Body found in chimney ID’d as missing teen

The Teller County coroner’s office says remains that were found in a chimney last month belonged to a young man who disappeared seven years ago.

On August 7, 2015, a cabin that had been moved from a lot on Thunderhead Ranch and was being torn down surprised a group of construction workers when they found a body inside the chimney.

Teller County Coroner Al Born said Tuesday morning after a news conference to announce the findings that dental records were used to determine that the body was Maddux. Maddux hadn’t been reported as a runaway. Born discounted the possibility that Maddux entered the chimney from inside the cabin, stating that a word-burning insert in the fireplace would have prevented that, according to our partners at The Gazette.

“I’m relieved that we finally are able to give him a proper burial…because that’s what he deserves, and it’s good that we can kind of know what happened because we spent so long wondering where he was”.

The family of Joshua Maddux has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover his funeral expenses.

Maddux was last seen in May of 2008 after venturing out for a walk, one of his two older sisters said in a statement shared by a local paper Friday. ‘There are going to be a few questions out there that are unanswerable, ‘ Born admitted. Ruth said he brother liked to travel and his family initially thought he was a young adult trying to be on his own.

‘Since Josh was 18, it has been reasonable to assume he may have chose to leave town to start a new life.

“I have always chosen to believe that this was the case”, Kate Maddux wrote. However, no one heard from Josh, and days turned into years.

She then explains the circumstances in which his body was found and adds: ‘This is certainly not the outcome that the Maddux family and my brother Josh’s many friends and loved ones were hoping for. Josh would tell me that one should never say anything bad about anyone else, ever, and I tried to be more like him.

Thunderhead Ranch was said to be a hotspot for illegal gambling and drinking about 60 years ago. It has been unoccupied for about 10 years.

His death was ruled accidental and there were no signs of trauma.