GASTONIA, N.C. — Investigators want the public to know they are still committed to finding out what happened to 6-year-old Maddox Ritch, three weeks after finding his body in a Gaston County creek.
The Gastonia Police Department updated the community on Thursday, saying in a Facebook post that they are waiting on autopsy results, which could take weeks or even months.
Related coverage:
- Gastonia police confirm Maddox Ritch was in park before disappearance
- IMAGES: Officials find body near Gastonia park
- Discovery of body believed to be that of missing boy takes emotional toll on community
- RELATED: Maddox Ritch's grandmother describes little boy as 'loving,' 'bubbly'
- 'Sweet and loving little boy': Funeral plans announced for Maddox Ritch
- 911 call from Rankin Lake Park employee released in case of missing boy
- Click here to read Maddox's obituary
- Community prays for Maddox's family at vigil
- Community shows support for missing boy at vigil
- Neighbors come together as crews continue to search for missing 6-year-old boy
The chief said the department will do everything possible to learn what happened in Maddox's final moments.
Three weeks ago today, our hearts were broken when we found the body of 6-year-old Maddox Ritch in Long Creek less than...
Posted by Gastonia Police Department on Thursday, October 18, 2018
The case has tugged at the heartstrings of the Gastonia community and the nation.
Maddox's father said the boy ran too far ahead of him at Rankin Lake Park and disappeared. After nearly a week of desperate, nonstop searches and prayers, the boy's body was found in Long Creek, about a mile away from the park.
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