Funeral held for missing North Carolina boy found dead

GASTONIA, N.C. – A funeral has been held in North Carolina for a missing 6-year-old boy who was found dead late last month.

The Charlotte Observer reports Maddox Ritch’s Friday funeral came about a week after police found his body in a creek.

A family friend who knew Maddox, Amanda Wallace, said at the service that Maddox “is in a far better place than we are.” She says the “days upon days of agony of not knowing” and the final news of Maddox’s death have been a nightmare.

Maddox had autism and was nonverbal with strangers. Ian Ritch has said his son ran off while at a park and he couldn’t catch him due to a health problem.

Maddox’s cause of death hasn’t been released, and officials are awaiting his autopsy results.

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Information from: The Charlotte Observer, http://www.charlotteobserver.com