Search for Clues Continues in Death of Maddox Ritch

Authorities say they will pursue every angle in the 6-year-old's death
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 28, 2018 3:51 PM CDT
Search for Clues Continues in Death of Maddox Ritch
Maddox Ritch   (FBI via AP)

The search for clues continues after authorities announced they had found a body believed to be that of a missing 6-year-old boy. FBI Agent Jason Kaplan said investigators still want to hear from people who were in the Gastonia park last weekend when Maddox Ritch ran away from his father, the AP reports. "In law enforcement, we will not take anything for granted," Kaplan said. "So there's a lot of work, and there's a lot of people that have lost a lot of sleep and are committed to continuing to making sure we answer every question that we can about where Maddox was, how his movement occurred and how it was that he ended up where he did." Kaplan said there has been speculation on the actions of Maddox's parents, but he said the investigation is focusing on the child's movements.

Specifically, Kaplan said investigators are looking for a man in a white truck who is believed to have seen Maddox before he disappeared. Last Saturday, Ian Ritch said the boy ran off from him and a friend at Rankin Lake Park and disappeared before he could catch up to him. Ritch said neuropathy in his feet brought on by diabetes prevented him from running after Maddox. Authorities said the boy's body was found in about 3 feet of water in a creek, slightly more than a mile east of the park. Kaplan said while it was too early to determine whether foul play was involved in Maddox's death, investigators would pursue every angle to find out exactly what happened.

(More North Carolina stories.)

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