The tragic story of a teen who suffered one of the worst deaths possible continues to haunt his family for various reasons.
Joshua Vernon Maddux was just 18 when he vanished over 17 years ago in the US state of Colorado, with his remains later discovered in the chimney of an abandoned cabin.
He was last seen at his parents' home in Woodland Park on 8 May 2008, when he told his older sister, Kate, that he was going for a walk.
Sadly, this would be the last time she saw her little brother, who 'loved to go for hikes' and had a special love for nature.
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His whereabouts were long unknown but while authorities have discovered the teen's location, the circumstances of the case and his death have remained a mystery.
Speaking to the Huffington Post, Kate admitted that 'the situation doesn't make any sense at all', as she revealed that the family thought he may have ended up 'anywhere in the world', but he was near them the whole time.
Joshua's parents reported him as missing a few days after he went on his hike, with family members actively searching for the missing teen, though they couldn't find him anywhere.
Years following his disappearance, the family accepted that he may be gone for good, but Kate pointed out: "We had hope of him being alive, and I feel like in a sense he continued to live on with us, because we had so many dreams of what he could possibly be doing."
Described as a kid whose 'IQ was off the charts', the search for the talented musician was ongoing in August 2015, when construction workers demolishing an abandoned cabin in Woodland Park discovered skeletal remains in the chimney.
Following tests by a forensic odontologist, it was confirmed through dental records that they were Joshua's remains.
"One of the most traumatic things about this story is that the cabin he was found in is literally two blocks away from my dad's house," his sister admitted, adding: "We looked through every part of the woods we thought he could walk to, but that cabin never came up."
How did the teen's remains go unnoticed for seven years?
Speaking to the Colorado Springs Gazette, Chuck Murphy said that his family bought the cabin in the 1950s, using it as a home and rental property until 2005.
He said that they would only go in to check for rodents and any wildlife that may have gotten in, but noted: "It smelled bad."
But the reason behind Joshua's remains being in the chimney is still a mystery.
Kate admitted: "It doesn't make sense.
"The only thing we can figure is he was being an 18-year-old kid, checking out a cabin - it had already been abandoned for a long time - and a horrible accident happened."
Teller County Coroner Al Born said he believes Joshua was trying to enter the cabin by shimmying down the narrow chimney before being stuck.
Construction workers said that they found his remains in the foetal position, though foul play is not suspected.
Born told the publication: "It was not an instant death... how he died is only a matter of speculation, but we know he did not starve to death because that takes many weeks."
He also pointed out that dehydration would have taken a few days, while hypothermia could have taken a day or two, though all these methods are very painful and slow.
Born added that the cabin's location, which was away from any nearby homes, would mean it would've been near impossible for anyone to hear the teenager's cries for help.
The coroner chillingly explained: "He could have been yelling, but nobody would have heard him.
"Houses were quite distant and they probably wouldn’t have heard anything anyway, because the sound [would have been] muffled because of his location in the chimney."
Those who discovered the teen's body noted that a large piece of furniture blocked the fire place, so he wouldn't have been able to get in or exit through there.
Kate admitted that while it was 'difficult and painful' until Joshua's remains were found, she noted that it was a 'miracle' that her brother will get 'the proper service and burial he deserves'.
Topics: True Crime, US News
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