Maddox Ritch, 6-Year-Old Autistic Boy, Missing: FBI Considering Abduction Possibility

A six-year-old autistic boy went missing from Rankin Lake Park in Gastonia, North Carolina, on Saturday and emergency crews have as of yet been unable to locate him.

Maddox Scott Ritch is a special needs child, who cannot speak. He is four-feet tall, weighs 45 pounds and has blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing an orange t-shirt with the writing "I am the man" and black shorts with a white stripe.

He was accompanied by his father and another adult at the park around 1:30 p.m. EDT before he went missing.

"They were walking around the lake," Rachel Bagley, Gastonia spokeswoman, said, CNN reported. "They got around to the back side of the lake. He started running, according to the parents, and when they started running after him, they lost sight of him, and no one has seen him ever since."

Apart from a special team from the FBI, personnel from as many as 24 different agencies, including National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, have joined in the search for Mitch. More than 100 people have been helping in scanning more than 1,400 acres in and around Rankin Lake Park.

On Sunday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's helicopter was deployed in the search for the missing boy. Search bots with divers were also assisting in locating Mitch.

As the search entered the second day, the park was closed for public and Gastonia Police Chief Robert Helton asked the people to stay away from the area unless they were part of the search party. He also urged people in neighborhoods around the park to check their property, including sheds and garages, in order to help with the search, Charlotte Observer reported.

Although investigators are still trying to determine the probable cause behind Mitch’s disappearance, they said they were not ruling out abduction.

"We're going to explore all possibilities, including abduction, but we're also going to make sure we search every inch of land around here to make sure that he's not simply lost,” FBI Special Agent Jason Kaplan said, CNN affiliate WSOC-TV reported.

Also, during a press conference on Sunday, Helton asked people who had been at or within the vicinity of the park over the weekend and happened to spot the victim, to get in touch with the police.

"If you were at Rankin Lake Park on Saturday and saw Maddox or took video or photos of their outing at the park, call us," Helton said. "We know a lot of people were in the park and we have spoken to many of them, but we have not spoken to everyone. No piece of information is too small. Something you may think is insignificant could be helpful to our case."

Anyone with any information about Mitch’s whereabouts can call 704-869-1075.