Rob Carrigan/Pikes Peak CourierThe remains were found by builders inside the chimney of a cabin that had been abandoned for over ten years.
Police were made aware of the startling discovery a month ago and identified the the body of Joshua Vernon Maddux via dental records.
The death has been ruled as accidental by officials after the body was found feet up inside the shaft.
NamUsThere are going to be some questions out there that are unanswerable.”
It is thought that Maddux may have been trying to gain access to the cabin via the flue, becoming stuck due to a wood-burning insert that prevented his escape.
When found the body had been separated, with the legs no longer attached to the torso, but there were no signs of trauma.
The Pikes Peak Courier has reported that Joshua was coping with the loss of his brother, who committed suicide two years previous, at the time of his disappearance.
Owner of the Thunderhead Ranch cabin, Chuck Murphy, has reportedly spoken of how rodents would often get into the building and die leaving an ‘awful smell’, and given the fireplace was blocked by a large piece of furniture he had ‘no reason’ to look inside the chimney itself.
Mystery will continue to shroud the circumstance of the 18-year-old’s untimely death, but at least loved ones can finally have some sense of closure.
