176. Web-Series Reviews – 31

 Some more documentary series…

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann – This documentary depicts the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished from an Algarve holiday apartment at the seaside resort of Praia da Luz in Portugal, in May 2007 as her parents enjoyed a meal with friends 100 yards away. It explores the media, the investigation and the McCanns, although the McCanns themselves do not take part in this docu-series.

The documentary is spread over 8 episodes, each of which is about an hour long.  It shows all the highs and lows about who all are thought to be suspects and how they are then cleared.  Different theories, different investigators come into the picture over time and yet, after 10 years, still no info on where Madeleine is.  The documentary covers the period till 2018.  In 2020, apparently a prisoner in Germany has been suspected to be the main culprit as he was in that area during that time.  However, there is still no proof whether he did the crime or not.  The case is still open.

An excellent series where even the parents are treated as suspects and then exonerated.  Since the McCanns were from UK and were quite rich, the case attracted huge interest.  We worth a watch for the twists and turns the case takes.  Including how the inspector handling the case wrote a book on it indicating the parents were the culprits😊.

Who took Johnny – John David Gosch (born November 12, 1969; disappeared September 5, 1982) was a paperboy in West Des Moines, Iowa, who disappeared without a trace between 6 and 7 a.m. on September 5, 1982. He is presumed to have been kidnapped. As of 2021, there have been no arrests made and the case is now considered cold, but remains open.

His mother, Noreen Gosch, claimed that Johnny escaped from his captors and visited her with an unidentified man in March 1997. She claimed that her son told her that he had been the victim of a pedophile organization and had been cast aside when he was 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 or not such a visit actually occurred. Many have also speculated that the visit did occur, but it was someone else pretending to be Johnny. Authorities have not located Gosch or confirmed Noreen Gosch's account, and his fate continues to be the subject of speculation, conspiracy theories, and dispute.

The case received huge publicity in 2006 when his mother claimed to have found photographs on her doorstep depicting Gosch in captivity. Some of the photos received were claimed to be children from a case in Florida, but one boy in the photos was never identified. Noreen Gosch insists that boy is Johnny.

Gosch's picture was among the first to be featured on milk cartons as part of a campaign to find missing children.

Excellent documentary that gives detailed info on the case.  Well worth the watch for the various turns that the case makes.

Who killed Garrett Philips – This a 2019 documentary in two parts by American film director and producer Liz Garbus.

On Oct. 24, 2011, 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was murdered in his home in Potsdam, a small town in upstate New York. Police quickly suspected Oral "Nick" Hillary, a Jamaican man in the mostly white community, who was a soccer coach at Clarkson University and the ex-boyfriend of Garrett's mother, Tandy Cyrus. The documentary chronicles the years following the murder including the interrogation, arrest, and trial for second degree murder of Nick Hillary, the prime suspect. He opted to be tried by a judge and was acquitted. In the course of the trial, it is revealed that public state prosecutor, Mary E. Rain withheld exculpatory evidence from the defense. This, and additional instances of professional misconduct, led to Rain being banned for two-years from practicing law.

Excellent documentary!

Cheers till next time!

Today’s Observation

Being in business is like riding cycle; either you keep moving or you will fall! 😊