A body believed to be missing boy Maddox Ritch was found on Thursday, days after the 6-year-old vanished in broad daylight in a North Carolina park Saturday, city officials and the FBI said.
Maddox, who has autism and does not talk, was at Rankin Lake Park in Gastonia with his father, Ian Ritch, and another adult when he started sprinting roughly 25 to 30 feet ahead of his father, Ritch told reporters.
“I feel guilt for letting him get so far ahead of me,” Ritch told reporters.
The boy has diabetes and neuropathy in his feet that can make it difficult for him to run, his father said.
“As soon as I got to the point where I couldn’t see him anymore, I started panicking,” Ritch said.
This story is developing. Please check back for more updates.
