Boy stuck in chimney suffered one of worst deaths possible and was only found seven years later
People are shocked after learning of the bizarre and terrifying death of a missing teenager whose body was found seven years later in a chimney just a mile away from his home.
US teen Joshua Maddux, 18, left his house in Woodland Park, Teller County for a short walk in May 2008 but his parents raised the alarm when he didn't return.
As the years passed, his family clung to the hope that he'd 'decided to leave town and start a new life', his sister Kate wrote on the News of Woodland Park website.
Meanwhile his father Mike was searching homeless shelters and campgrounds in the nearby area, hoping to find his missing son alive.
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He told Sky News: "I got up one morning and he was there, then he just never came home.
"We thought he was with friends, but no one had seen him.
"It's a long-term thing where you're grieving on hold."
Tragically seven years later in 2015, construction workers made a shocking discovery.
They were tearing down a cabin when a bad smell was noticed, and it wasn't until they moved a large piece of furniture blocking the fireplace that they found a pile of clothes belonging to the teenager which had been neatly folded at the bottom.
Inside the chimney were the mummified remains of Maddux, who had to be identified by dental records and the missing tip of his right index finger he lost in a bicycle accident as a child.
His foetal position suggested that he had gone into the structure head-first, something police believe that he did in order to gain access to the locked property.
Local shop owner Renae Trichell told the Denver Post: "He just died alone in that chimney. That is just really, really unsettling."
However, other sources claim that a metal covering on top of the chimney, which seemingly eliminates the possibility of him entering from the top down.
Others have highlighted the unusual detail that Josh was only wearing a ribbed thermal shirt, with the rest of his clothes found within the cabin.
However, his death has always been considered an accident with foul play not considered by officials.
After a thorough investigation, including an autopsy, police ruled the death an accident resulting from hypothermia and environmental exposure, concluding that Maddux became hopelessly trapped while attempting to climb down.
The county coroner Al Born nevertheless admitted that the case was 'very confusing' and there were 'no answers to a number of things'.
Josh's sister Kate posted an emotional tribute after his remains were discovered.
She wrote: "This is certainly not the outcome that the Maddux family and my brother Josh’s many friends and loved ones were hoping for.
"We are however eternally grateful for the opportunity to finally provide Josh with the proper memorial service he deserves and to finally lay Josh to rest."
We will probably never know exactly what led the teenager to go down the chimney but it seems certain that Maddux will have sadly suffered a lot in his final moments.
James Moorhouse