After the 6-year-old body has been found, the search for clues continues

This photo provided by the FBI shows Maddox Ritch. Gastonia Police Chief Robert Helton announced on Thursday, September 27, 2018 that police officials found Maddox Ritch to be the wanted person. The boy's father said that he had run away from home while a friend and he were walking to Rankin Lake Park last weekend. Ian Ritch said that he could not catch up with his son because he was suffering from diabetes neuropathy. (FBI via AP)

The search for clues continues after the authorities announced they found a body alleged to be that of a missing 6 year old boy.

The FBI agent, Jason Kaplan, said the investigators still wanted to hear from people who were in Gastonia Park last weekend when Maddox Ritch fled from his father.

"In law enforcement, we will not take anything for granted," Kaplan said at a press conference on Thursday when the authorities announced the discovery of a body.

"So, there is a lot of work, and many people have lost a lot of sleep and are committed to continuing to answer all the questions we can about Maddox, how his movement happened and how he finished where he did it. "

Kaplan said that there had been speculation about the actions of Maddox's parents, but he said that the investigation focused on the child's movements. Specifically, Kaplan said the investigators are looking for a man in a white truck who reportedly saw Maddox before he disappeared.

"We always want to hear from other people who have not contacted us," Kaplan said.

The Gastonia Police Department has been conducting the investigation since the boy disappeared. The FBI helped in the case.

Last Saturday, Ian Ritch said the boy had fled from him and a friend to Rankin Lake Park and disappeared before he could catch up with him. Ritch said that foot neuropathy caused by diabetes prevented him from running after Maddox.

Kaplan and Gastonia fire chief Phil Welch said a boy's body was found in about 0.9 meters (3 feet) of water in a stream, a little over a kilometer east of the park. stream while its partners stood on the shore.

Welch said the area had already been searched by drones, all-terrain vehicles, kayak teams and foot patrols.

"We were trying to presume that he could have moved," Welch said.

Kaplan said it was too early to determine if Maddox's murder was related to a criminal offense, but the investigators did everything in their power to know exactly what had happened.

"Where did he come in, how did he get there, how was he killed, what was the cause of death, was there a crime or a simple accident," Kaplan said. "These are very difficult questions to answer, but these are questions we will answer."