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

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njbchgal said:
Seeing that one map I was like wow....he got that far on his own? No one around seeing a 6 year old by himself, I notice right away when I am out and about and I don't see a parent right next to a child(because honestly as a mom it seriously pisses me off people do that) ...I am sorry I would keep an eye on Maddox to see where the parent is? So strange that one person tried to talk to him and he took off, I would be looking around for a parent to catch up. Just my opinion, but my instincts are always on.
Click to expand...
I would have done same as you..
I have done in the past,not having a go at the lady in ranking park,but its just the way I am..x
 
BetteDavisEyes said:
I am "up north" on Mackinac Island and have difficulty seeing on DH's laptop. I caught up on posts from Sunday and am surprised that there has been no update on progress in the case. Perhaps LE will share more after Maddox is laid to rest.
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I sure hope so. I just realized that the lady who saw Maddox said he was running towards the park office. I don't know why that didn't sink in earlier. I can't gel that with him veering off in the opposite direction towards the greenway. Sigh, just when it all starts making sense...
Woman remembers day she saw Maddox Ritch at park

O/T BDE I love that area this time of year. Enjoy the Fall colors!
 
MsMarple said:
I sure hope so. I just realized that the lady who saw Maddox said he was running towards the park office. I don't know why that didn't sink in earlier. I can't gel that with him veering off in the opposite direction towards the greenway. Sigh, just when it all starts making sense...
Woman remembers day she saw Maddox Ritch at park

O/T BDE I love that area this time of year. Enjoy the Fall colors!
Click to expand...

Here's a map of the buildings
https://www.cityofgastonia.com/images/files/parks_recreation/documents/RankinLakeMap.pdf

I'm unclear on where the women who saw him were walking (which side of the office/which trail?) but that map shows a smaller creek (Kaylor Branch) near the office that connects to Long Creek where he was found. Could he have fallen into Kaylor Branch and washed all the way down Long Creek by the heavy rain? They had just had rain from Florence and had at least one major rain storm before they found him. The creeks could have been much higher than normal. :(
 
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mgoldsberry said:
I've followed diffrent cases on websleuths for years but I have never posted. I have to say it's certainly one of the most respectful and compassionate forums that I've witnessed of this nature. My comment is a bit of a side note but I feel compelled to give my prospective regarding the comments concerning the father being on the spectrum.
I am high functioning as is my father, my daughter and my son. You can't tell by just seeing or listening to someone but there are what appears to be traits in Ian Ritch. I was actually discussing this with my husband a couple of days ago and told him I was glad to see so many people on this site that were willing to accept the dad may process differently regardless of the reason. In emergency or highly emotional situations, I rarely act in typical manner but I usually mask so well that most people never know why. Masking well is helpful in every day life but could really be detrimental in emergency situations in which you don't react as expected. I always over react or under react never in the middle. I feel like I would shut down and be nonverbal myself or completely freak out and lose it if anything ever happened to one of my children but I have no idea how I would actually react. As a person on the spectrum as well as parent of children on the spectrum that is another constant worry.
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thank you for your post.
 
This was my transcript from a few days ago: and I still can’t visualize which way?

Reporter "Ian you said he was 25, 30 ft in front of you when did you actually first lose sight of him?"

Dad "around on the other side of the lake"

Reporter "at any point did he acknowledge you or acknowledge that you were trying to catch up ?"

Dad "oh several times he would looked back and at me and he'd laugh
like he normally does, he enjoys laughing at me trying to catch up with him"

Reporter "did that not slow him down at all?"

Dad "he would slow down a little then pace himself back up"

Reporter "so Ian just so we can see that, you said as he got around the lake is that going over towards the shooting range where he was going?

Dad "no he was going back towards office where the boat landing is"

Reporter "so you guys where over, over towards that way, is that where you where? (Dad "right") Reporter "and he was coming back toward the parking lot?
Dad "right"
 
Thank you, heartgoesout! That's the interview that just totally gets me scratching my head. There's just so many different things he's saying. I didn't know you had done a transcript. I tried to, but, I gave up.
The thing that's odd, is, the interviewer gave him every opportunity to explain how he couldn't catch up to Maddox. Why not explain about his neuropathy when the guy is asking that question in almost disbelief?
 
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Can anyone explain what direction the two of them were heading in relation to that map above? North to South?

If so.... then that boy would have gone in front of that large parking area where a bad person could have been. Also, that small stream there Kaylor Branch is not capable of moving his body that length to Long Creek.

I am just scratching my head how this kid could get into Long Creek by himself?

Did he "lose" his Dad and then take a wrong turn and coming back via the shelters? Got lost and went into Long Creek?

Is there a map showing spots where all this happened?
 
Maddox4.jpg Here's my pic that I posted yesterday. I added the likely route that Maddox took and also the green line where the walkway heads to the park office and boat ramp.

I put ?? on the two green lines because that's what I'm confused about. If they were approaching the office from the south then the lady's story makes sense. If they were coming from the north then it doesn't. Sorry for the lousy graphics!

Also, yesterday someone posted (sorry I can't remember who) that they talked to someone who knows the creeks and that person said there's a dam in Long Creek right before it crosses under Old Dallas Rd. so Maddox couldn't have been swept by the water to his final resting spot.
 
Is there a charge to go into the park. Are cars tagged at all? Is the only way into the park thru the park entrance or can it be entered thru the woods?
Are there cameras at the entrance? And do you leave the park thru the same way you come in?
 
heartgoesout said:
This was my transcript from a few days ago: and I still can’t visualize which way?

Reporter "Ian you said he was 25, 30 ft in front of you when did you actually first lose sight of him?"

Dad "around on the other side of the lake"

Reporter "at any point did he acknowledge you or acknowledge that you were trying to catch up ?"

Dad "oh several times he would looked back and at me and he'd laugh
like he normally does, he enjoys laughing at me trying to catch up with him"

Reporter "did that not slow him down at all?"

Dad "he would slow down a little then pace himself back up"

Reporter "so Ian just so we can see that, you said as he got around the lake is that going over towards the shooting range where he was going?

Dad "no he was going back towards office where the boat landing is"

Reporter "so you guys where over, over towards that way, is that where you where? (Dad "right") Reporter "and he was coming back toward the parking lot?
Dad "right"
Click to expand...

From the start the details in this case are enough to make your head spin. Three adults were chasing him, two adults were chasing, Dad and an unidentified adult were chasing, Dad alone was chasing.

He was running toward the park office, around the lake, the other side of the lake, toward the boat landing, toward the shooting range, toward the parking lot. Over towards that way, this way.

The man on the bench, two kayakers, the woman on the trail, the jogger.

Then Dad has diabetes and neuropathy so he can’t run as fast. Was the unidentified adult able to chase?

And the fact that even after his body was found LE is still begging for people who saw him at the park to come forward.

911 wasn’t called until 40 minutes, awhile, an hour after he ran off.
 
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