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

[Jordan10]

I am going to jump in as we live in NC, and have been somewhat following the story of late locally. Theres been alot happening here so not as closely as I would have liked. <modsnipped rumor> I apologize for posting and not having read through prior pages.

 

[Jordan10]

I am going to jump in as we live in NC, and have been somewhat following the story of late locally. Theres been alot happening here so not as closely as I would have liked.<modsnipped rumor> I apologize for posting and not having read through prior pages.

or dad has diabetes? ok - never mind.

 

[Steelslady]

When the child was missing the entrance/ exit should be blocked. Hopefully more parks will implement this if possible. This park has only one entrance / exit however by time 911 was called, IF he was snatched, they had plenty of time to get gone

Not necessarily. We don't know exactly when Maddox went missing, in terms of who the last person was that saw him besides the father and what time they saw him. We don't know if Maddox himself ran that path under the bridge and got to the creek on his own, or if someone placed him there- and we don't know yet how long the poor child was deceased before he was found.

I guess a lot of questions will be answered after the autopsy is complete. I think the Fireman/EMT mentioned that they would know the results today?

 

[Jordan10]

or dad has diabetes? ok - never mind.

We have a teen on the spectrum. I believe my husband/his dad is too. This is often genetic. I saw a comment on our local new site about dad not being emotional - that might be why.

 

[Steelslady]

or dad has diabetes? ok - never mind.

I'm confused- did you mean the father couldn't run because of a medical condition, or Maddox couldn't run because of a medical condition? Sorry- I am trying to figure out what you're saying between two of your posts and just wanted to clarify. Thank you for chiming in- love to hear from the locals on here!

 

[x_files]

Not necessarily. We don't know exactly when Maddox went missing, in terms of who the last person was that saw him besides the father and what time they saw him. We don't know if Maddox himself ran that path under the bridge and got to the creek on his own, or if someone placed him there- and we don't know yet how long the poor child was deceased before he was found.

I guess a lot of questions will be answered after the autopsy is complete. I think the Fireman/EMT mentioned that they would know the results today?

If they waited over an hour to call the police the boy could have been kidnapped or ran into the creek already drowned by then.

 

[Jordan10]

Absolutely.
I think people need to hold on and wait for some information. The reports are conflicting right now from half a mile to 4 miles.

From what I've seen I think that the half mile - one mile is the most accurate. I think it's entirely possible Maddox went into the lake and was swept into the creek.

If he DID walk to the creek himself I think it will bring questions of why searches were not conducted outside the park though.




This is an amazing point. I agree.

I think the diabetes, neuropathy and possibly being on the spectrum explain all the issues people have with the father.

He was with his new girlfriend. Do we really think a new girlfriend is going to lie for this guy? Claim Maddox was with them if he wasn't? That makes zero sense. It's not even logical.

 

[heartgoesout]

"I went to the front of the lake where the parking lot area was, I turned back around, I met my girlfriend, went straight back, She went the other direction, I went one direction to look for him, and I went so far, turned around because I didn't see him any further, so I went back, went straight to the office and got staff."

Earlier, he describes that they got out the car and went straight to walking on the track and that they were all walking together, everything was great. (Prior to Maddox running off)

He also mentions that once he (Maddox) "took off running, I took the stuff out of my pockets, handed it to her to hold for me, and I took off after him"

He does seem to talk about her movements as well. What other movements of hers are you thinking he should/did know about, but didn't comment on?

It was just my observation. I'm not really looking for anything. There's not a lot of detail. So I guess that's what I'm looking for, a bit more detail in the story. Like everyone else to put the pieces together. Thanks for the link though. I forgot in his story he said they split up and she went in another direct. Wonder how long they were apart.

 

[IceIce9]

or isn't really his gf, just a friend after all? Not sure.

In the interview linked above, he refers to her as a friend, then when pressed by the reporter he admits it is his girlfriend. When asked how long he said a couple of months.

 

[Hatfield]

Ok, this just occurred to me- when Maddox was missing and the police and the Mom show up and the search starts- why didn't they hold the folks in the park until the search for the child was over? Just in case someone was trying to kidnap him? Did they interview any of those people that were there already before they left for the park? None of those folks had a clue Maddox was missing, nor did any of them stop what they were doing and try to help search with the police, parents, and park ranger?

Has this bothered anyone else? Especially with the police posting daily that if anyone was at the park at the time Maddox went missing, to please call them. They didn't have other police available to watch the park goers, just in case he was with one of them?

JMO
I have not followed this case too closely but I did watch quite a bit of the news tapes that were taped about the time he was found.

Assuming the boy just got lost like has been told then what bothers me the most is something the news touched on.

The news mentioned that search authorities kept the perimeter to mainly within the park grounds and its only after a number of days where they decided to expand the perimeter 2 more miles or so outside the park and then all of a sudden he is found.

From past cases I think the way search authorites approach these cases needs to be changed.

For one I think there should be a portion of the search group broken apart from the main group that would charge out to much farther extremes and work their way back into the main search area.

For example in this case it sounds like there were over 100 people or more helping with the search. A portion of that group could have been taken to way outside the area in the most logical direction the boy traveled and plant them about 5-6 miles out and then have them work back toward the main search group.

It sounded from the news that authorities were moving painfully slow in trying to do everything by the letter and making sure people do not get hurt. That is a good thing but when time is of the essence there also needs to be some haste and some willing to go out past the known areas to work backwards towards them.

Secondly IMO nobody should ever be turned away from helping to search. The news made it sound like there were lots of people that would have gladly joined the search and they were held back from participating. Im not sure what people they were referring to but this should not ever happen. Boots on the ground is what is needed and if there is a call to help search then anybody and everybody willing to search should be allowed to and they should be assigned to areas that still need covered.

There has been multiple cases now where I have heard about volunteers that were not allowed to participate and to me that is inexcusable when time is of the essence. I know we always have to keep safety in mind but if properly handled then that particular search could have used 500 searchers and not just a couple hundred. I can almost guarantee that if there would have been a news call for more searchers needed then people would have come out to help. And from the reporting there were quite a few that were not asked to help and they were already there watching from outside the perimeter and were told to stay back. That is just stupid to me to waiste people that are ready and able to help. That land around there was not like a mountain or anything. It was fairly flat land. Sure it was wooded and had some creeks but it was not super rugged terrain. Dense yes but not super rugged. The Rocky Mountains is super rugged. Not this place. So I think many more searchers could have been utlized.

With all that said I totally understand its easy to be critical after the fact but we have talked about this sort of thing in other past searchers so its not like its new ideas or anything. I think we sometimes have trouble changing old methods that may have worked in the past in different situations. This situation was unique in that it had a boy that could not care for himself so time was of the essence. If it had been an adult then maybe the person could have survived longer on their own but with this particular boy it was a dire emergency to find him as soon as possible.

Anyhow those are the two main ideas for changes that have been haunting me about this boys case. Get more searchers and get a group of them way out on the extreme ends and work backwards towards the group.

And if that outer group reaches the inner group and doesnt find them then rinse and repeat. Take another group out to the far reaches and work their way back again.

It of course may not always work but we have to start to think outside the box. And people always seem to go further than people originally think. I dont know how many times I have seen where people are surprised how far the missing person went. We need to start to expect that.

 

[Lillymac]

I can't find anything new being reported since the discovery, except the info regarding the funeral services. I'm thinking the autopsy has been completed since funeral is set up, so when will the COD be reported. Is it because its the weekend? Hopefully news will be forthcoming tomorrow...

 

[Jordan10]

I am new here, and back on page 10 - but I think I can contribute a few things here..1. dad has diabetic neuropathy - could not catch up with son. 2. children with autism do wander and their focus on say running etc is amazing. 3. dad maybe is on the spectrum? I am watching a video where there is a warning ahead of the time to be patient/not make too much commotion etc? it is sometimes genetic and might explain if dad is not seen as not reacting/interpreting as expected. (We live in NC, and have a child on the spectrum). sorry as obviously I am not posting correctly.

 

[LietKynes]

I am new here, and back on page 10 - but I think I can contribute a few things here..1. dad has diabetic neuropathy - could not catch up with son. 2. children with autism do wander and their focus on say running etc is amazing. 3. dad maybe is on the spectrum? I am watching a video where there is a warning ahead of the time to be patient/not make too much commotion etc? it is sometimes genetic and might explain if dad is not seen as not reacting/interpreting as expected. (We live in NC, and have a child on the spectrum). sorry as obviously I am not posting correctly.

Welcome to WebSleuths; Jordan !!

 

[Jordan10]

Autism and Asperger's syndrome is on the same spectrum, Asperger's usually refers to a person who is higher functioning, but not necessarily able to function as fully as a person who does not have the syndrome.

It can be confusing. And honestly, the diagnosis is quite political these days. Parents prefer to have a diagnosis of "Autism" rather than "mental retardation" or "developmentally disabled". There are specific behavioral indicators for Autism.

We have a verbal/high functioning teen son. It is now all considered all Austism spectrum though I prefer aspergers if we have to have a label. Nowhere near what was mental retardation etc. will take questions if helpful. think dad maybe on spectrum too -

 

[yrmfp]

JMO
I have not followed this case too closely but I did watch quite a bit of the news tapes that were taped about the time he was found.

Assuming the boy just got lost like has been told then what bothers me the most is something the news touched on.

The news mentioned that search authorities kept the perimeter to mainly within the park grounds and its only after a number of days where they decided to expand the perimeter 2 more miles or so outside the park and then all of a sudden he is found.

From past cases I think the way search authorites approach these cases needs to be changed.

For one I think there should be a portion of the search group broken apart from the main group that would charge out to much farther extremes and work their way back into the main search area.

For example in this case it sounds like there were over 100 people or more helping with the search. A portion of that group could have been taken to way outside the area in the most logical direction the boy traveled and plant them about 5-6 miles out and then have them work back toward the main search group.

It sounded from the news that authorities were moving painfully slow in trying to do everything by the letter and making sure people do not get hurt. That is a good thing but when time is of the essence there also needs to be some haste and some willing to go out past the known areas to work backwards towards them.

Secondly IMO nobody should ever be turned away from helping to search. The news made it sound like there were lots of people that would have gladly joined the search and they were held back from participating. Im not sure what people they were referring to but this should not ever happen. Boots on the ground is what is needed and if there is a call to help search then anybody and everybody willing to search should be allowed to and they should be assigned to areas that still need covered.

There has been multiple cases now where I have heard about volunteers that were not allowed to participate and to me that is inexcusable when time is of the essence. I know we always have to keep safety in mind but if properly handled then that particular search could have used 500 searchers and not just a couple hundred. I can almost guarantee that if there would have been a news call for more searchers needed then people would have come out to help. And from the reporting there were quite a few that were not asked to help and they were already there watching from outside the perimeter and were told to stay back. That is just stupid to me to waiste people that are ready and able to help. That land around there was not like a mountain or anything. It was fairly flat land. Sure it was wooded and had some creeks but it was not super rugged terrain. Dense yes but not super rugged. The Rocky Mountains is super rugged. Not this place. So I think many more searchers could have been utlized.

With all that said I totally understand its easy to be critical after the fact but we have talked about this sort of thing in other past searchers so its not like its new ideas or anything. I think we sometimes have trouble changing old methods that may have worked in the past in different situations. This situation was unique in that it had a boy that could not care for himself so time was of the essence. If it had been an adult then maybe the person could have survived longer on their own but with this particular boy it was a dire emergency to find him as soon as possible.

Anyhow those are the two main ideas for changes that have been haunting me about this boys case. Get more searchers and get a group of them way out on the extreme ends and work backwards towards the group.

And if that outer group reaches the inner group and doesnt find them then rinse and repeat. Take another group out to the far reaches and work their way back again.

It of course may not always work but we have to start to think outside the box. And people always seem to go further than people originally think. I dont know how many times I have seen where people are surprised how far the missing person went. We need to start to expect that.

I know for fact thousands were begging to search. LE directly warned people not to besides their own yards. If this had been just local LE they would have utilized community search. The fbi ran this more like recovery the whole time. They never pushed kidnapping and refused public help including outside of their perimeter ( which he was found JUST right outside of)

That being said, theres still more to this than a boy ran off and got lost. Even having autism, at a certain point they just needed him found, even if he got scared being approached or tried to run...I guarantee someone would have caught him
... this feels like something bigger...maybe LE being so tight lipped etc?
Dad reacted during the search the same as witnessed in video. I'm sure that triggered the lie detector and doubt in his story.
It very well could just be his personality though... my ex husband had a very laid back personality in regards to everything, including parenting. I once found out he had been leaving our ( then 2 year old) daughter in the car to go on gas stations....he found it acceptable as the doors were locked, I flipped out..... he would die for my children but his idea of safety and mine differed. We divorced and I've been remarried 12 years. My husband knows how uptight I am about safety..( mu job added to that I sure) but he can zone out into the tv while my son destroys the house... I simply cant...however, he knows certain things there are no room for error. At thegulf coast in June my son kept refusing to hold hands or play within touching reach on shore so I bought him a life jacket and leash... I don't care how people think.
I keep feeling as dad had lost sight for a long time and was embarrassed to be honest. I don't think he knows exactly how and when Maddox vanished.... the girlfriend knows though so I'm sure LE has gotten those answers from her. The park employee said she was a bigger girl ( on the call) and I have video of them taken from news video. Maybe that's why she didnt immediately run?
Photo is during search, she does exist.

 

[Alice Ramnit]

I have been reading everyone's posts and as always am so impressed by how many clever, clever WSs there are here!
One fact that really disturbs me is why neither the Dad or the GF didn't attract attention by shouting/screaming that a child is missing to alert and rally those other people in the park to immediately begin looking for him!
I know the panic I have felt on those rare occasions that I could not see my child and add to that that they were near a body of water! I would want as much help as quickly as possible!!
I hope we hear some news tomorrow.

 

[Jordan10]

If they waited over an hour to call the police the boy could have been kidnapped or ran into the creek already drowned by then.

an hour? wow?

I have been reading everyone's posts and as always am so impressed by how many clever, clever WSs there are here!
One fact that really disturbs me is why neither the Dad or the GF didn't attract attention by shouting/screaming that a child is missing to alert and rally those other people in the park to immediately begin looking for him!
I know the panic I have felt on those rare occasions that I could not see my child and add to that that they were near a body of water! I would want as much help as quickly as possible!!
I hope we hear some news tomorrow.

IF the dad is on the spectrum, I do not know. Probably very logical/calm/patient in his thoughts. The GF? All I know is we lost our approx six year old (verbal/highly intelligent/autism) child at the circus and I was going crazy with worry. Lasted 15 mins max. Freaking out would be a better description. Found him eventually standing by a security guard.

 

[floridamomma]

Just a thought to add about the dad. He is a diabetic with neuropathy that causes feet and leg issues, due to the extent of damage done to his body by diabetes it is very likely that he also has vision issues as well. Diabetes causes vision problems and vision loss just as it does neuropathy. with his age and the neuropathy he has, it is almost a guarantee he also suffers from vision loss or damage. Based on my own experiences with the disease. MOO

I have nerve damage in my spine and leg. I'm aware of my limitations. Hate them! M y littles are aware, too, and even when they were young enough not to be trusted I kept them on a tight leash, so to speak. (One older kid was for real leashed ha!)

Just thinking out loud...in writing.

 

[Miamama]

The thing is, we do not know if the father is on the spectrum. It was speculated on here, but it's not been discussed in MSM, nor has LE or the FBI mentioned this. For that matter, LE nor the FBI has confirmed that he is diabetic and has neurapathy. Not that I am doubting the father's medical condition at all- just saying, LE and the FBI have not confirmed these details.

Also, the park ranger said that the father was out of breath and sweaty. I don't know why, but Emily Glass is coming into my head right now.........

Just to add...the dad might be on the spectrum and not even know it. If he is, he's super high functioning and a diagnosis may never have been sought.

ETA: if the dad was sweaty and out of breath, doesn't that go with his account of trying to catch up with/look for Maddox? How does that remind you of Emily Glass?

Btw...I'm just going through Lucas' thread now..I've made it to #23 I think (he's been found). What a heartbreaking case.

 

[Jordan10]

Just to add...the dad might be on the spectrum and not even know it. If he is, he's super high functioning and a diagnosis may never have been sought.

I agree. Its much more of a current diagnosis - at least here in NC. His eye contact was good. I only thought of it due to it being genetic sometimes, the way the lady introduced him at one of the press conferences, comments about the emotions he was showing or not showing, and the way he walked.