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

[IceIce9]

A quick google search is only showing the dad saying he took two lie detector tests and passed. I don’t see this confirmed by LE anywhere.

David Begnaud CBS correspondent answered this and several other questions within the last hour.

He said that LE would not confirm that Ian took a lie detector test. It was only Ian that stated this


David Begnaud
@DavidBegnaud

 

[IceIce9]

So I keep questioning why he said the last place we saw Maddox instead of they? Can someone confirm my transcript. I don’t know what it means but his whole answer bothers me.

I saw this transcript posted by CBS Correspondent David Begnaud. Word for word the same as the transcript you posted.

 

[Miamama]

It sounds to me like he's feeling super guilty. He let his child get too far away from him. Now we find he maybe couldn't run that fast so allowing him to get that far ahead was a huge mistake. And he probably feels terrible and ashamed.

It's easy to get complacent though.

Poor kid. I wish he had been on a harness. I know some people hate that. They're popular in certain parts of Europe.

You've got a runner with autism? A harness could help keep him safe.

Sigh.



Ugh. That is NOT far-fetched. It's terrible though because it has indeed happened. And the kids have died, hiding in a trunk and not able to get out. A child with autism might not understand the trunk release latch they install these days.

Re harness: people DO hate them. I used one one my autistic 2 year old because I also had an infant and a 4 year old and couldn't always manage all 3 safely. So I used one when we were in situations where there was a parking lot or traffic. Found out real fast how judgemental people could be, lol.

 

[Steelslady]

Poor Maddox, where are you darling boy? It just hurts to know, that no matter what happened to him, that he is not in a safe and sound environment right now, if he is alive. After this amount of time that has passed, it would be unrealistic to think he is alive and well, unless he has some amazing surviving skills of his own, which is possible. I am trying to think of how he would get a drink of water somewhere or what he would eat these last few days, if he is still in the park area. How is he staying warm during the chilly nights?

These things go through my head the longer a child is missing.

 

[heartgoesout]

I saw this transcript posted by CBS Correspondent David Begnaud. Word for word the same as the transcript you posted.

Omg I just saw that and I’m like well for dang sake I could have saved myself a half hour of listening and pausing over and over. Lol lol

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I haven't watched enough of Ian speaking yet but this comes across to me as a man who may not be the most articulate person.

Since we know autism runs in families maybe he is very slightly autistic himself. Not enough to noticably hamper him in daily life but maybe enough to affect how he responds to unfamiliar situations.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

NBC report from earlier this evening:

 

[Steelslady]

Since we know autism runs in families maybe he is very slightly autistic himself. Not enough to noticably hamper him in daily life but maybe enough to affect how he responds to unfamiliar situations.

This could very well be the case. Also, if he is diabetic, he could also be having sugar issues, especially being stressed out about your missing son. Stress can wreak havoc on your sugars and cause some awful symptoms, especially if he is not eating (he mentioned he hasn't been able to eat or sleep- certainly understandable) and monitoring his sugars. I, too, am diabetic, and can understand that given what he is going through right now, that he may be exhausted, confused, and suffering bouts of low or high blood sugars which can cause one to sound not so articulate when suffering through these symptoms.

 

[Miamama]

Does anyone know if Maddox can swim?

 

[Steelslady]

Does anyone know if Maddox can swim?

To my knowledge, that has not been mentioned at all.

 

[Miamama]

To my knowledge, that has not been mentioned at all.

Yeah, I didn't think I had seen anything about it either.

Here's my thought. If he swims it makes a lot more sense that dad wasn't so worried about him running ahead (in terms of being near water). I wouldn't have worried about that with my kids who were all fish by that age. In fact, most every thing dad did that day rings true and well, appropriate. Maybe not the waiting to get help, but if he seemed as unconcerned on the GMA interview as he did (my opinion only) then he probably REALLY wasn't so worried that day. Just figured Maddox found one hell of a hiding place. I believe dad at this point.

I'm feeling like he either hid in a vehicle or it was stranger abduction of opportunity. Someone bad in parking lot sees boy alone, and just grabs him.

I'm still super hung up on the dogs not tracking though.

 

[book-thinker]

I pray this sweet boy is found safe.

 

[frogwell]

Could someone who is not thrilled about Ian's relationship and knows Maddox have got his attention and ran off with him?

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Does anyone know if Maddox can swim?

Interesting question.

On the face of it, if autistic children are drawn to water it would make sense in theory for them to be taught to swim if they are capable of learning. On the other hand we are told that they tend to have little to no concept of danger so would it make sense to teach them a skill that might make them more likely to head to water and jump in?

 

[Stunned]

If I had a child who was autistic he/ she would be in swim classes everyday , well beyond their teenage years. No if ands or buts.

 

[Miamama]

Interesting question.

On the face of it, if autistic children are drawn to water it would make sense in theory for them to be taught to swim if they are capable of learning. On the other hand we are told that they tend to have little to no concept of danger so would it make sense to teach them a skill that might make them more likely to head to water and jump in?

I know I'm going to mangle my own thoughts but...

It's not that autistic kids don't have a concept of danger, they don't have a concept of abstract ideas. So if you just say danger, that's abstract. But if you say someone with a scary looking face (scary to them), then that is what they would perceive as "dangerous". My kid is more scared of six fingered hands than strangers. As long as the stranger looks nice (to him) there is no reason to perceive danger. So with water I guess it would depend on his/her experience with water. If there has only been nice playful experiences, not dangerous. If mom or dad yells at him for getting close to water: bad experience...dangerous.

Of course these are generalizations and based on my own observations. They all have amazing little brains we only wish we could access.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

So with water I guess it would depend on his/her experience with water. If there has only been nice playful experiences, not dangerous. If mom or dad yells at him for getting close to water: bad experience...dangerous.

Thanks, that's quite helpful. Was your child taught to swim? Is there a consensus on parenting forums or amongst medical/psychological bods as to whether it's a good or bad thing for autistic children to be taught to swim, or is it experience dependent?

Sorry if that's clumsily expressed. I tick an awful lot of boxes myself.

 

[MsFacetious]

Snipped for brevity

Fully understand what you're saying.
And I haven't had this medical issue so I cannot relate , thank goodness.

The point of my post was that it was strange that he chose a park to let his child run around in , knowing that he couldn't run after Maddox if he ran off and out of sight.
Unless one had another person to help keep up with him.

Though he did say that generally Maddox didn't take off like that. I don't know if he had in the past or if this was not something he normally did. If Maddox was not normally a runner Dad may not have been overly concerned about that happening. It sounds like Maddox just liked to run, then watch Dad trying to catch up, but always slowed to wait for him.

Watching dad's interview, the feeling I got was he doesn't fully grasp the gravity of the situation. He did seem worried...just not, my kids been missing 4 days worried. It could be some extreme denial or god forbid some really bad acting. I'm leaning more towards denial at this point but man, something was off.

I still think it's very possible that one or both parents may also be on the spectrum here. Throw in Dad's diabetes and it's very difficult to judge the way he's acting. All of it can be explained by his medical issues alone, then possibly being on the spectrum too.

Does anyone know if Maddox can swim?

I not only haven't heard if Maddox can swim, I haven't even heard if Maddox was attracted to the water.

 

[katydid23]

If I had a child who was autistic he/ she would be in swim classes everyday , well beyond their teenage years. No if ands or buts.

My neighbors have an autistic son who is now in college and swims well. But when he was younger, they had him take private swim lessons at our other neighbors pool for a few years. The problems was, when he was younger, he knew how to tread water and do simple swim paddling etc....but they couldn't trust him because sometimes he'd duck under the water and not come up--they'd have to pull him back up. He didn't really understandd why he had to stay above water...

 

[Miamama]

Thanks, that's quite helpful. Was your child taught to swim? Is there a consensus on parenting forums or amongst medical/psychological bods as to whether it's a good or bad thing for autistic children to be taught to swim, or is it experience dependent?

Sorry if that's clumsily expressed. I tick an awful lot of boxes myself.

We had a backyard pool so teaching him wasn't even an option. He learned quite easily. We then reinforced constantly that he wasn't to go in the pool alone, plus you know, gates and special locks.
I'm of the mind that every child should be taught to swim as early as possible.

As far as research, no idea. I think if there was going to be an attraction to water independent of the fact that swimming is fun, it would be sensory based. Either visually because of the way light moves on water, or tactile almost like weighted blankets or Temple Grandins squeeze machine. So if it's true that there statistically is an attraction, learning to swim seems a no brainer.