An autopsy of 6-year-old Maddox Ritch, who went missing from a North Carolina park, indicated he likely drowned accidentally.
The cause of death listed in the autopsy report (pdf), which was released on Nov. 29, is listed as “probable drowning.”
The Medical Examiner’s Office said that it was limited by the decomposition of the body and said the exam couldn’t, therefore, be conclusive.
“The findings are not inconsistent with drowning. In conjunction with investigative information at this time, which gives no indication of other than an accidental drowning, it seems reasonable to conclude that the likely cause of death is drowning,” it stated.
“Should future investigative findings impact this determination of cause or manner of death an addendum will be made.”
The body was found on Sept. 27 at a creek in Gaston County. It was submerged in an eddy pool and appeared to be a victim of postmortem animal predation.
Ritch vanished from Rankin Lake Park on Sept. 22. He was with his father, Ian Ritch, and another adult. They couldn’t find him after he ran away from them.
His father said the day before the body was found that his son had run about 25 to 30 feet away before he began sprinting away even further.
“I started worrying once I could not see him anymore,” Ritch said, reported WRAL. Ritch, who has diabetes, said he started running after his son but struggled due to his condition. He said his son loved to run.
“He looked back at me and laughed like he normally does,” he said. “He slowed down a little, then he paced himself back up.”
After Maddox was found, Ritch wrote on Facebook, saying “Today I found out I’m not a dad anymore. I would give anything to go back and save him.”
In a statement, the Gastonia Police Department thanked the medical examiner.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience and support while we worked to uncover every piece of evidence available to bring our death investigation to this conclusion. I ask for continued prayers for Maddox’s family and everyone touched by this child’s tragic death,” said Gastonia Police Chief Robert Helton.
“We appreciate our many law enforcement, search and rescue partners, and countless others who assisted us in the search for Maddox. We do not anticipate any criminal charges being filed in connection with the investigation.”
Funeral
A funeral was held for Ritch on Oct. 5. The service was private.
“He is in a far better place than we are,” Amanda Wallace, a family friend, told the Charlotte Observer. She said that the time between he went missing and the funeral was “to be bluntly honest, just pure hell.”
“It’s anybody’s worst nightmare,” Wallace said.
On the back of the program at the funeral, there was a photo of Maddox and his parents. They thanked law enforcement and the community.
“A special thank you to all the agencies, both federal and local, who tirelessly searched for our beautiful little boy. Your heartfelt perseverance throughout this very difficult time will never be forgotten. We love you now and always,” the note states. “A special thank you to everyone in the community whose hearts were touched by our little Maddox. We realize that our prayers are your prayers also, our tear, are your tears too. There are no words that we can offer to adequately express our love and appreciation to all of you.”
