FBI use parents' recorded voices in search for missing boy with autism

GASTONIA, N.C. — The desperate search for a 6-year-old boy who vanished from a North Carolina park will stretch into a fourth day Tuesday.

Maddox Ritch was last seen at Rankin Lake Park on Saturday with his father and a friend.

Charlotte's FBI Office said agents were searching all around the park, and the Gastonia Police SWAT team searched area dumpsters on Monday, looking for any trace of the boy.

Officials said they've received 80 leads as of Monday afternoon, and they're looking into them all.

Later in the evening, local and federal authorities posted to social media outlets asking people to not spread false rumors.

"The Gastonia Police Department and the FBI ask the public not to spread rumors on social media about the search for Maddox Ritch," the post read.

Authorities urged anyone who may have been at the park on Saturday to contact them.

"No piece of information is too small,” Gastonia Police Chief Rob Helton said. “Something that you may think is insignificant can help us."

Overnight, dozens of people continued to look for the child and more than two dozen agencies are helping with the search and investigation.

On Monday, more searchers from Shelby and Cleveland County combed the woods in and around the park.

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Police said Maddox was with his father and another adult, who officials have yet to identify, before he disappeared at the park around 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

"They were walking around the lake,” Gastonia spokeswoman Rachel Bagley said. “They got around to the back side of the lake. He started running, according to the parents, and when they started running after him, they lost sight of him, and no one has seen him ever since."

Maddox is autistic and nonverbal -- he doesn't talk -- but officials said there is a special team with the FBI that is highly trained and experienced in mysterious missing children's cases that are working to find him.

Officials also said they're using recorded messages from Maddox's mother and father to play during the search, hoping he'll recognize their voices.

"We're going to explore all possibilities, including abduction, but we're also going to make sure we search every inch of land around here to make sure that he's not simply lost," said FBI Special Agent Jason Kaplan.

Police said the boy’s family has been interviewed and they are cooperating with law enforcement. When asked on Monday if any family members were considered suspects, officials said they're not ruling anything out.

During Monday’s news conference, a Charlotte minister questioned why Maddox’s parents have not spoken publicly.

"Why are the parents not coming out to plead for help for their child?" Minister Raymond Johnson asked. “I've seen a whole lot of cases where a member of the family will come out and say, 'This is my niece or my nephew, and we want to find this child.'”

A spokesperson with the FBI warned against anyone trying to judge how a parent should respond when their child is missing. She also said the boy’s parents have asked for privacy and they’re trying to respect that.

Others wanted to know why, if police are investigating the possibility of an abduction, has no Amber Alert been issued.

Investigators explained that the case must meet specific criteria first. The child must be under 17 and must be believed to have been abducted, but not by a parent.

The kidnapping must also be reported to the police. Investigators said this case does not meet all of those requirements yet so they have not activated an Amber Alert.

Neighbors nearby told Channel 9 that the terrain around the park has many deep holes and they were concerned that Maddox could have fallen in one.

"Pray to God that they find him alive," nearby resident Jerry Stewart said.

He said there is a lot of wetland around the park, and it would be easy for a child to step into a deep drop.

"If you get too close and you miss your step, you are going to go somewhere," Stewart said.

On Sunday, search dogs roamed the area near Rankin Lake, where Maddox was last seen. Search boats also checked the lake with divers and sonar devices.

Officials said they plan to use drones throughout the day and night in the search. They have also lowered the water level in Rankin Lake to see more of the shoreline.

"Just like today, we've been backtracking over areas that we've already covered, just to make sure that we're really doing this thing thoroughly," Gaston County Fire Marshal Eric Hendrix said.

Police are asking anyone who may have been at Rankin Lake Park on Saturday and saw Maddox, especially if they have pictures or videos, to call them.

"If you were at Rankin Lake Park on Saturday and saw Maddox or took video or photos of their outing at the park, call us," Helton said. "We know a lot of people were in the park and we have spoken to many of them, but we have not spoken to everyone."

Crews have been searching more than 1,400 acres and expanded the search by two miles on Monday. Search and rescue crews have been patrolling areas of the park on foot and on ATVs.

Maddox was last seen wearing an orange T-shirt with “I’m the man” on the front. The boy is 4 feet tall and weighs 45 pounds. He has blond hair and blue eyes.

On Monday, officials released pictures of the clothing he was reportedly wearing.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's helicopter was deployed Sunday night once the sun set, and used its infrared technology.

The city of Gastonia confirmed that investigators are reviewing surveillance video at the park, and crews worked through the night searching on foot and with dogs.

Officials said hundreds of volunteer agencies have assisted in the search, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is also helping.

Gastonia police said additional search units from around the region have joined the search. They said hundreds of law enforcement, search and rescue teams, and state and federal authorities are now involved.

Officials said they are receiving assistance from the Gastonia Police, Gaston County Sheriff's Department, Gaston County Emergency Management, Gaston County Police, Gastonia and Gaston County Fire Departments, Lincoln County Sheriff's Department, Lincolnton Fire, Charlotte Fire, Stanley Rescue, Lincoln County Land Search team, Spartanburg County Search and Rescue and Search and Rescue Dog Assistance, and Central Carolina K-9 Search Team.

A spokesperson with the city said the park will be closed until further notice as crews continue their search.

Police advise the public to stay away from the area surrounding the park as they continue their search in the nearby neighborhoods. Officials are also asking people who live near the park to search areas around their homes where a child might hide.

“If you have a shed, barn, wooded area, go take a look and call us immediately if you find anything out of the ordinary,” Helton said.

If you have any information regarding Maddox's whereabouts, police encourage you to call the new 24-hour tip line at 704-869-1075.

“Every second counts when a child is missing,” Kaplan said. “Our focus is to find Maddox as quickly as possible and to bring him home.”

Cox Media Group