(Gastonia, NC) -- A nearly week-long search for a missing special needs boy in North Carolina has come to a heartbreaking end. Authorities believe they've found the body of Maddox Ritch in a creek near the park in Gastonia where he disappeared on Saturday.
The non-verbal six year old autistic boy apparently got lost after running ahead of his father.
Gastonia Police Chief Robert Helton choked up as he announced the tragic news yesterday, saying it was not the outcome they were hoping for.