MADDOX RITCH: Tearful mother pleads for return of boy who disappeared from North Carolina park

GASTONIA, N.C. — The desperate search for a 6-year-old North Carolina boy who vanished from a Gastonia park continued for a fourth day Tuesday as authorities offered a reward for information leading to the return of Maddox Ritch.

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

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Update 4:55 p.m. EDT Sept. 25:  Maddox Ritch's mother, Carrie, is pleading for help, asking anyone who may have seen her son to come forward.

"Continue praying for him, because I just want my baby home," she said, breaking down in tears during a news conference on Tuesday. "Please, anything you can do."

The FBI is now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the child. The little boy with special needs disappeared Saturday from a park in Gastonia.

Officials said search crews on ATVS checked new areas around the park Tuesday, looking for any trace of the boy.

Gastonia police officers and troopers went door-to-door Tuesday morning at businesses along Highway 321 just a few blocks away from the park. They were trying to obtain security camera footage that could reveal what happened to the child.

An employee at a local business said law enforcement has come to the shop six times since the boy went missing looking for video.

"They've checked the dumpsters, we've seen them go from business to business, and they've just been in and out of our office," Faith Gates said.

Gates also said it’s comforting knowing that investigators are thoroughly searching for the the boy.

Update 10:05 a.m. EDT Sept. 25: Officials said they're using recorded messages from Maddox's mother and father to play during the search, hoping he'll recognize their voices.

Neighbors told WSOCTV 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," resident Jerry Stewart said.

He said there is a lot of wetland around the park, and that 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.

Update 10:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 24:

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

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

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

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

Police said Maddox was with his father and another adult, who officials have yet to identify, before he disappeared.

Maddox is autistic and nonverbal 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.

"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.

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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.

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. No piece of information is too small. Something you may think is insignificant could be helpful to our case."

Crews have been searching more than 1,400 acres and will continue Monday morning. Search and rescue crews have been patrolling areas of the park on foot and on ATVs.

Maddox was last seen at the park at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

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

"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."

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

The city confirmed crews 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