The Boy in the Chimney

The story of Joshua's death is nothing short of bizarre, and he is often referred to as “the boy in the chimney” due to the circumstances of his passing.

18-year-old Josh would go missing from his home in 2008 after saying he was going for a walk. Seven years would pass and there would be no sightings of Joshua and no real indication of what may have happened to him. Then, a horrific discovery would be made when the owner of a nearby cabin smelled something foul coming from his chimney. Joshua’s body would be discovered wearing only a shirt, with the rest of his clothing found neatly folded in another area of the cabin.

Investigators had no idea how he had gotten into the chimney — if he had climbed in by his own free will, was forced in or thrown in later. His death was ruled an accident. But there are several factors, including a strange Reddit post, that would lead many to believe Joshua’s death was a murder. To this day, there is no clear indication of how died.

Joshua Maddux was born on March 9, 1990, to his parents Mike and Roberta in the very small town of Woodland Park, Colorado, which has a population of only around 8,000 people.

The area is a bit removed and absolutely beautiful. The old buildings in the downtown core have been perfectly preserved like a time capsule. It’s this tiny pocket of a town surrounded by the Pike National Forest, so very picturesque, a ton of things to do if you enjoy nature-based activities.

Josh was the youngest son and the fourth child in the family. He was homeschooled for the first couple of years, however, he would begin public school when his parents would ultimately divorce. Josh lived full-time with his father, Mike, and his sisters, Kate and Ruth, in a home situated close to the town, but also close to beautiful forested hills. As with most residents of Woodland Park, Josh enjoyed spending as much time as he could in nature, hiking and watching for animals.

It was clear from an early age that Joshua was special. He was very academically gifted and would consistently excel his way through school, earning top grades every year. His sister Kate would say,

“His IQ was off the charts. He spent most of his time writing fictional stories and playing music. He had an interesting and unique sense of style. People in his high school class knew him for being that ‘awesome kid’ who wore a top hat and brought a briefcase to school instead of a backpack. There was this subtle sophistication about him that made him interesting and a standout.”

In addition to being book smart, Joshua had an incredible sense of humour and was talented in writing and drawing. In his spare time, he would write a comic strip he called Stickman and Smiley, and share them with all of his friends. He was a creative young man, who was well-rounded and well-liked by his peers.

That’s not to say that life was always easy. In June of 2006, Joshua’s older brother Zachary would take his own life at the age of 18 years old, just a week before he was to graduate from high school. He had been suffering from severe depression for years prior and unfortunately lost his battle. The family was shocked, especially Josh, who was only 16 years old at the time and close to his brother. Josh really looked up to Zachary. It shook his foundation and was a really difficult period of his life.

Despite it all, in May of 2008, Josh appeared to be doing well. His friends and family would report that he seemed happy, there didn’t appear to be any indication he was depressed or anything was really bothering him. He was now 18 years old, and a 6-feet tall teen with long blond hair. He loved writing his own music and then playing the songs out on his guitar.

The day was May 8, 2008. Josh decided to go for a walk, which he often did. He told his sister Kate, that he was heading out for a long stroll, and of course, she thought nothing of it. He was known to take walks to clear his head or to go on random hiking adventures. It wasn’t until much later that evening when Josh had not returned that his family began to worry. They didn’t want to panic right away and jump to any conclusions that something had happened, so they called a few of Josh’s friends to see if they knew where he was. No one had seen Josh that day or knew where he might be. So they waited, hoping that Josh would come walking through the front door.

Several days would pass and Josh still had not returned home. On May 13th, the police were called. It had now been five days since Josh said he was going out for that walk and there had been no sighting of him since.

A missing person’s report for Joshua Maddux was filed and the police, along with Josh’s friends and family, would organize searches throughout the area. There would be absolutely no sign of Joshua anywhere. The authorities were well aware that Josh’s older brother had lost his life to depression just two years prior, so they had to consider Josh may have followed in his brother’s footsteps. His family refused to accept this as true. He gave no indication that he was depressed or upset in any way during the months leading up to his disappearance or even when his sister Kate saw him in the kitchen right before he left for the walk.

The other thought was that perhaps he had run away to start a new life. Josh was a free spirit, maybe he had decided to start over somewhere new or maybe he left to try to kickstart his music career. This scenario is the one that his family hoped for. Josh’s father, Mike, wasn’t so sure, and he was worried out of his mind.

There would be missing person posters plastered around the town with a description and photo of Josh, along with a notice that he may be in mental distress due to still grieving the loss of his brother, so people should approach with caution and compassion if they find him. However, the weeks would turn into months and the months into years — with no sightings of Josh.

Seven years would pass and then in August of 2015, a shocking discovery would be made by a local construction crew who were in the process of demolishing an old abandoned cabin, less than a mile away from Joshua’s home. Though the cabin had once been restored and rented out, it was basically derelict now as no one had occupied it in the last 10 years.

As construction crews began to demo the area near the fireplace, they would make a gruesome discovery — a body, lodged in the chimney. It had been there for so long, that it was partially mummified. The body was only wearing a shirt and was found upside down with the knees above the head, in a fetal position, and the legs were dislodged from the torso. It’s actually quite difficult to picture a person being in this position in the small space of a chimney.

Due to the condition of the body and just how long it had been there, dental records had to be used to make an identification. The body would positively be identified as that of 18-year-old Joshua Maddux, discovered in the chimney of this abandoned cottage just a mile away from his home.

While the family was grateful to have Joshua’s remains so that they could lay him to rest, there were a lot of questions now surrounding how Josh ended up in that chimney.

The autopsy would lead to more questions, rather than answers. Joshua’s body was found feet down in a fetal position, wearing only a ribbed thermal-type shirt. To get into the chimney in this position, he would have had to go in head first. The rest of his clothing would be found inside the cabin, folded up near the fireplace. He went into the chimney wearing no shoes, socks, or underwear — nothing except for the shirt.

The autopsy indicated that he had no broken bones, no knife marks, no bullet holes, no drugs in his system and no signs of any trauma. For this reason, the county coroner ruled his death an accident of unknown cause.

The leading theory is that Josh climbed into the chimney on his own accord and then became stuck. He was tall and skinny, and the idea is that he tried to shimmy down the chimney to get access to the cabin, but became stuck. When he couldn’t get out, and no one could hear his screams for help, he would have perished due to exposure to the elements or from no food and water.

However, even the owner of the abandoned cabin takes issue with that theory.

This cabin used to be a part of the Thunderhead Ranch property, which has an interesting history, as it used to be a popular spot for illegal gambling, drinking and escort services. In the 50s, Chuck Murphy would purchase the property, including the cabin, and the Murphy family would own it for the last 60 years.

One of the Murphy brothers had lived in the cabin for around 30 years before abandoning it in 2005. Every so often, the owner of the cabin, Chuck Murphy, would go into the property to check on it and he said..

“The place was damp. It smelled like hell. There was raccoon poop all over the place.”

Nobody really spent any time in the cabin until they decided to tear it down to make way for a new housing development.

He was there the day that Josh’s body was found by the construction crew and he says he has doubts about the theory that Josh climbed in on his own. There was a rebar made of steel meshing installed on top of the chimney to stop animals from coming through. This would have made it incredibly difficult for Josh to get through.

Joshua’s family also has no idea what would have brought him to the cabin that day. They had searched high and low, every inch of that forest they could think of to look for Joshua, but they had no idea that he was so close, just within reach in the chimney of that abandoned cabin.

They also have questions about several things related to Joshua’s death.

Why was he mostly undressed?

Why was his remaining clothing found outside of the chimney neatly folded?

How did it get through that steel webbing? And why would he attempt it anyway?

The most important question is, if Joshua Maddux did not climb into the chimney himself, what happened to him?

There have been several tips to come into the police which suggest that Josh may have actually been a victim of foul play.

Remember, this is a small town, where everyone knows everyone else and secrets can’t stay a secret for long.

One tip that came in named a man who had a long history of committing violent crimes and spending time in prison. This person was allegedly seen hanging out with Josh, though it’s not clear when. The tip alleged this person killed Josh and put him in the chimney, but they did not offer any pertinent information like dates and times they were seen together so. This tip was a wash.

This next tip is far more interesting. A post would pop up on Reddit in 2015 that pointed at a man named, Andy, who would turn out to be a convicted murderer. He was seen with Josh shortly before his disappearance and untimely death.

The Andy referred to in this post is Andrew Richard Newman and he has never been named a suspect in Josh’s death. No one has ever been named a suspect in Josh’s death — and Josh’s death has never been ruled a homicide.

However, one cannot deny that the circumstances surrounding Joshua Maddux’s death are bizarre. Because the coroner ruled his death as accidental, there is no active investigation into what happened to him.

This can only be described as frustrating, as coroner Al Born told the Pikes Peak Courier that, “I know it’s not a natural death and I’m confident it’s not suicide.

It could be an accidental death, homicide, and undetermined cause of death.

It is frustrating we can’t pin it down.

At this point, we may never have the answers to these key questions:

What was Josh doing in that abandoned cabin? Did he go into the chimney himself or did someone put him there?