Found Deceased NC - Maddox Ritch, 6 w/Autism, Gastonia, 22 Sept 2018 #2

[SuperTmo]

<modsnipped quoted post>

Yes, this is my stance. I don’t think they intended for anything bad to happen.

 

[Gardener1850]

I’m not sure why him being arrested is being brought up. I never implied he should be punished.

RSBM.
Because people are comparing the dad to the dad in the Cooper Harris case.

 

[Gardener1850]

Good Morning,

Please stop insinuating, hinting, saying outright that either parent is suspicious. There has been not a whiff of suspicion from law enforcement that either parent is involved in their child's death.

Final warning. From here on out timeouts and bans will start.

Tricia

Bumping Tricia's post.

 

[SuperTmo]

The child ran out of his sight. Perhaps he could not see him on the trail when he went in the woods. Obviously you have never been to this park since you haven't answered that question. Would you say the things you are saying to Maddox's grieving parents if you met them? Would you ask them if they really were not telling the truth despite the FBI saying their account seems accurate and the father saying he passed a polygraph? Do you want the dad to be charged with neglect?

I’d bet you my house that his grieving mother is asking his father these same questions.

 

[Gardener1850]

Let's drop the toy selling discussion, everyone.

If it's not in a MSM link, it shouldn't be discussed here. Maddox's parents are considered victims. Let's not pile on to their grief by repeating social media rumors.

Bringing forward Liltexan's reminder.

 

[Buddha_with_mace]

I will wait and see if there is a reason to have utter disdain for the park ranger or not. I admit, it was a bold statement by him. However, it's in the back of my mind- why would he risk losing a job that he loved, his own reputation, and go against what LE and the FBI said? He seemed genuinely upset, he made the call to 911 himself without much information about Maddox, and he went searching for him, too. What did he have to gain by making such a statement?

Oh I don't have disdain at him for the context of his statement, I have disdain at him for telling the world! There was no need, nobody but the police needed to know.

 

[SuperTmo]

RSBM.
Because people are comparing the dad to the dad in the Cooper Harris case.

Have you ever seen me compare him to Ross Harris?? I have consistently said I think this was a terrible lapse in judgement with a horrible outcome. IMO there is no comparison here. Justin Ross Harris made a choice to kill Cooper Harris that day. Actually multiple choices because he could have rescued his son any number of times.

Please don’t quote my post and put words in my mouth about him being arrested because someone else brought a dad who intentionally killed his son. That isn’t this. I have consistently said I don’t think the dad harmed his child or meant for this to happen. But that doesn’t mean I need to believe every single word he says.

 

[Buddha_with_mace]

IMO the park ranger guy was obviously upset and concerned and though he may have spoken out of turn, HE is the one who was actually there and was able to form an opinion of the circumstances and reactions of those involved. He clearly found it suspicious and that's ok. Whether or not it should have aired is a different story but I personally can't fault him for speaking what was on his mind about a very troubling situation he was part of. It's actually, I think, better to have his firsthand original information than for him to have sat on it for awhile and it fades a bit in his memory. Again, IMO.

Yes, I agree, but to the police, not to media who in turn report it to the world when there is a father who could very well be innocent, that doesn't gain anything at all.

 

[DisturbedConcerned]

The line in blue indicates the best I can determine the general area they were in and in what direction Maddox was puportedly running. Note that this imagery date is one year ago as opposed to the Winter 2018 imagery date which is absent a full season of vegitation growth.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I think it's safe to say that LE knows a lot more about what transpired last Saturday in the park than they are making public. Ian mentioned in one of his interviews that he and the girlfriend had been "separated" a few times for questioning. I'm sure LE has a pretty clear picture of what the dad and girlfriend were doing when Maddox got out of their sight, exactly where they were, and establishing a fairly accurate timeline of what transpired. That said, LE still seems to want corroborating evidence from other park visitors. Hopefully, even though it hasn't been reported by media, people who were in the park last Saturday have contacted LE with said information. I trust we will learn a lot more when autopsy results are released. Cause and time of death will be crucial.

 

[DavidQT69]

This incident has affected everybody, from us local Gaston County residents, to everybody in the nation. But I think it's important to note that A) his father has passed several polygraph tests, and B) His parents are still to be considered victims! It is well-known & documented that Autistic children 99% of the time always gravitate toward the water! I have found a couple of them this way myself during autistic child searches I've been apart of... Part of this is because they exhibit a fearlessness about them associated with their deficit. He was found in the creek in a couple feet depth of water. Not to mention, the FBI among other Law Enforcement agencies are investigating this. There is nothing right now, at this point, that points toward the father (or any other family members for that matter) being a suspect or suspected to be involved in something maleficent. In conclusion, please remember their child that was found dead in a creek & his parents are visibly devastated! We need to consider that before some of us go around pointing fingers at them on social media for the world to see when there's nothing to substantiate any wrongdoing on their part!

 

[DisturbedConcerned]

Is it possible to walk directly to the creek without going down the footpath that goes under 321? It is unclear as to there being fences or if the child was a fence climber.

On this imagery, does this generally indicate where they were and in which direction the child was running?

Were there many other people there?

Thank you for the helpful information I've no reason to consider any way other than as facts.

I know you guys have some fine tracking dogs, did they indicate at what point he entered the water?

Also, how swollen and fast flowing was that creek after record rainfalls before and some after he went missing?

Enough to carry his body downstream?

Thank you very much, I am glad his father and friend are not suspected of wrong doing.

(Gaston County Local First Responder) This incident has affected everybody, from us local Gaston County residents, to everybody in the nation. But I think it's important to note that A) his father has passed several polygraph tests, and B) His parents are still to be considered victims! It is well-known & documented that Autistic children 99% of the time always gravitate toward the water! I have found a couple of them this way myself during autistic child searches I've been apart of... Part of this is because they exhibit a fearlessness about them associated with their deficit. He was found in the creek in a couple feet depth of water. Not to mention, the FBI among other Law Enforcement agencies are investigating this. There is nothing right now, at this point, that points toward the father (or any other family members for that matter) being a suspect or suspected to be involved in something maleficent. In conclusion, please remember their child that was found dead in a creek & his parents are visibly devastated! We need to consider that before some of us go around pointing fingers at them on social media for the world to see when there's nothing to substantiate any wrongdoing on their part!

 

[Buddha_with_mace]

This thread is turning into sleuthing how much of a fit parent the father is and not how did Maddox die or, if murdered, who killed him? Which is the topic we are supposed to be discussing. No parent is perfect, NONE, we all make mistakes when parenting, every single one of use, even if some people would never admit it. The fact is, the father lost sight of Maddox, the bit we need to know if how did Maddox die. The police say they have proof that Maddox was at the park, so theories regarding Maddox never having been at the park don't fit.

 

[Lillymac]

I have no reason to doubt what they say they saw. I do however, have some questions

She says he came up behind them on the path around the lake, and her mom tried to talk to him.
“I can remember her looking over and asking him ‘hey buddy are you tired?’ because he had just been skipping, jogging, being a kid,”


"How did they know he had been skipping and jogging if he came up behind them?"


“I knew immediately that was him, because I can remember seeing him, and then he was in front of me. I can just remember it to a T,” Sheppard said.

If maddox was then in front of her
did they see his dad chasing him? Did he pass them?
Did they her Dad shouting Maddox's name.? I think that would be etched on any ones mind if they did hear that.

ETA

If not, why?

Because believe me, if i lost site of my son i would be screaming from the top of my voice.


???

And she also says he was running Towards the park office. What time was this and what is the proximity of the park office as to where he was found?

 

[Gardener1850]

This incident has affected everybody, from us local Gaston County residents, to everybody in the nation. But I think it's important to note that A) his father has passed several polygraph tests, and B) His parents are still to be considered victims! It is well-known & documented that Autistic children 99% of the time always gravitate toward the water! I have found a couple of them this way myself during autistic child searches I've been apart of... Part of this is because they exhibit a fearlessness about them associated with their deficit. He was found in the creek in a couple feet depth of water. Not to mention, the FBI among other Law Enforcement agencies are investigating this. There is nothing right now, at this point, that points toward the father (or any other family members for that matter) being a suspect or suspected to be involved in something maleficent. In conclusion, please remember their child that was found dead in a creek & his parents are visibly devastated! We need to consider that before some of us go around pointing fingers at them on social media for the world to see when there's nothing to substantiate any wrongdoing on their part!

I agree 100%. Welcome to Websleuths DavidQT69 and thank you for your service as a Firefighter, EMT and investigator.

 

[DisturbedConcerned]

And she also says he was running Towards the park office. What time was this and what is the proximity of the park office as to where he was found?

See post #641 posed to a local first responder that shared some facts.

The image included indicates where and the direction I was able to discern he was running right before he went missing based on Ian's statements describing what happened to the press. If I am correct, Brooke and her mother had their "run in" with Maddox before his lightning bolt run away from the guardians.

 

[SassyCavalier]

This thread is turning into sleuthing how much of a fit parent the father is and not how did Maddox die or, if murdered, who killed him? Which is the topic we are supposed to be discussing. No parent is perfect, NONE, we all make mistakes when parenting, every single one of use, even if some people would never admit it. The fact is, the father lost sight of Maddox, the bit we need to know if how did Maddox die. The police say they have proof that Maddox was at the park, so theories regarding Maddox never having been at the park don't fit.

Autopsy. When is that due? Very much awaiting it......

 

[rosesfromangels]

Would you ask them if they really were not telling the truth despite the FBI saying their account seems accurate and the father saying he passed a polygraph? Do you want the dad to be charged with neglect?

Respectfully snipped for focus.
We don't have enough jails for all the neglectful parents. True that in most cases the children don't die, but then again, there are probably more "accidents" that are really the result of neglect than than we know.

In this case, we can speculate on the level of supervision the child was receiving, but we just don't know for sure. What we do know is that a man now has the rest of his life to reflect on that day, and what he could have done to prevent the tragic outcome. That punishment is worse than any judgement we could ever impose upon him. Little Maddox no longer has earthly concerns; I believe it is his father that needs the prayers most at this point. I truly hope that he will find a way to make something good of this horribly tragic event.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[Lillymac]

See post #641 posed to a local first responder that shared some facts.

The image included indicates where and the direction I was able to discern he was running right before he went missing based on Ian's statements describing what happened to the press. If I am correct, Brooke and her mother had their "run in" with Maddox before his lightning bolt run away from the guardians.

Thanks for this info. I checked before posting, but I obviously missed it.
BTW I'm new on the forum and can't seem to locate the number of the posts...where are they?

 

[rosesfromangels]

This incident has affected everybody, from us local Gaston County residents, to everybody in the nation. But I think it's important to note that A) his father has passed several polygraph tests, and B) His parents are still to be considered victims! It is well-known & documented that Autistic children 99% of the time always gravitate toward the water! I have found a couple of them this way myself during autistic child searches I've been apart of... Part of this is because they exhibit a fearlessness about them associated with their deficit. He was found in the creek in a couple feet depth of water. Not to mention, the FBI among other Law Enforcement agencies are investigating this. There is nothing right now, at this point, that points toward the father (or any other family members for that matter) being a suspect or suspected to be involved in something maleficent. In conclusion, please remember their child that was found dead in a creek & his parents are visibly devastated! We need to consider that before some of us go around pointing fingers at them on social media for the world to see when there's nothing to substantiate any wrongdoing on their part!

Welcome David, and thank you for being one of our Hero responders! Great first post, and agree with you completely. The pain of losing a child and then having people judge and point fingers is beyond cruel. My prayers are with the family, and the community.