficking.
“Few of us ever expected something like this living in a small community. It just didn’t happen. There was a naivety in the early 1980’s, and then things changed.”
She believes that her son was abducted by a child pornography and prostitution ring based in Omaha, Nebraska.
Who Took Johnny will be playing at the Fleur Cinema in Des Moines for a week long run starting April 24 and will be shown at FilmScene in Iowa City Tuesday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 2 at 1:00 p.m.
