The Mysterious Death Of Joshua Maddux- The Boy In The Chimney

On May 8, 2008, 18-year-old Joshua "Josh" Maddux went for a stroll. He was used to this often because he loved nature. He was never seen alive again.

Seven years later, in August 2015, a builder by the name of Chuck Murphy was razing a century-old log cabin less than a mile from Josh's home to make way for 32 brand-new single-family homes.

The cabin hadn't been used in years, and the inside was moist and rotting. The team was stunned to find a mummified body—later identified as Joshua—crammed inside the walls as they started to demolish the cabin's chimney. His clothes were neatly arranged inside the closet, and other than a tiny shirt, his body was naked.

Joshua Maddux- The Boy In The Chimney

Joshua Maddux was born on March 9, 1990, and grew up in Woodland Park, a community of around 8,000 people located in Teller County, Colorado's Pike National Forest. Josh lived with his father Mike and sisters Kate and Ruth after his parents were divorced.

He had blond long hair, was six feet tall, and weighed about 150 pounds. He liked music, lived life carelessly, and spent most of his leisure time either playing the guitar or writing music. He was a good student at school and seemed to have a lot of friends.

Zachary, Josh's older brother, killed himself on June 1, 2006, a week before his high school graduation, due to severe depression, two years prior to Josh's disappearance. "I buried his older brother two years ago, and it was really horrible for Josh," Mike Maddux remarked. He was about to snap when his brother passed away. Both Josh and his family experienced a great shock as a result. He had enormous regard for his older brother.

Despite this, Josh was content and doing well in the years leading up to 2008.

Josh Disappears

Josh left the house on May 8, 2008, informing his sister Kate that he was going for a walk. His sister didn't think much of it when she spotted him at the house just before he departed because he frequently went hiking alone. But later that evening, when he did not show up, the family started to worry. Josh's father, Mike, contacted the police on May 13—five days after he vanished—to report him missing.

Josh was there when I woke up one morning, but he left right away, according to Mike. He still hadn't returned home the next day. I called his friends; they reported not seeing him. Nobody is aware of his location.

The Search For Joshua Goes From Hot TO Cold

The neighborhood and the neighboring parkland area, where Josh might have chosen to go on a walk, were thoroughly searched by the police, friends, and relatives. Hopes waned after months of searching turned up nothing. Kate, Josh's sister, hoped that he had just left town to pursue music or a new career.

The police had no reason to suspect foul play, therefore he was reported missing.

Joshua is Found In A Strange Place

Chuck Murphy, 80, a builder from Colorado Springs, was dismantling his old wood cottage on Meadowlark Road in 2015, which was bordered by towering pines.

Chuck first bought the cabin in the 1950s. In the 1930s and 1950s, it was a famed dining, drinking, and gambling complex. He moved to America from Sweden in 1912 and opened the Thunderhead Inn as an eating and drinking facility after prohibition ended.

The cabin had been abandoned for a decade and had fallen into disrepair. Chuck took the decision to demolish the cabin to make room for property development, and demolition work began in August 2015. 

Chuck made the horrifying discovery of a young man's body, squeezed into a fetal position with his knees above his head, as the workers used an excavator to destroy one of the two chimneys in the cabin and reached the interior. He phoned the police, who responded with the County Coroner, who later positively confirmed the body as that of the missing man, Joshua Maddux, using dental records.