Skip to main content
Tags: body | chimney | teen | missing

Body in Chimney of Old Cabin Is Colorado Teen Missing 7 Years

Body in Chimney of Old Cabin Is Colorado Teen Missing 7 Years
18-year-old Joshua Vernon Maddux. (NAMUS Missing Poster)

By    |   Thursday, 01 October 2015 10:19 AM EDT

A body found in the chimney of an abandoned Colorado mountain cabin is a teenager who vanished seven years ago within a mile of where he was found last month.

The remains of 18-year-old Joshua Vernon Maddux were located last month at the cabin in the town of Woodland Park, 17 miles northwest of Colorado Springs, Teller County Coroner Al Born told Reuters.

Born said he ruled the cause of death as undetermined, but an autopsy revealed no signs of physical injuries such as broken bones or gunshot wounds.

“There was no indication of trauma that we could detect,” Born said. “It was likely accidental because there would be easier ways to commit suicide than climbing down a chimney.”

Toxicology results did not reveal any drugs in the dead man’s system, he added.

Maddux was last seen alive on the morning of May 8, 2008, at the house he shared with his parents, according to a missing person alert sent out by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

When his mother came home later that day, Maddux was gone and was later reported missing, police said.

In the alert, authorities described Maddux as 6 feet tall and weighing 150 pounds. Born said Maddux may have gotten stuck as he shimmied down the chimney for reasons that will likely never be known.

The remains were found by a demolition crew that was tearing down the cabin, which was abandoned long before Maddux died, Born said.

Due to the state of the remains, Maddux was identified through dental records and by the missing tip of his right index finger that he lost in a bicycling accident as a child, the coroner said.


Related Stories:

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


TheWire
A body found in the chimney of an abandoned Colorado mountain cabin is a teenager who vanished seven years ago within a mile of where he was found last month.
body, chimney, teen, missing
304
2015-19-01
Thursday, 01 October 2015 10:19 AM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
TOP

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved