Joshua Maddux Mystery - Missing for Years and Found in Chimney

By: Shane Lambert

Joshua Maddux went missing in 2008 and he spent seven years statused as a missing person. However, in 2015 he was found dead in a chimney not far from where he was last seen. That he was found dead and mummified in a chimney naturally raised more questions.

Was he killed and stuffed there? Or did he attempt to crawl into the cabin through the chimney and got stuck?

Of the two scenarios, the latter is considered to be the best explanation according to the authorities. Coroner Al Born stated that he was probably attempting to get into the rarely-used cabin before he got stuck in the chimney and died.



The case reminds me of the case of another missing person from very early in this century. Eduardo Sanchez, of Winnipeg, Canada, was last seen alive in October of 2002. In December of 2003, he was found between the walls of the nightclub that he was last seen performing at as a DJ.

His death was not ruled a homicide. Rather, it was determined that he died from something called "positional asphyxiation" (Winnipeg Police spokesperson). For some reason, Sanchez crawled into the narrow space voluntarily. Then he reached a point where he was unable to get out. Anyone that has ever put a ring on his or her finger and then had trouble removing it may have experienced something similar. It seems that getting into a tight spot and getting out are completely different matters. The pressure the walls put on the chest then prevented Sanchez from breathing and he died quickly.

Maddux's death and his location in a chimney have sparked some speculation that he may have been murdered. However, like the death of Sanchez "positional asphyxiation" strikes me as a good explanation if Al Born, the coroner, is correct in his belief that Maddux voluntarily entered the narrow chimney. A plausible reason would be to gain access to the cabin as a mischievous or just adventurous teenager.

But perhaps drug use cannot be ignored. In Sanchez's case, it is believed that drugs may have caused him to enter the narrow space. Drugs can cause feelings of paranoia that make you want to find a hiding spot for absolutely no good reason. Furthermore, I remember coverage of Sanchez's death suggesting that he may have taken a particular kind of drug that makes you desire to feel hugged. It seems that two walls would do that.

Whatever happened, it's worth noting that when someone dies from "positional asphyxiation" that the circumstances might not be as suspicious as they look. Determining the cause of death is crucial in cases like these. But a body found trapped in a tight area might be someone that put himself there deliberately, not realizing the trouble that he might be causing himself.