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

New Posts

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi WS friends. Longtime WS member, haven’t been active in a few years - can I ask (forgive me if this has been discussed) why so many articles don’t say dads GF was the adult with him, at the park?

Several articles - 4 at last count - just say “another adult”. I’m curious as to why that is, but it could just be that it wasn’t clear, so they went with the generic term adult, versus speculating?

Figured I would ask trusty WSers and y’all would know.
 
Simply Caustic said:
Hi WS friends. Longtime WS member, haven’t been active in a few years - can I ask (forgive me if this has been discussed) why so many articles don’t say dads GF was the adult with him, at the park?

Several articles - 4 at last count - just say “another adult”. I’m curious as to why that is, but it could just be that it wasn’t clear, so they went with the generic term adult, versus speculating?

Figured I would ask trusty WSers and y’all would know.
Click to expand...
No reason has been given as to why they haven't said who the other adult is :/
 
I don’t think the FBI would have had the lake drained down, sent in all of their specialized sonar equipped boats and their special dive teams if they didn’t believe he could actually be in there.
I think he’s probably in the lake or a stranger abducted him in the parking lot. At first, I did suspect the Dad, but now leaning more towards him have quietly slipped into the lake unnoticed and if not there then an abduction.

I also wonder if anyone has come forward yet to verify actually seeing Maddox at the park on Saturday?
IDK, I guess I’m still all over the place with this case. I just wish they’d find him.
 
Simply Caustic said:
Hi WS friends. Longtime WS member, haven’t been active in a few years - can I ask (forgive me if this has been discussed) why so many articles don’t say dads GF was the adult with him, at the park?

Several articles - 4 at last count - just say “another adult”. I’m curious as to why that is, but it could just be that it wasn’t clear, so they went with the generic term adult, versus speculating?

Figured I would ask trusty WSers and y’all would know.
Click to expand...

Per the father of missing boy, the other adult who accompanied him to the park with Maddox is his "girlfriend". Ian said that they have been dating for a couple of months. He hasn't mentioned her by name.
 
osu said:
I went back and looked at the interview and that’s correct, its just bad reporting/writing on the reporters part. I feel that many of the inconsistencies in this case (and others) are simply due to the lack of accurate journalism.
Click to expand...
I don’t trust
Minty Fresh said:
I just watched the press interview of the father. One sentence spoke volumes to me. It was at the end. He was asked what he'd say to his boy if he could. He responded, "I'd say, 'Maddox, M-A-D-D-O-X, I love you, buddy.'"

He said it in a way that made me feel that he'd said this exact sentence many, many times before, spelling out the name for the child to learn. A parent who makes concerted efforts and wants to teach a challenged child how to spell his name is not likely the kind of parent that would harm that child. I admit, when I first heard of the Maddox Ritch story, I immediately thought of Ara (Pique) Andressian. In that case, the father is now serving time. After seeing the interview of Ian Ritch, I no longer get that vibe.

I sure hope I'm right.
Click to expand...
I really really like your comment. Good insight. I sure hope you’re right too.
Have you seen this child? MADDOX RITCH
 
Last edited:
NervousNellie said:
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
Click to expand...

Inconsistencies are often involved, but it is the direct contradictions in this case that are worrisome.
 
imstilla.grandma 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.

"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."

...

The FBI previously said it had evidence Maddox was at the park Saturday, but has never explained what that evidence is. Ritch told CBS News he took two polygraph tests, but the FBI would not comment on the results. The park remains closed until further notice.”
911 caller doesn't believe 6-year-old boy with autism was ever at park where he went missing

I was afraid of this after listening to the recording. The park employee seemed a bit aggravated he couldn’t get the father immediately to answer his questions.
Click to expand...
Oh wow, the park ranger said he didn't think Maddox was really there? That was my concern, to be honest. The frantic pleas from LE and FBI to have those who were there to call in. Were the people who said that they saw or talked to Maddox actual witnesses to Maddox being there, or was this the word of someone else? Did they talk to the man at the beach, or did someone else say they saw Maddox talking to a man on the beach? The fact that the ranger said this gives me shivers- where is this darling boy?
 
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'
Click to expand...
Yet in another interview, he was quoted as saying that was the first time that they had been to that park.
 
IceIce9 said:
Inconsistencies are often involved, but it is the direct contradictions in this case that are worrisome.
Click to expand...

One of the questions that I had early on was whether or not Maddox had ever been to this park previously. I wondered if Maddox was familiar with his surroundings in this particular park having been there previously. In one interview, Maddox's father indicated that this was their first time visiting Rankin Lake Park. In another report, he suggested that they had been to this park several times. Which is it?
 
The FBI and LE's focus on the lake certainly gives you an idea of what they are thinking.

With that being said, I do not think swimming is allowed at the park. With the amount of people there on a nice Saturday afternoon, I believe that if he did get into the water that it would have been noticed. Of course, it's certainly possible that it didn't get noticed if that's what happened. I just think that it would have.
 
Minty Fresh said:
I just watched the press interview of the father. One sentence spoke volumes to me. It was at the end. He was asked what he'd say to his boy if he could. He responded, "I'd say, 'Maddox, M-A-D-D-O-X, I love you, buddy.'"
Click to expand...

I kind of felt the same way. The way he said that is a dad who genuinely loves his kid. The dad really didn't set off the hinky meter for me either. I really hate to generalize people, but he's fairly typical of many long-time locals--probably no education beyond high school/trade school, not well-spoken. Maybe because I see so many people in a similar vein on a daily basis and can imagine many of them acting the exact same way, I don't see much of anything sinister in him at all. Just seems like a local boy who's probably not seen much of the world beyond Gastonia and isn't particularly sophisticated.
 
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
Click to expand...

To me, this is a cause for concern.

Not that the park employee didn’t see Maddox, because there were hundreds of people there that day and how could he see or take note of every child there?

But the comment that the father and friend didn’t seem that concerned that he was missing.

And the dad didn’t make the 911 call, the park employee did, and he didn’t even know the name of the lost child.
 
“How does Maddox's autism affect the search?

Children with autism are often prone to wandering or bolting away. When children with autism go missing, rescuers get to know their likes and dislikes, and use familiar sounds, such as the voice of a cartoon character and a favorite song to draw them out during searches.

Maddox is nonverbal, which complicates the search for him. Hoping he would respond to his parents' voices, authorities pumped prerecorded messages into Rankin Lake Park.

"Many of these children are more likely to respond to a favorite character, a unique interest or familiar voice," said Lori McIlwain, a co-founder and board member of the National Autism Association.”
Maddox Ritch: What we know about the search for a missing North Carolina boy with autism
 
Lots of good posts this morning.
Hello to the new folks, and good to see some of the ol timers on the thread too. Lots of good speculations.

I agree that the perceived inconsistencies with the father can largely be chalked up to fear, shock, and maybe even lack of poise. He does appear to be a country guy, and nothing wrong with that at all.

That said, I’m guessing this dad was distracted by the presence of his lady friend, and perhaps fell short on his duties of keeping watch on the young one. I don’t completely agree with his rendition of how the boy disappeared. I speculate the boy was gone for awhile before they took notice. Probably busy doing what a young couple does In the Park.

I agree the FBI diving in the lake with special gear tells us there is a very high liklihood that is where remains will be found. We see thread after thread on WS with men and water. It’s a strange phenomenon, and a tragic one.

Prayers for the parents, and for the divers today.

Amateur opinion and speculation
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 163 more.
Total: 1,375 (members: 164, guests: 1,211)

Online statistics

Members online
164
Guests online
1,211
Total visitors
1,375
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
591,780
Messages
17,958,729
Members
228,606
Latest member
wdavewong
Back
Top