6 year old missing in Gaston County. (1 Viewer)
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Body believed to be missing 6-year-old North Carolina boy found, FBI confirms
A body believed to be the 6-year-old boy with autism who went missing last week has been found.
The FBI tweeted, “With heavy hearts we announce a body believed to be 6-year-old Maddox Ritch was found at approximately 1 p.m. off of Marietta Street/Old Dallas Highway in Gastonia. Maddox’s parents have been notified of the discovery. The investigation is ongoing.”
Maddox Ritch disappeared after his father said he lost sight of him at the Rankin Lake Park when he took off running.
Maddox's father, Ian Ritch, said he and a friend were walking with Maddox in the park when his son ran ahead, likely triggered by a passing jogger. Maddox was about 25 to 30 feet away when he broke into a sprint, Ritch said.
Ritch said he "was giving him just a little leeway, freedom" when he let him run up ahead, but he had a clear view of his son.
Maddox often runs ahead of him but would usually slow down and stop to give him time to catch up, Ritch said.
"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," Ritch told reporters.
FBI Charlotte confirms: Believe they've found the body of missing 6-year-old
A body believed to be the 6-year-old boy with autism who went missing last week has been found.
The FBI tweeted, “With heavy hearts we announce a body believed to be 6-year-old Maddox Ritch was found at approximately 1 p.m. off of Marietta Street/Old Dallas Highway in Gastonia. Maddox’s parents have been notified of the discovery. The investigation is ongoing.”
Maddox Ritch disappeared after his father said he lost sight of him at the Rankin Lake Park when he took off running.
Maddox's father, Ian Ritch, said he and a friend were walking with Maddox in the park when his son ran ahead, likely triggered by a passing jogger. Maddox was about 25 to 30 feet away when he broke into a sprint, Ritch said.
Ritch said he "was giving him just a little leeway, freedom" when he let him run up ahead, but he had a clear view of his son.
Maddox often runs ahead of him but would usually slow down and stop to give him time to catch up, Ritch said.
"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," Ritch told reporters.
FBI Charlotte confirms: Believe they've found the body of missing 6-year-old
11 or so miles from the park
Burnt Öfferings
daddy clothes
Turns out daddy's "friend" was his girlfriend
https://www.wfmy.com/article/news/l...er-at-park-where-he-went-missing/83-598601271
"It didn't look as though, they were that concerned," Rick Foxx said of the boy's father and his girlfriend, who was with him at the park.
'I'm Not Eating, Not Sleeping, I Just Want To Get My Little Boy Back': Ian Ritch
'I Didn't See That Kid One Time' | 911 Caller Doesn't Think Maddox Ritch Was Ever At Park
"It didn't look as though, they were that concerned," Rick Foxx said of the boy's father and his girlfriend, who was with him at the park.
LOCAL
Author:CBS News
Published:9:27 AM EDT September 27, 2018
Updated:10:28 AM EDT September 27, 2018
The father of a missing 6-year-old boy with autism says his son ran away from him in a park last Saturday in North Carolina and he couldn't catch him. The FBI and over 300 officers are searching the more than 240-acre park, including a lake.
Investigators say they need more people who were at Rankin Lake Park last weekend to come forward. Maddox's father Ian Ritch was the last person to see him while walking with him and his girlfriend.
Police released the 911 call Wednesday that was made nearly an hour after Maddox went missing. Rick Foxx, who works at Rankin Lake Park, made the call. He doesn't believe Maddox was ever there.
"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."
The FBI previously said it had evidence Maddox was at the park Saturday, but has never explained what that evidence is. Ritch told CBS News he took two polygraph tests, but the FBI would not comment on the results. The park remains closed until further notice.
https://www.wfmy.com/article/news/l...er-at-park-where-he-went-missing/83-598601271
"It didn't look as though, they were that concerned," Rick Foxx said of the boy's father and his girlfriend, who was with him at the park.
'I'm Not Eating, Not Sleeping, I Just Want To Get My Little Boy Back': Ian Ritch
'I Didn't See That Kid One Time' | 911 Caller Doesn't Think Maddox Ritch Was Ever At Park
"It didn't look as though, they were that concerned," Rick Foxx said of the boy's father and his girlfriend, who was with him at the park.
LOCAL
Author:CBS News
Published:9:27 AM EDT September 27, 2018
Updated:10:28 AM EDT September 27, 2018
The father of a missing 6-year-old boy with autism says his son ran away from him in a park last Saturday in North Carolina and he couldn't catch him. The FBI and over 300 officers are searching the more than 240-acre park, including a lake.
Investigators say they need more people who were at Rankin Lake Park last weekend to come forward. Maddox's father Ian Ritch was the last person to see him while walking with him and his girlfriend.
Police released the 911 call Wednesday that was made nearly an hour after Maddox went missing. Rick Foxx, who works at Rankin Lake Park, made the call. He doesn't believe Maddox was ever there.
"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."
The FBI previously said it had evidence Maddox was at the park Saturday, but has never explained what that evidence is. Ritch told CBS News he took two polygraph tests, but the FBI would not comment on the results. The park remains closed until further notice.
11 miles me thinks something horrible happened to that kid.
Turns out daddy's "friend" was his girlfriend
https://www.wfmy.com/article/news/l...er-at-park-where-he-went-missing/83-598601271
"It didn't look as though, they were that concerned," Rick Foxx said of the boy's father and his girlfriend, who was with him at the park.
'I'm Not Eating, Not Sleeping, I Just Want To Get My Little Boy Back': Ian Ritch
'I Didn't See That Kid One Time' | 911 Caller Doesn't Think Maddox Ritch Was Ever At Park
"It didn't look as though, they were that concerned," Rick Foxx said of the boy's father and his girlfriend, who was with him at the park.
LOCAL
Author:CBS News
Published:9:27 AM EDT September 27, 2018
Updated:10:28 AM EDT September 27, 2018
The father of a missing 6-year-old boy with autism says his son ran away from him in a park last Saturday in North Carolina and he couldn't catch him. The FBI and over 300 officers are searching the more than 240-acre park, including a lake.
Investigators say they need more people who were at Rankin Lake Park last weekend to come forward. Maddox's father Ian Ritch was the last person to see him while walking with him and his girlfriend.
Police released the 911 call Wednesday that was made nearly an hour after Maddox went missing. Rick Foxx, who works at Rankin Lake Park, made the call. He doesn't believe Maddox was ever there.
"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."
The FBI previously said it had evidence Maddox was at the park Saturday, but has never explained what that evidence is. Ritch told CBS News he took two polygraph tests, but the FBI would not comment on the results. The park remains closed until further notice.
GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) — The chief of a North Carolina police department said Thursday he was "heartbroken" over the discovery of a body believed to be that of a missing 6-year-old boy.
Gastonia Police Chief Robert Helton fought back tears and a breaking voice during a news conference in which it was announced officials believed the body searchers found was that of Maddox Ritch.
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Gastonia Fire Chief Phil Welch said the body was found in a creek, slightly more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) east of Rankin Lake Park, by a searcher who was walking down the middle of the creek as his partners stood on the bank. He said the area had been searched previously by drones, all-terrain vehicles and foot patrols.
Welch said a crew of 15 searchers returned to the creek and discovered the body.
"There is no sense of accomplishment here today," Welch said. "There is grieving down at our command post."
FBI agent Jason Kaplan, also fighting tears, said the investigation into what happened to Maddox will continue. He said the water wasn't more than 3 feet (0.9 meters) deep at the spot where the body was found, adding that it's too early to say whether foul play was involved. Neither he nor the other officials would provide additional details regarding the body being found, including how long the body had been in the creek.
Last Saturday, Maddox Ritch's father said the boy ran off from him and a friend at the park and disappeared before he could catch up to him.
The news release says the boy's parents have been notified about the body being found, and police scheduled a news conference for later in the afternoon.
Both parents went before the media this week to plead for any information that would lead to the discovery of Maddox, who was autistic. On Wednesday, Ian Ritch appeared on national television and at a news conference to repeat the pleas.
According to the boy's father, Ian Ritch, Maddox was about 25 feet to 30 feet (7 meters to 9 meters) away before he broke into a sprint just as a jogger passed them. The father said he is a diabetic and because he has neuropathy in his feet, he has trouble running.
"He likes running," Ritch said. "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."
Ritch said the boy looked back at him and laughed, adding that he would slow down and then speed up again. With the help of the friend, Ritch searched for his son but couldn't find him. Park personnel also joined in the search but didn't see Maddox, either. After an hour, Ritch called 911, saying he delayed that call because he thought he would find his son and there was no reason to call police.
Weird they say "Gastonia Fire Chief Phil Welch said the body was found in a creek, slightly more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) east of Rankin LakePark,
But the road the listed earlier where he was found is about 11iles from the park
But the road the listed earlier where he was found is about 11iles from the park
They fuck up often on things like that. 11 miles would have been on the other side of the county. They would not have been walk searching that far away.
when you map where the park is to the road they originally said they found him on its 11 miles away. Now they saying they found him In a creek else where .
Guess come tomorrow they will have their details straight
Guess come tomorrow they will have their details straight
The roads they mention; marieta, mlk and old dallas rd are the same road. Depends on where he was. I say he followed the creek out of the park
yes, he probably ran until he got to the creek, then went along it like a path. his disability stacked the cards against him.
stoneforest
nice touch
"i feel guilt..." says the father who is 100% responsible for the death of his son. maybe if you aren't healthy enough to run and your 6-year-old autistic nonverbal son likes to run, you shouldn't be the one to take him out to run, ya dumb twat. (from the looks of it, maybe his mother should have taken him out on a couple of those runs. just a thought.)
Plus who let's a normal healthy 6 year old run out of their sight let alone a non verbal autistic child? Doesn't make sense. He deserves jail
'It's been hard to sleep' how could you even try to sleep when your 6 year old is missing? i also noticed how the dad blinks at certain points when saying key points in the interview, your eyes automatically shut to hide the lie 
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