Twelve-year-old John Jack Hanrahan was last seen on May 20, 1979, at Gage Bowl in Topeka, Kansas. Ten days later his body was found in a creek in neighboring Osage County, and investigators concluded he had been murdered.

The investigation attracted major media attention that summer. Early in the inquiry a man named William R. Gautney was charged in connection with the killing. The case later went cold, but in January 1989 Thomas A. Berberich allegedly confessed to the murder during a counseling session. Berberich, who had prior felony convictions, was not charged on those allegations until January 1998, when he faced kidnapping and first-degree murder counts.

The prosecution relied heavily on the alleged confession, but the counselor who heard it was not licensed at the time and a trial court ruled the statements privileged and inadmissible, complicating the case against Berberich. Does anyone have information about John’s last known movements at Gage Bowl or about the original investigation in Topeka?