Found Deceased NC - Maddox Ritch, 6 w/Autism, Gastonia, 22 Sept 2018 #3

[cass523]

After locating the lifeless body of 6-year-old Maddox Ritch last week, authorities also continue investigations in other missing children and runaway cases in Gaston County.

Almost 300 missing juveniles cases were reported to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety in 2017, and 200 reported so far in 2018.

The Gaston County Police department has investigated about 127 reports of missing juveniles in the past six years, all of which have been cleared. The county’s municipal police departments also investigate missing children cases.

“Most all are reported by family members or caregivers,” said Gaston County Police Capt. Curtis Rosselle. “Very rarely are kidnappings the occurrence, and when they are it is almost always a family member regarding a custody issue.”

Rosselle said there is no standard protocol in investigating a missing child case “other than to utilize every means possible to locate missing persons and do it as quickly as possible.”

There is a list of children still missing, their bio and pictures.

Local children remain missing

 

[Scrapper18]

‘He is in a far better place...’ Funeral services held for Maddox Ritch

Is it normal to list the date the body was found as the date of death? I know this is just the funeral program, it is not the death certificate. Just has me wondering about the date of death the ME decided on.

 

[Gardener1850]

‘He is in a far better place...’ Funeral services held for Maddox Ritch

Is it normal to list the date the body was found as the date of death? I know this is just the funeral program, it is not the death certificate. Just has me wondering about the date of death the ME decided on.

Yes. It's normal. The ME would have declared him deceased when he was found and that date/time (when the ME gets to the body to declare death) is put on the death certificate. It is no indication at all what day/time he actually died.

 

[Lillymac]

Is this area impacted by the hurricane at all?

 

[Alethea]

The longer there's no statement from LE the more suspicious I get and the more worried I get that there is a serious predator here that they are working to catch.

 

[MsMarple]

The longer there's no statement from LE the more suspicious I get and the more worried I get that there is a serious predator here that they are working to catch.

Yeah, I don't get it. Jordyn Dumont was found dead in Gastonia on August 16, 2016. On August 18 LE released the preliminary report on her death as blunt force trauma. The autopsy was completed August 24 and on September 7 a Superior Court judge issued a gag order on the case so the official report wasn't released until November 2.

And now here we are, 2 weeks to the day after Maddox' body was found in Gastonia and the community is still looking for answers. In Jordyn's case there was an arrest; is that why LE's keeping mum about Maddox' case? Why? Is there a different protocol when there's no arrest? Can't they even say that there's no danger to the community? It's easy to see why suspicions are rampant on sm. C'mon LE, say something!

Rant over, back to waiting...

 

[Alethea]

Yeah, I don't get it. Jordyn Dumont was found dead in Gastonia on August 16, 2016. On August 18 LE released the preliminary report on her death as blunt force trauma. The autopsy was completed August 24 and on September 7 a Superior Court judge issued a gag order on the case so the official report wasn't released until November 2.

And now here we are, 2 weeks to the day after Maddox' body was found in Gastonia and the community is still looking for answers. In Jordyn's case there was an arrest; is that why LE's keeping mum about Maddox' case? Why? Is there a different protocol when there's no arrest? Can't they even say that there's no danger to the community? It's easy to see why suspicions are rampant on sm. C'mon LE, say something!

Rant over, back to waiting...

Right? The most common reason for LE to withhold information is to avoid false confessions and interview suspects. They want a POI or suspect to slip and say something that has not been released through the media. Sometimes they will withhold information until after the funeral both to spare the family while they are celebrating the life of the deceased person but also to observe others who attend the funeral, collect license plates for people who attend or drive by, etc. I see no reason to withhold information if the COD is accidental drowning. <against TOS> I don't see a reason to withhold the COD. The evidence is the evidence and in the case of a parent, they know who the suspect(s) are.

My worry is they would not want to release any information if they are trying to connect this incident to other unsolved incidents. Or they have reason to believe foul play is suspected and they are trying to narrow down suspects before releasing information.

I just don't have a good feeling about this one anymore. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I don't know what to make of the lack of information, either. ME could be awaiting toxicology results that can take several weeks. ME might not want to announce COD until they have all necessary information to determine whether or not the death was accidental. There was heavy police presence at the funeral, so it's possible that foul play hasn't been ruled out.

 

[Katerz]

I'm starting to wonder if they are looking for a suspect (but not Ian). The longer they hold out on the cause of death, ect.. that's how I'm starting to feel. I wonder if it's possible they're thinking based on the location his body was found, and based on his injuries, that someone picked him up along the path from the park, did something to him, obviously killed him and put him in the water.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I'm starting to wonder if they are looking for a suspect (but not Ian). The longer they hold out on the cause of death, ect.. that's how I'm starting to feel. I wonder if it's possible they're thinking based on the location his body was found, and based on his injuries, that someone picked him up along the path from the park, did something to him, obviously killed him and put him in the water.

One thing I've learned from the years I have participated on this forum is that anything is possible. However, the most likely, usually is. The unexpected is more the exception.

In this case, it seems like there were a lot of people at the park that day, so a nefarious act seems less likely than a tragic accident. Given the high profile of the case and that we have a child involved, I speculate LE is being very thorough. Admittedly, the length of time to report findings is worrisome.
There must have been something that triggered suspicion, and the need for additional testing.
We should know the outcome soon, IWT.

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[LietKynes]

The longer there's no statement from LE the more suspicious I get and the more worried I get that there is a serious predator here that they are working to catch.

Emph. mine

Good point, Alethea .
Many people are suspicious about the silence of the FBI and the local LE.
There are many wondering why they haven't cleared anyone.

It's possible they have their attention on someone who is a predator-- but not necessarily a danger to the rest of the community.
Hence, no warning for anyone to be on the lookout.

And Rankin Park is open for business as usual.
If LE thought there was a predator lurking around R. Park-- wouldn't they close the park to the public ?
Or at the very least say something ?
Yet, LE seems to know people are now safe, there.

I doubt LE would keep quiet about a predator in order to not alarm the public. If another child went missing and turned up dead -- that would be far more damaging to LE's reputation.
People would wonder why they didn't speak up and let people know that a monster was watching the park.

One thing I've learned from the years I have participated on this forum is that anything is possible. However, the most likely, usually is. The unexpected is more the exception.

In this case, it seems like there were a lot of people at the park that day, so a nefarious act seems less likely than a tragic accident. Given the high profile of the case and that we have a child involved, I speculate LE is being very thorough. Admittedly, the length of time to report findings is worrisome.
There must have been something that triggered suspicion, and the need for additional testing.
We should know the outcome soon, IWT.

Amateur opinion and speculation

SABBM

Agreed. At this time, LE have still not said Maddox' death was an accident.

RE. the bolded bit : Occam's Razor..... Except in this case.

Had to go back and re-read through posts and links.
One item that stood out -- no one said they saw Maddox with someone.
And no one saw any (what to them would appear to be) parents frantically looking and crying for this little boy.
Some people who saw Maddox observed him all by himself.
The park employee stated that the dad said Maddox had been missing for an hour or more by the time he came to speak to the employee. That is a long time.

<not victim friendly>

 

[Neese68]

I've been following this thread but I don't think I've posted as I have done so on the Arieanna Day case here in Roanoke...but now I'm in agreement with some of you that this seems really odd that LE and FBI have not said this was an accidental drowning. Even if they are waiting on toxicology reports which would only show if there were drugs in his system...which I doubt..it still seems they would have reported water in his lungs or not etc etc. I don't feel Dad and gf were involved except maybe they were distracted but nothing criminal. This is a real head scratcher to me. If I had kids and lived in Gastonia...the silence from LE would really have me on edge. JMO

 

[Lillymac]

Emph. mine

Good point, Alethea .
Many people are suspicious about the silence of the FBI and the local LE.
There are many wondering why they haven't cleared anyone.

It's possible they have their attention on someone who is a predator-- but not necessarily a danger to the rest of the community.
Hence, no warning for anyone to be on the lookout.

And Rankin Park is open for business as usual.
If LE thought there was a predator lurking around R. Park-- wouldn't they close the park to the public ?
Or at the very least say something ?
Yet, LE seems to know people are now safe, there.

I doubt LE would keep quiet about a predator in order to not alarm the public. If another child went missing and turned up dead -- that would be far more damaging to LE's reputation.
People would wonder why they didn't speak up and let people know that a monster was watching the park.


SABBM

Agreed. At this time, LE have still not said Maddox' death was an accident.

RE. the bolded bit : Occam's Razor..... Except in this case.

Had to go back and re-read through posts and links.
One item that stood out -- no one said they saw Maddox with someone.
And no one saw any (what to them would appear to be) parents frantically looking and crying for this little boy.
Some people who saw Maddox observed him all by himself.
The park employee stated that the dad said Maddox had been missing for an hour or more by the time he came to speak to the employee. That is a long time.

<not victim friendly>

If you listen to the 911 tape of the call, the park employee says, we've been looking for him for a long time now.

So, I don't know where the info came from saying the father didn't get help for an hour before the call was made. Mixed info I'm thinking.

 

[awillis0513]

Right? The most common reason for LE to withhold information is to avoid false confessions and interview suspects. They want a POI or suspect to slip and say something that has not been released through the media. Sometimes they will withhold information until after the funeral both to spare the family while they are celebrating the life of the deceased person but also to observe others who attend the funeral, collect license plates for people who attend or drive by, etc. I see no reason to withhold information if the COD is accidental drowning. <against TOS> I don't see a reason to withhold the COD. The evidence is the evidence and in the case of a parent, they know who the suspect(s) are.

My worry is they would not want to release any information if they are trying to connect this incident to other unsolved incidents. Or they have reason to believe foul play is suspected and they are trying to narrow down suspects before releasing information.

I just don't have a good feeling about this one anymore. I hope I'm wrong.

I actually feel less suspicious. I feel like it means that there’s no obvious sign of foul play and investigators are just waiting on toxicology reports or double checking witness testimony. If they had immediately said this was a murder, it would have been because there was obvious evidence.

That’s just my outlook.

 

[heartgoesout]

Y'all, please msg me if anything big happens, I'm fixing to take my broken self, 3 kids and a fatty rottie and evacuate bc hubs is working and Michael is headed for us....

((sweet maddox how I wish you were safe))

Just checking to make sure you made out alright after the hurricane??

 

[Augiezzz]

I have my own thoughts but I did not read anything about Maddox except for this forum and what I could find on Google. I almost never watch TV.

Regarding people in the park. They don't say they did not see Maddox. They say they don't remember seeing Maddox.

It is a huge difference. Except for the heroine of Joe Nesbo's books who had unusually developed fusiform gyrus and hence would remember every face she saw, I know very few people who had good memory for random faces, much less a perfect memory. I am pulling out my impressions of walking with my family in the park and seeing kids playing - there are so many confounding factors! In short, I can see how a kid got lost, and no one understood it. (I can get into details of what I might be seeing that would not match the reality, but I hope people can understand).

I watched the interview with the dad, however. Painstakingly. Anyone who watches it till the end, probably, sees the same that I did - that the dad has issues not totally unlike of Maddox's. And that he is trying to be as honest as he is.

Moreover, I don't know the story of his relationship with Maddox's mother. When they got married, when and how they divorced. I know he was with his new GF.

One thing I can imagine happen is the father not wanting to call 911 because he did not want the mother to know he took Maddox to the park with the new GF, and that he was distracted enough by the GF to lose Maddox in the park. He had Maddox only on weekends, he did not want the parenting plan to be changed. He hoped he'd find the boy soon enough. 911 automatically means mom knowing.

In short, I don't think there is any malice on behalf of the dad. In hindsight, a huge mistake, yes, probably paying more attention to the girlfriend than to his active kid. But if we only could predict all decisions our kids would make!

(I remember once reading about a kid who took off during a camping trip. Afree six days of incessant search, he was found, dead, half a kilometer, not even half a mile, away from the tent. Made a huge round and got on the path leading back. Totally dehydrated. Kids lack the ability to use the resources that adults who got lost might find in the woods).

So to me, if the police said the family was together, they were together. If they are looking for witnesses and getting leads, great.
What happened after Maddox took off, we don't know. I hope, an accident, but my intuition is off at this point.

I wish the police, and the FBI, get their answers. They, and the community, seem to be doing great job in this case.

I wish that Maddox's parents go through the grieving process and find some form of consolation.

Very smart, nice thoughts, thanks!

 

[MsFacetious]

Just checking to make sure you made out alright after the hurricane??

She hasn't been online since that. Has anyone else talked to her, maybe in the Hurricane thread? I'll go find it once we put the kitty away (new dog, introductions.)

 

[MsMarple]

Still waiting for an update - anything - from LE. What's going on?

 

[heartgoesout]

Someone did a few videos of the lake and path dad says they took. There are four videos on you tube. It helps understand the area. Once in you tube search Sister Kathleen Maddox and they should pop up.

 

[Curious.1]

Someone did a few videos of the lake and path dad says they took. There are four videos on you tube. It helps understand the area. Once in you tube search Sister Kathleen Maddox and they should pop up.

Thank you so much. It is so helpful seeing the lake. It is much larger than I'd imagined, and more wooded.