The Case Of Maddy Middleton

A young girl is reported missing, and her mother calls 911 in a panic from an apartment complex in Santa Cruz, California. She was last seen riding her scooter around the complex just after 5 p.m., and her mother provided the officers with the crucial description. The eight-year-old, identified as Madison Middleton, was last seen riding a little white scooter. She was four feet tall and 48 pounds, with brown hair, a black helmet, and purple clothing. All hands were now on deck to find her after she appeared to vanish in a matter of minutes. Madison Middleton, often known as Maddie, was an only child who resided with her mother, Laura.

Her mother and father, Michael, were a close-knit trio. The family resided in the Tannery Arts Centre apartment complex, which offers affordable housing for families and artists. Everyone in the complex got along; they would all create things and spend time together, and the kids would play games in the courtyard. For a young girl who loved all things creative, this was the ideal environment.

Everyone in the flat building knew her as chatty Maddie," and she would talk to anyone and everyone, always making friends and entertaining people. She was bright, intuitive, and curious. She would stand up for someone who was on their own or needed support. It was a Sunday on July 26. Maddie was taking advantage of the remaining hours of her weekend. Her friend had taken him over and was now playing a board game with her mother, Laura. While she waited for them to finish, Maddie made the decision to play with her recent gift—a scooter—which she couldn't wait to use.

Several neighbors saw Maddie in the courtyard before it got dark at 4 o'clock in the afternoon; she was also seen a few times after this just riding around and having fun. Occasionally she stopped to chat with a few of the other kids but was content to be by herself at 5:07 PM; this was the last time anyone saw Maddie after she disappeared, according to her mother. There were around 100 units in the eight-acre complex, so Laura went door to door, thinking she could have run into another acquaintance. However, as each person who answered said they hadn't seen her, the panic increased since she was nowhere to be found. The cops arrived at the apartments quickly and started working without hesitation Despite the fact that Maddie was confident and knew better than to go out alone, travel too far, or converse with strangers, according to her family, investigators still did not issue an amber warning because they said the case did not fit certain requirements. My name is Kirby, and an amber alert is an emergency notification system that disseminates details about a youngster who is at risk of going missing or being kidnapped. I recognise Kerrville; just have a look there. Tell us about what she was doing outside. She was writing on her brand-new white razor scooter while sporting a black helmet and a purple outfit. She appeared to be having a great time.

We've searched the entire Tannery door-to-door. Officers have gone door-to-door in every loft. We've looked at cameras. Um, we've had search parties all night long. Is there anyone else? Is there another friend, an adult friend she might have befriended, or anything like that? Not that I can think of at all. Has she ever done anything? Nothing. Never. She's never left Tannery.

She was under surveillance, so where do you go? I mean, I just have to ask, how difficult is it to know that there isn't much you can do? I mean, I'm doing what I can, but I already broke down and am now just in survival mode. I can't even begin to describe how difficult this is; nobody should have to go through this. A thorough search was now being conducted with the assistance of the Santa Cruz Police Department and a search and rescue team from the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office garages and examine their trash cans. By this time, the complex had already been thoroughly examined, and the search for Maddie had now moved outside once again after an earlier news conference this morning provided the most recent information on the search for a missing eight-year-old Santa Cruz girl. In order to help search teams in orange jackets fan out through a sizable area of Santa Cruz hoping to find any sign of missing eight-year-old Madison Middleton, Santa Cruz Police say they have expanded their four and a half square mile search area and have called in the FBI, who have additional resources. Madison Middleton went missing Sunday afternoon and was last seen by neighbors around five o'clock yesterday Parents learned about the missing case when they brought their kids to a dance class at the Tannery Arts Centre. It's tragic. I feel terrible. I'm hoping that they're going to find her. We're sending positive, happy thoughts to the Tannery Arts Centre.

The police claim there is no proof Maddie was forcibly taken; therefore, they are treating this as a missing person's case. All of the tents and homeless camps have been investigated, and several of us have been up all night travelling to Paradise Park.

In this case, we're not calling this a kidnapping; we're still early on in our investigation. We're looking for a lost child. Late this afternoon, police stopped vehicles entering the Tannery parking lot and looked for any information or signs of missing Madison Maddie Middleton. hundreds of volunteers arrived to search. Police had now received over 1 000 tips, and it was clear to see how much this case had resonated with the public and how much they were trying to help bring her home. As the police approached the 24-hour mark, they decided to refocus their search back inwards. With such a small window of time in which she suddenly vanished, they felt confident that the answers lay in the apartment complex somewhere, they started a more thorough and intense search of the buildings. Just over a day after the search for Maddie had started, it came to a painful and abrupt end at 8 p.m. on July 27th. Her body was found in a bag inside a recycling bin in the first floor garage of the apartment complex. A body believed to be that of eight-year-old Madison Middleton was found in a dumpster almost 24 hours after she disappeared near her home. At 8 p.m. Last night, police suddenly herded residents out and pushed everyone onto the street after Maddie's remains were found below the complex. At this time, we are unsure of the results that the autopsy will yield.

One of the investigators said everyone's Hearts sank when they found her but they quickly regrouped as the missing person's case was now a major homicide investigation no sooner had this happened police announced that they had made an arrest in Santa Cruz California have a 15 year old boy under arrest in connection with The Disappearance and apparent death of an eight-year-old girl more shocking still the suspect lived in the apartment complex and he was just 15 years old last night our cameras were there when police took a neighbors into custody we've blurred His image yesterday evening we saw a distraught woman stomping and screaming in the parking lot of the apartment complex where that arrest took place neighbors tell us she is the mother of that team. approximately 7 55 P.M a Santa Cruz police detective conducted a secondary and more thorough canvas of the complex which included the search of a recycle bin located in an enclosure on the first floor parking structure at the Tannery Arts Centre complex Maddie's body was located within that recycle bin I will merely say that Maddie's body was concealed in a recycle bin in a way that was not obvious or readily apparent male juvenile who resides in an apartment on the property upstairs from the location where Maddie's body was found and he was nearby when when Maddie was located he was subsequently taken into custody where he was brought back to the Santa Cruz Police Department and interviewed investigators from the Santa Cruz Police Department interviewed this individual into the early early morning hours this morning um and he was subsequently uh arrested for the murder of Madison Milton additionally investigators have located evidence that links the suspect to this horrific crime appears that she was lured to the suspect's apartment willingly additionally we've determined that Maddie was murdered inside of the suspect's apartment we determined that the suspect acted alone and not in concert with anyone else I would like to thank the members of my staff who worked relentlessly throughout this investigation many of them worked 36 hours straight driven by our desire and hope that we would find Maddie safe I'm sure all of you can relate to this as a parent myself or many of you I'm sure our parents this this has just been absolutely devastating for me personally and for my staff you know my staff is so hopeful that we were going to find her alive when the news came last night that she was not alive it was it was hard at 9 00 pm on July 28th the broken Community came together for a vigil a lot of people in town and all over have been walking around numb you know it's like that's how I feel I feel like I've been walking around numb because I couldn't even imagine if it was somebody that I loved somebody that I was supposed to because of his age the teen's personality was safeguarded yet this changed when St Nick Cruz Region lead prosecutor Jeff Roselle gave an assertion he declared that they had adequate proof against him and he would charge the high schooler as a grown-up for homicide as well as for hijacking and rapes the law permits in specific situations with particular sorts of offences an assurance concerning whether you need to charge somebody as a grown-up or whether they're charged as an adolescent in light of the data that we know right now there really do seem, by all accounts, to be charges that can be recorded as a grown-up and we are totally thinking about that and these are the kind of charges and the kind of offences that are and can be accused likewise and of this his name was delivered the suspect in care ended up being Adrian Jerry Gonzalez known as AJ and he had lived in the condo throughout the previous six years with his mom it was a sensation for the neighbors and the way that he might have been involved left them stunned not knowing any subtleties everyone at first felt that this probably been a mishap and AJ had terrified and attempted to cover it up everyone depicted him as amiable and considerate frequently investing energy outside with different kids showing them how to do yo deceives and play the piano he even functioned as a guide for the more youthful kids everybody cherished and believed him and this was something unimaginable to handle we love this person we all assuming that you request us your thought process from him would let you know he's a remarkable youngster I post the kid one neighbour said yet others contended his online entertainment presents pointed on somebody who was definitely more grieved than anybody had acknowledged with a significant number of his posts having upsetting subtitles it was likewise said that he had mishandled his canine years prior and one of his companions had encouraged him to look for help when he began taking steps to leap off of structures what had at first attracted police to AJ that day was that he was watching them eagerly as they were looking through the receptacles and the second the officers realised that Maddie was in there he started to run despite the fact he wouldn't have been able to even see what they had found he had been helping in the searches and involving himself in the investigation from the beginning asking everyone questions about what they knew and if anyone had heard anything something that seemed innocuous but when police questioned him after he ran away they realised something was very wrong and he did have something to hide they wouldn't go into detail about what he had said or what evidence they had uncovered in his apartment which was likely due to his age and how much they were allowed to reveal an examination of Maddie's body came in the following day and it was determined that her mouth had been bound with tape she had been beaten and raped before being strangled and stabbed it was such a monstrous crime and what poor Maddie had gone through was horrendous after being formally interviewed AJ admitted to what he had done he said that he had lured Maddie into his apartment by offering her some ice cream Maddie knew AJ well and trusted him as she was helping herself to the ice cream he attacked her from behind after he bound her and assaulted her he strangled her before forcing her into the bag she was later found in as he was doing this he realised that she was still alive he subsequently stabbed her in the neck medical examiners concluded that she had ultimately died of positional asphyxiation from her position in the recycling bin district attorney Jeff Roselle said we are going to bring him to Justice he is looking at life in prison he also said that he thought being charged and tried as an adult was the only appropriate course of action and that AJ was a sexual deviant with no place in society judge Salazar agreed with Jeff Roselle and determined that AJ's trial should go through the adult court system instead of the juvenile one he cited prop 57 which was passed by voters and allowed judges to decide whether or not a teen should be tried as an adult AJ entered a plea of not guilty despite his admissions but his defence team were fighting hard to transfer his case back to juvenile court using the controversial Senate Bill 1391 which had just come into effect SB 1391 prohibits anyone 14 or 15 years old from being tried as an adult they also said that the reasons behind why he did what he did stemmed from a tough home and school life and being socially awkward but people that knew the Gonzalez family said that this was simply not true his mother Reggie had left his father when the relationship had turned violent and her children were her biggest priority they said that AJ was showered with love and affection and he came from a caring family that had done their best given their situations they said that although Reggie had battled drug and alcohol issues she was now clean and doing her best to repair any damage that had been done the police and prosecution said that numerous people have tougher upbringings than most and this is not the outcome they said that using his mother and his upbringing as some kind of justification for what he had done was heartbreaking thousands of people signed a petition to stop SB 1391 applying to AJ's case but it was in vain when after much deliberation and appeals by AJ's defence team the Supreme Court ruled that his case should be transferred to a juvenile court now to our top story tonight the man accused in the brutal assault and killing of eight-year-old Maddie Middleton is back to being tried as a juvenile California's Supreme Court rules to uphold a 2018 law preventing juveniles from being tried as adults if the crime happened when they were 14 or 15 years old Adrian AJ Gonzalez was 15 when he allegedly sexually assaulted and killed Middleton at his mother's Santa Cruz apartment in 2015 for the last several years Gonzalez has been in the adult system in custody at the Santa Cruz County Jail absolutely disappointing the words from the family of Maddie Middleton Thursday morning California's Supreme Court voted to uphold Senate Bill 1391 in the case of OG versus the Superior Court of Ventura County which dates 14 and 15 year olds cannot be transferred to adult Court we are extremely um and I've spoke to some of the family members and they are absolutely devastated not a person based on all the evidence we heard in nine weeks from experts throughout the state that is not somebody who's going to be safe to be released in juvenile hall he responded very well to the programming the services the support um in the structure of the hall kids can get treatment and aren't just thrown away into an adult prison whether where they're going to learn very bad habits this was met with huge backlash and the community were horrified that something so awful could happen to someone so vulnerable and be met with potentially just a few years in prison judge Salazar also expressed his feelings saying that his hands were tied by the change in the law and that he had no choice he said allowing all 14 and 15 year old's accused of first-degree murder and other violent offences to remain in the juvenile court is not promoting Public Safety because not all of them can be safely rehabilitated following this decision in April 2021 Adrian Jerry Gonzalez changed his play.

Todd's story tonight a major development in the murder case of eight-year-old Madison Maddie Middleton today in court the suspect Adrian AJ Gonzalez pleaded guilty to all charges he finally pleaded guilty to six felony counts including the kidnapping rape and murder of Maddie more than five years prior before his sentencing AJ said he hoped that the family would forgive him one day I understand there is very little I can say after all the pain and suffering I have caused my goal is to work on my issues so no one else has to experience what you have endured I'm aware that does not change the fact that I have brought you tragedy loss and Devastation I am hopeful that when I take the time to apologize that you may accept my apologies for the actions that I have done and what they have brought you he said Maddie's Father Michael said he has accepted his daughter's loss and that he has forgiven AJ that doesn't make anything easier it just allows me peace the alternative could be to hold to the darkness but this would only consume my soul I refuse to poison my soul in existence forgiveness is the only path and I believe that Madison would agree he gracefully said Laura said her daughter's death left her suffering with depression anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder resulting in her being unable to work even AJ's attorney expressed his relief that this was all coming to an end so that Maddie's family did not have to go through any more than what they already had in the adult court system AJ was facing 126 years to life in prison but the juvenile court system gave a very different sentence good evening our top story tonight people Gathering outside the Santa Cruz County Courthouse earlier today protesting the sentencing under California law Gonzalez must be sentenced here as a juvenile Gonzalez was 15. almost 16 years old when he killed Maddie Middleton because of that because he was a child at the time of the murder he will be released in just four years when he turns 25. Judge Salazar imposed the maximum sentence he possibly could given the circumstances the law as it stands now determined that AJ's maximum term of confinement ends when he turns 25 this will be in October 2024 there is no guarantee he'll be released in 2024 however as the court can be petitioned to extend his time although district attorney Jeff Roselle said he sadly believes it might be I think it's likely he will be out at 25 and I think it's an absolute travesty of justice and I think it's unsafe for the community he said the bottom line is certain changes need to be made in Juvenile Justice juvenile reform of course but one size fits all legislation that takes no account at all for people like Adrian we had experts who said they had never ever seen anybody present like him ever in a 30-year career as a child psychologist never anybody who thinks that this person is going to be healthy and fixed and able to come out into society at the age of 25 is mistaken AJ must also register for Life as a sex offender and pay twenty two thousand dollars in restitution fees Maddie's grandfather Dan said that the sentencing ignores all the evidence pointing towards him being a danger to society he also predicts that SB 1391 will have dire consequences for future cases it's terrifying that most likely will be released in 25 this law affects not only my family and our community here but anyone else who suffered a crime in the hands of a juvenile and I believe in reform in the system for juveniles and adults this wasn't a crime of robbery or drugs this wasn't this was a sociopathic murder all the experts have testified that AJ is unlike any they've seen before and he's the next Edmund Kemper so all of us should be terrified how do you want the public to remember your daughter well Madison was the love of my life she brought joy to everyone she met she was Charming she was brilliant she was creative artistic loving she loved animals especially dogs and wolves very playful she could hold her own with adults she wasn't afraid of anything it was beautiful um loving and she's gone but at least I'll know she'll always be a perfect little eight-year-old and uh I miss her an unlikely Bond was formed between Laura and AJ's mum Reggie during the ordeal Reggie was devastated that her son would do this and neighbors would frequently see her crying at Maddie's Memorial Laura would often sit with her hugging her telling her she wasn't to blame she said I just love her and we both lost our children that day that's The Tragic Truth I don't fault he more pain would soon Come For The Grieving family Maddie's father carried her ashes around with him inside his car so that she could stay close to him but the family were left devastated when someone broke into the car and stole them they have sadly never been recovered Maddie was from such a tight Community who continued to honor her name and her memory through arts and creative works she loved animals but wolves especially and a wolf sound sculpture was made for her on a beach near her home the Rio theatre put her name up outside and paintings done by the artists that lived in the apartment were also put up everywhere a celebration of life was also held where hundreds turned up and the Mayor Don Lane commemorated her life by declaring October 5th 2015 as Madison Middleton day her birthday the family also founded mcasc Maddie child angel of Santa Cruz their motto is before you go let someone know the aim is to educate children and parents about safety and protection Tannery Arts Centre apartment complex has never been the same since and probably never will be the little Community everyone had worked so hard to form once so close and safe has been changed forever Laura said that Maddie was the light and love of her life and brought so much joy to so many people she was growing up beautifully bright perky fun and generous of heart she was the best thing I ever made.