MISSING: AUTISTIC CHILD, MADDOX RITCH - 6YS OLD - NORTH CAROLINA

[HairOfTheDog]

Authorities searching for a missing boy in a large North Carolina park in Gastonia are filling the woods with the sound of his parents’ voices, hoping to draw his attention and end a three-day search.



Maddox Scott Ritch, 6-years-old, is autistic and described as non-verbal.  He was last seen Saturday in Rankin Lake Park, Gastonia.

On Monday, local, state and federal authorities expanded their search two miles beyond the park’s boundaries, city police said.

Maddox’s parents worked with law enforcement to record messages that search teams are piping into the park in an attempt to coax him out if he is nearby, FBI supervisory special agent Jason Kaplan said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

“If he’s lost in the woods, he’ll be able to hear those messages played, and we’re hoping that he’ll come to the words of his mother and his father,” Kaplan said.

The city park’s large grounds include trails and paved walking paths, an 80-acre lake, about a dozen picnic shelters and an 18-hole disc golf course, according to Gastonia's website.

https://fox8.com/2018/09/25/fbi-uses-rec...olina-boy/

[HairOfTheDog]

We've covered several cases of autistic children going missing over the years.

A couple were found in deep hiding.

Almost all of the rest were found dead in a nearby body of water, so it makes me nervous that there's a large lake at the Gastonia Park.



Hoping Maddox is found burrowed somewhere safe today.  

[Duchess]

I saw this story on the news early this morning  :(

[HairOfTheDog]

I saw this story on the news early this morning  :(

Maddox has been missing for 5 days now.  :(

I hope his dad's story is true, but LE definitely has to consider otherwise given he's the last person to see Maddox.

LE has reportedly drained the park's lake and searched the park thoroughly.  They've expanded the search area, employed drones, and followed up on dozens of tips.  


Dad Ian Ritch ^ says that they were walking along the lake trails (with another adult) and Maddox got too far ahead of him and then just disappeared.  Mr. Rich says he feels so guilty and people look at him like he's a monster.

I don't know anything about whether Maddox's parents lived together or custody or anything of that nature, but I'm curious.

The latest:  https://www.ksn.com/news/national-world/...1473597879

[HairOfTheDog]

Carrie Ritch is Maddox's mom.  

She held a press conference yesterday where she pleaded for help locating her child.  Heartbreaking.



“I just want my baby home, please,” Carrie said. “Whatever you can do. Maddox is my whole world, and my reason for living. He’s momma’s boy.” “I want my baby back in my arms,” she added.

“If you were at the park Saturday and saw Maddox, please, urgently, please, call the tip line, please,” Carrie said on Tuesday. “Maddox loves the park. He loves bouncy balls and he loves his teddy bear. His smile is so contagious and his laughter so precious. If you think that you have seen Maddox, please reach out to police.”

https://people.com/human-interest/missin...or-return/

[sally]

It's like the Deorr Kunz story. I find the fathers story hard to believe.

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah, Maddox even looks a little like Deorr, who would be about Maddox's age now.

I always think about Deorr when I see a little blond toddler.

Deorr's mom and dad know exactly what happened to him, in my opinion.

I'm hoping Maddox's dad had nothing to do with his disappearance. But, LE is releasing very little information and it's hard to imagine that Maddox would have been able to just disappear in broad daylight if dad had really been walking right behind him like he claims.

[Carsman]

Yeah, Maddox even looks a little like Deorr, who would be about Maddox's age now.  

I always think about Deorr when I see a little blond toddler.

Deorr's mom and dad know exactly what happened to him, in my opinion.  

I'm hoping Maddox dad had nothing to do with his disappearance.  But, LE is releasing very little information and it's hard to imagine that Maddox would have been able to just disappear in broad daylight if dad had really been walking right behind him like he claims.

BS detector buzzer just went off!

[Love Child]

Ugh. I am not a parent, so I feel I cannot judge. It is sad and I hope he is found soon.

[HairOfTheDog]

Update

The 'friend' who was with dad and Maddox in the park was dad's new girlfriend (her identity is not being released).

This is a link to a good short video interview of dad today:  https://www.wbtv.com/video/2018/09/26/cb...ian-ritch/

In the interview..........

--Dad says there were 3 people on the track ahead of him.  The track goes around the lake.

--Dad says Maddox would run ahead and then he'd run after Maddox to catch up with him and somehow Maddox got away from him.

--Dad says a guy on a bench told him he saw Maddox running and asked Maddox where his mom and dad were, but Maddox just kept running.

--The reporter says he's confused as to how Maddox could have possibly gotten out of sight/reach under those conditions.  Dad says, "there was just so much going on."

[Ski at 1SKY6]

Update

The 'friend' who was with dad and Maddox in the park was dad's new girlfriend (her identity is not being released).

This is a link to a good short video interview of dad today:  https://www.wbtv.com/video/2018/09/26/cb...ian-ritch/

In the interview..........

--Dad says there were 3 people on the track ahead of him.  The track goes around the lake.

--Dad says Maddox would run ahead and then he'd run after Maddox to catch up with him and somehow Maddox got away from him.

--Dad says a guy on a bench told him he saw Maddox running and asked Maddox where his mom and dad were, but Maddox just kept running.

--The reporter says he's confused as to how Maddox could have possibly gotten out of sight/reach under those conditions.  Dad says, "there was just so much going on."

IMO, Dad may want to enjoy his life with his new girlfriend and not be burdened with endless child support payments.  For the sake of Maddox and his mom, I hope I'm wrong.

[HairOfTheDog]

Today, police released the 911 call  that was made nearly an hour after Maddox reportedly went missing.

Rick Foxx, who works at Rankin Lake Park, made the call.  He says he doesn't believe Maddox was ever at the park that day.

"It didn't look as though, they were that concerned," Foxx said of the boy's father and his girlfriend, who was with him at the park. "I've worked there almost three years and we see everybody come in and out of that park pretty much. I didn't see that kid one time."

Also, at a news conference today, dad Ian Ritch made a desperate plea for anyone with information about his missing son to come forward.

"I just want my little boy back," Ritch said. "It's been torture. I'm not eating, not sleeping. I'm just worried about getting my little boy back."

Ritch says the boy chased after a jogger and then disappeared.

"I couldn't catch up with him. I feel guilt for letting him get so far ahead of me before I started running after him," Ian Ritch said.

Full piece:  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/maddox-ritc...r-at-park/

[Ski at 1SKY6]

A body believed to be missing boy Maddox Ritch has been found. The body was found at about 1 p.m. Thursday off Marietta Street/Old Dallas Highway in Gastonia .

[HairOfTheDog]

A body believed to be missing boy Maddox Ritch has been found. The body was found at about 1 p.m. Thursday off Marietta Street/Old Dallas Highway in Gastonia .

:(

I wonder how far that location is from the park.

Hopefully, the ME will be able to determine with certainty how long Maddox has been deceased and the cause of death.

The idea that he might have been burrowed, unable to call out, without any comfort or nutrition for days on end makes me wanna cry.  Then again, if he was killed, it's awful too (but likely a quicker death).

Rest in Peace.

[Ski at 1SKY6]

A body believed to be missing boy Maddox Ritch has been found. The body was found at about 1 p.m. Thursday off Marietta Street/Old Dallas Highway in Gastonia .

:(

I wonder how far that location is from the park.

Hopefully, the ME will be able to determine with certainty how long Maddox has been deceased and the cause of death.

The idea that he might have been burrowed, unable to call out, without any comfort or nutrition for days on end makes me wanna cry.  Then again, if he was killed, it's awful too (but likely a quicker death).

Rest in Peace.

Not more than a mile. I have been there and Rankin Lake Rd goes directly from the site where Maddox was last seen and crosses Rte 321 and dead ends into Old Dallas Hwy.

[HairOfTheDog]

Thanks Ski.

It's certainly possible that Maddox could have wandered off and hidden there.

You'd think someone would have noticed a little boy in an orange shirt wandering along the road all by himself, but I think the park was popular and likely teeming with kids on the weekend. So, maybe it didn't stand out to anyone (but the man by the lake) if he did indeed wander off.

[Ski at 1SKY6]

Thanks Ski.  

It's certainly possible that Maddox could have wandered off and hidden there.  

You'd think someone would have noticed a little boy in an orange shirt wandering along the road all by himself, but I think the park was popular and likely teaming with kids on the weekend.  So, maybe it didn't stand out to anyone (but the man by the lake) if he did indeed wander off.

321 is a busy highway. If I remember correctly it's 6 lanes with a lot of traffic. I doubt Maddox would have made it across the road safely. It is possible he was kidnapped and dropped where he was later found. It is also possible he fell in the water and floated to the location. There is a stream that flows into or out of Rankin Lake and it goes under a bridge on Old Dallas Hwy. That bridge is also very near to the Lake.

[HairOfTheDog]

Thanks for the helpful info Ski.

It's definitely possible that Maddox got snatched and dumped (but I think it's more likely that the kidnapper would have taken him further away from the park in that case).

If he instead fell into the lake and ended up on that road, the ME should be able to determine drowning as the cause of death quickly.

[Ski at 1SKY6]

Police seem to suggest the child's murder happened under very strange circumstances.........Maddox’s body was partially submerged in about two to three feet of water. The area, thick with underbrush, was searched numerous times..........According to some reports, the body was severely mutilated, with scratches and bruises. More information about the condition of the body was not noted.

https://usareally.com/1572-missing-6-yea...cumstances

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't think that's a credible story, Ski.

There are no reports from LE or officials claiming that Maddox was 'murdered' or 'mutilated'.

LE is waiting for the ME to finish the autopsy for cause of death and imploring witnesses who were in the park that day to come forward in order to get a better idea of the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/l...71475.html