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

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They played a phone interview with the woman who said she saw him but I couldn’t catch all the details (I was feeding my 10 month old). I keep checking the news site to see if they add details to the story online.

That was an update on the 6 pm news. A woman said she saw him walking alone and she asked him if he was tired and he looked up at her and said nothing. She then said that she thought to herself, where are his parents at, he looks too young to be out here by himself. Afterwards she was talking/working with the police.

That was it, she added nothing more. I found it while watching the live newscast.

Watch Live Newscasts At around 3:03.42 there is a segment on autism related wandering and another at 53.48
 
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If you see a child who seems too young to be alone...do you just let the child run off or do you try to find their guardian?

I have taken children by the hand or at least helped guide them in a few situations when I saw them alone and felt they were too young to be alone without someone watching. I just assumed this is what most people would do but I guess not.
 
If you see a child who seems too young to be alone...do you just let the child run off or do you try to find their guardian?

I have taken children by the hand or at least helped guide them in a few situations when I saw them alone and felt they were too young to be alone without someone watching. I just assumed this is what most people would do but I guess not.

I help them find their adult. However, I was with a friend at Cosco and she saw no reason to help find the parents of a 4-5 year old running around looking for his mother. It astounded me because I assumed everyone was like me, too!
 
If you see a child who seems too young to be alone...do you just let the child run off or do you try to find their guardian?

I have taken children by the hand or at least helped guide them in a few situations when I saw them alone and felt they were too young to be alone without someone watching. I just assumed this is what most people would do but I guess not.
There was a man at a high school football game (I think?) that was trying to help a small child alone and lost parents,when the parents came and accused him of being a pedophile and it was posted online. Does anyone remember this?
 
If you see a child who seems too young to be alone...do you just let the child run off or do you try to find their guardian?

I have taken children by the hand or at least helped guide them in a few situations when I saw them alone and felt they were too young to be alone without someone watching. I just assumed this is what most people would do but I guess not.

I have helped children find parents and/ or alerted security if I saw a child alone that seemed too young to be on his own.

I would like to think that everyone would do the same, how bad would someone feel if they did nothing to help a child and then found out later something happened? Something that could have been prevented if the person had taken a moment to help the child?
 
That was an update on the 6 pm news. A woman said she saw him walking alone and she asked him if he was tired and he looked up at her and said nothing. She then said that she thought to herself, where are his parents at, he looks too young to be out here by himself.

That was it, she added nothing more. I found it while watching the live newscast.

Watch Live Newscasts At around 3:03.42 there is a segment on autism related wandering and another at 53.48


I would have followed him while calling 911 to report the situation.
 
Isn’t it a shame that in the world today if we try to help a child, we can be accused of something bad?

Cuffem, I remember the story you are talking about. Children are so strongly taught about Stranger Danger today that it can terrify them. I saw this happen to my son’s three year old nephew by marriage.

I will deal with the aftermath, but I will/would never walk off without helping a child. I think the best thing to do to protect yourself, is to stop another safe looking person to help you. JMO.
 
From earlier reports, the park was busy the day Maddox and father were there. Were there no one walking towards them that they call out to to stop that boy?

Hmmm, Maddox must have gotten really far ahead of dad. Sort of like dad wasn’t paying any attention to Maddox?

To me, this is what happened, perhaps on purpose? Who lets a non verbal child out of sight? Wouldn’t you be more protective and keep them closer?
 
I help them find their adult. However, I was with a friend at Cosco and she saw no reason to help find the parents of a 4-5 year old running around looking for his mother. It astounded me because I assumed everyone was like me, too!

My husband grew up in Chicago and very much has the mind your business attitude. I’m a helper. It’s my nature. I’m not sure if he loves it or hates it but even he would never let a kid just saunter off. We’re not even parents. We can’t let a loose dog go unwatched. I do have several friends who just do not understand or share my empathy.
 
There was a man at a high school football game (I think?) that was trying to help a small child alone and lost parents,when the parents came and accused him of being a pedophile and it was posted online. Does anyone remember this?

YES, I remember.

My husband saw a young girl, about 7 or 8, crying and sitting on the side of the road, in a quiet street by our house. He pulled over, asked her if she was OK and she kept crying. He called me immediately, from a block away and asked me to come over too, because he called 911, and he didn't want to be alone with a crying girl, just in case. I understood his concern, but it is sad we have to think that way.

Turned out she was mad at her brother and she ran off and was too upset to go home cuz she thought she was in trouble. My husband was just worried that she might have escaped from a kidnapper or something, and he didn't want to be the one that coincidentally found her, since she was so upset.
 
I Googled Rankin Lake Park and was able to see many photos. It's a pretty park and most of it is open area. I don't know what the back of the lake area where Maddox ran off looks like though. Maybe denser foliage?

I also read a couple review sites and one person commented that it's a nice place to stroll, not a lot of noise but on the weekends there are too many people out to take a leisurely walk. So hopefully by now LE has found people who saw Maddox that day.

Also, Saturday was Community Day for Pokemon Go players. What that means is starting at 2 pm ET there were probably a ton of players at the park. Usually people show up early so there should have been players in the vicinity around the time Maddox ran off.

I'm not joking - I was in San Diego's Balboa Park for it and nearly everyone holding a phone was playing. And not just kids. Parks are desirable places for these events.

I've been checking the Gastonia PD FB but no updates.
 
ASTONIA, N.C. – The search continues for six-year-old Maddox Ritch. The little boy’s dad reported him missing on Saturday.

Maddox’s father sent WCCB Charlotte’s Morgan Fogarty a statement Monday saying:

“I want to thank everyone for showing up to search for Maddox and also thank everyone for their prayers. We are trying to help the police in any way possible. They are still asking the public to just wait and let the professionals handle the search.”

It was another busy day for crews searching for Maddox. They combed woods, searching through dumpsters, and draining back the Rankin Lake shoreline. Monday, they began searching further outside the park.

“We still want to do everything possible to find Maddox and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to do that,” says FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Kaplan.

Maddox’s father told police Maddox ran ahead of him and another unknown adult at Rankin Lake Park Saturday. He says they lost sight of Maddox, who hasn’t been seen since.

Investigators released new pictures showing the t-shirt and type of shoes the boy was wearing. They say he is autistic and is non-verbal.

Police and Federal Agents say they aren’t ruling anything out. During a news conference, they were peppered with questions about the boy’s parents.

Rev. Raymond Johnson asked investigators why Maddox’s parents aren’t coming out and pleading for help.

“The child is out there and we don’t know where the child is, but you protecting the parents. This ain’t right, that don’t pass the smell test,” Johnson says.

Investigators say the boy’s parents are asking for privacy but are cooperating.

“We recorded messages from them and are playing those messages now so that if he’s lost in the woods, he’ll be able to hear those messages played, we’re hoping he’ll come to the words from his mother and father,” Kaplan says.

The Gastonia Police Chief was asked if the boy’s father is a suspect. He said, “You know at this time, we’re looking at all possibilities.”

Maddox Ritch's Father Speaks on Search for His Son - WCCB Charlotte
 
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