Joshua Maddux, an 18-year-old from Woodland Park, Colorado, vanished on May 8, 2008, after going for a walk. A bright, creative teen who loved nature, he seemed happy despite the 2006 suicide of his brother. After five days, his family reported him missing, but searches yielded nothing. In August 2015, his body was found in the chimney of an abandoned cabin near his home, upside down in a fetal position, wearing only a shirt, with his clothes folded inside the cabin. The coroner ruled his death an accident, suggesting he climbed in and got stuck, dying of hypothermia or dehydration. However, the cabin owner claimed a grate blocked the chimney, making entry impossible, and the coroner noted two people would be needed to place the body there. Rumors point to foul play, including a tip about Andrew Richard Newman, a convicted murderer seen with Josh, but no evidence supports this. The case remains an accident with no active police investigation, leaving questions about how Josh ended up in the chimney and whether others were involved.
00:00 Welcome to the Dark Oak
05:15 100 Episode Celebration and Giveaway
07:50 Joshua Maddux
48:18 The Branch of Hope
Sources:
Roberts, M. (2015, September 30). Joshua Maddux, R.I.P.: Remains of teen missing 7 years found in Cabin Chimney. Westword. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.westword.com/news/joshua-maddux-rip-remains-of-teen-missing-7-years-found-in-cabin-chimney-7197390
StrangeOutdoors.com. (2021, August 6). The strange death of josh maddux, the boy in the chimney. StrangeOutdoors.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/strange-indoors/joshua-maddux
Young, N. (2023, May 11). How did Joshua Maddux die in the chimney of an abandoned cabin? Medium. https://medium.com/@nikyoung/how-did-joshua-maddux-die-in-the-chimney-of-an-abandoned-cabin-7502be457cb7
Mendoza, J. (2023, March 13). Disturbing details about the case of Joshua Maddux, the teen found in a chimney. Grunge. https://www.grunge.com/1205963/disturbing-details-about-the-case-of-joshua-maddux-the-teen-found-in-a-chimney/
Migration, & Paul, J. (2015, October 19). Chimney discovery ends mystery over young man’s disappearance, but questions remain. The Denver Post. https://www.denverpost.com/2015/10/19/chimney-discovery-ends-mystery-over-young-mans-disappearance-but-questions-remain/
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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep