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

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"A jogger passed by and as he was jogging past us. That's when Maddox started to jog out behind him," Ritch said. "We got so far, he took off from me, running ... and I just never could catch up with him."

"He can run, he can run," Ritch added. "I couldn't keep up with him. Not that fast."

“I thought he might have got lost in the woods. After all this time, it's giving me doubts. It makes me wonder if somebody got him in the parking lot," Ritch said.

When asked if he did anything to harm Maddox, Ritch said, "No."

"It's been torture": Father of missing 6-year-old boy with autism says son took off running
 
HayLouise said:
'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.'

911 caller doesn't believe 6-year-old boy with autism was ever at park where he went missing

BBM
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That would explain why the police are continually asking for people to PLEASE call in if they were at the park that day. Perhaps hoping against all hope that M was really there.
 
“News Details In Search Efforts

• Search different today compared to other days using an "Evidence Grid Search" method

• 67 more investigators, agents, analysts, searchers added to the case

• A total of 330 people now involved searching for Maddox

• Received 250 leads as of Wednesday

• Search efforts today include helicopters, airplanes, drone teams

• Drone teams worked throughout the night Tuesday into Wednesday morning

• Crews still searching water and draining the lake once again

• A lot more FBI, SBI added to the search today”

What We Know Since 6-Year-Old Maddox Ritch Disappeared At a NC Park


Updated last night. The timeline is also listed here for those who couldn’t get into an earlier article.
 
No hinky meter activity for me. Sure there are inconsistencies in the stories being told/reported but that is the norm, IMO. I can't remember a single case I've followed where sleuthers (me included!) were not complaining about the poor, inconsistent, and/or inaccurate reporting. Fingers and toes crossed for Maddox. <3
 
osu said:
Yes and that interview where Ian said they’ve been to Rankin Lake Park before was also from yesterday morning.
(ABCNEWS Sep 26, 2018, 6:03 AM ET)
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HayLouise said:
911 caller doesn't believe 6-year-old boy with autism was ever at park where he went missing

"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."

911 caller doesn't believe 6-year-old boy with autism was ever at park where he went missing
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This is what I have been fearing all along.

However, LE announced there was evidence that Maddox was in the park. So confusing!
 
HayLouise said:
911 caller doesn't believe 6-year-old boy with autism was ever at park where he went missing

"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."

911 caller doesn't believe 6-year-old boy with autism was ever at park where he went missing
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How are the park employees able to see everyone who comes in and out? Is there one entrance/exit? I previously read about a fence...does it go around the entire perimeter?
 
Near the bottom of this article it states surveillance footage from the park was being reviewed.

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.wsoc...al-needs-missing-from-gastonia-park/839491236

“The city of Gastonia confirmed that investigators are reviewing surveillance video at the park, and crews worked through the night searching on foot and with dogs.”

I would like to know where the surveillance camera or cameras are located. I tried to zoom in on random pictures of the park to see if any were visible but I’m unable to find them. I would love to know what they show, if anything at all.
 
my1nonlyaspen said:
That would explain why the police are continually asking for people to PLEASE call in if they were at the park that day. Perhaps hoping against all hope that M was really there.
Click to expand...

Given the media coverage this story has gotten, I am surprised they have not gotten more calls in from people that were there that day. I think they've only gotten a few hundred while they think there were 1000+ visitors to the park. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
osu said:
BBM
In this interview, Ian says he’s taken Maddox to Rankin Lake Park before.

“Ian Ritch says he and his son often go for walks in North Carolina's Rankin Lake Park like they did Saturday. Maddox, 6, will regularly run ahead of his father, then slow down and wait for him to catch up.”

Father of missing 6-year-old boy: 'I thought they would've found him'
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He doesn't actually say that in the video though (unless I am missing it, please point out the minute mark where it was said). That is the reporter writing that in the article. There are no quotes of the father's exact words. He DOES say in other videos and interviews that he often takes his son to different parks to let him run. Perhaps the reporter who wrote up the ABC article conflated that statement (they often go to A PARK) to say he had been there before. JMO.
 
Last edited:
On Wednesday, Ian Ritch, the Maddox' father, took questions from reporters at the Greater Gaston Baptist Association in Gastonia. He said Maddox took off running in the opposite direction of his father and his friend Saturday at Rankin Lake Park.

"He usually runs but will stop to give me a chance to pick him up," Ian said.

"It is still being drained which will soon make it impossible to put large boats in the water," said Gastonia Police's Donna Lasher in a press release.

“You’ve seen the enormous amount of resources that we are devoting to locate this precious little boy,” Helton said. “But we are missing a very important piece of our investigation. There are people who were at the park on Saturday and for whatever reason haven't called us.

“There’s a sign-out sheet to rent boats at the park. We’ve obtained those lists and sadly not one single person who rented a boat that day has reached out to us. Now we have to waste precious time to track them all down. Please, call us if you were at the park Saturday."
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Search for Maddox Ritch enters day 6: FBI dive teams deployed to search lake
BBM
 
PiertotumLocomotor said:
Given the media coverage this story has gotten, I am surprised they have not gotten more calls in from people that were there that day. I think they've only gotten a few hundred while they think there were 1000+ visitors to the park. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
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No you are not wrong.

Kayaks, small fishing boats etc. are available for rent by the park from my understanding and from what I gather LE is disappointed that more of the people on the books that rented that day have not called in to this point.

I'd also like to add that despite the pictures I do not consider the lake to be that big especially in comparison to other lakes around the area.
 
A question for any locals:
Upon entering the park is an entrance fee required? I know when we go to state parks here in Florida the attendant asks how many people are in my truck. On the receipt that I place on my dashboard it lists how many people I have.
 
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