Episode Transcript
Amanda: Hey there, all you true crime fans. I'm Amanda.
Kori: And I am Kori.
Amanda: And welcome back to Colorado Crime. You know the drill. We're just two best friends who like to chat about all things true crime. And holy cow, guys, we have missed you, friends. Thank you guys so much for your understanding. I have kiddos who are home for summer and they were like super busy and it just got crazy. But it was a nice break. But it also reignited my excitement and I had the chance to work on something really special to me. I'm excited to be able to share a little bit more about you when I'm allowed to. But just know that I filmed an episode for a TV show and as soon as I know more, you guys will know where to watch it and when. And then lastly, things are a change in like, the Winds of change. What's that from? Isn't it? From Monsters, Inc.
Kori: I don't know. I know it's a song.
Amanda: Oh, God, that's funny. I think Randall says it in Monsters Inc.
Kori: It's a song by the Scorpions.
Amanda: Oh, there you go. A little music for you. We won't sing it, though, because we don't want to get copyrighted.
Kori: Yeah, look it up. It's on YouTube.
Amanda: Yeah. Or Apple Music, if you have Apple or probably Spotify.
Kori: Spotify, Amazon, whatever music platform you wherever.
Amanda: You listen to your music. Well, guys, we are not going to be doing crime updates anymore. We want to make sure that the cases that we're actually covering for the week get all of our focus and that the victim in the case is always at the center. But we are going to keep telling a joke in the beginning of the episode. This can become very dark and the joke really helps us to keep the sun shining and just kind of helps things keep flowing. So Corey, do you have anything you want to add to that?
Kori: I too enjoyed a nice break. I was just telling people that Amanda was burnt out and on Mental.
Amanda: Yeah.
Kori: In case anybody contacts Amanda. She's not in a mental hospital. She just needed a break.
Amanda: Oh, ****. Guys, I'm safe. I just had kids at home and I don't know if you guys are parents, but it's a lot.
Kori: It is a lot.
Amanda: So it felt like a mental plus.
Kori: I know for us, we did stuff like we came back in June to Colorado. Sorry for everyone who's listening who I didn't visit. I only had a short amount of time and I had people to see and things to do. Sorry. So if you didn't get to see Friends Next Time podcastians Next time. And then my sisters came up and we did a bunch of things. We went and saw a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Candice and I did this nature bathing, which is very interesting. It's sort of like meditation in the woods and you get in touch with nature and listening to the sounds of the forest and just coming in, being in touch with yourself and with nature. But Candice jumped off a tree branch and tore her Achilles tendon. Not all the way, but a little bit of the way.
Amanda: Enough that she's in a yes.
Kori: So she's in a boot. And so that made traveling fun. We did buy her one of those knee scooters so she can knee scooter around, which is also dangerous.
Amanda: Okay, back to nature bathing. Are you naked?
Kori: Is this no, it was actually like an LGBTQ nature bathing, so we got to know some other queer people, which was kind of nice because we don't really know anyone around here. So we've been trying to get out and do stuff like that that introduces us to more people around here. We made some pretty nice friends through that that we still keep in touch with. And then I'm also on some Facebook friends groups, and I made some friends through there that we were supposed to have dinner with this Sunday, but we're having dinner with Nick Sunday on the 20th. It worked out a little bit better for our schedule, but we're trying to meet people and do that sort of thing out here, so that'll be nice for us.
Amanda: That sounds really fun.
Kori: Yeah, the nature bathing was pretty fun. It was mostly like meditation, but we were out there. It was at this place called the Morton Arboretum, which is actually owned by the Morton Salt Company family.
Amanda: Oh, how cool.
Kori: So that was actually really interesting. It's a little bit far, not too bad, but probably about 30 minutes from us. 30, 35 minutes with good traffic because everything here says, hey, this is only 6 miles away, but I'll take you half an hour to get there because the traffic is always terrible. So like 40 minutes away is pretty. You're like, oh, that's fast. You don't go by the mileage. You always go by the time.
Amanda: Oh, that's yeah.
Kori: Yeah. So it's this cool, different it has like a fairy garden and some different things. You can go through and walks, and it's pretty neat. It's got some trails through it. It's a cool place.
Amanda: If you're in Chicago, go nature bathe.
Kori: Yeah, nature bathe. There's a lot more nature stuff out here than I was expecting.
Amanda: That's really cool. I'm so proud of you for, like, making friends. I know they're all going to suck in comparison to me, right?
Kori: Yes, that's true. They don't stack up, but they're super nice and was kind of nice. The LGBT community is way bigger out here, so that's a little it's daunting and cool at the same time. Yeah, it's nice to meet people the same level as you. And so that part is pretty cool.
Amanda: No, I think that's really cool.
Kori: Yeah. Also, I'm going to work on getting back on the social media. Sometimes it's just a little exhausting to try and think of funny things. I can't be funny all the time, people. I can't do it. So I'm going to work on doing that. I'm no longer saying try, because try means you usually don't do it. So I don't say that anymore.
Amanda: Get it, girl. You're going to do it?
Kori: Yeah, I'm going to do it, but it's not going to be every day. That's too much. It's too much for you guys. It's too much for us.
Amanda: Corey says us very loosely. Guys, I do nothing with social media because in real life, I'm 84 years old and I don't know how to do any of it. Is there something beeping?
Kori: Yeah, it's somebody's car alarm.
Amanda: I was like, something buzing.
Kori: They turned it off. I don't know whose car alarm. Sorry about that, guys.
Amanda: Thanks, friends.
Kori: It's in my office. I didn't realize it's so loud. It's probably the neighbor next door.
Amanda: Oh, no, their car just got broken into and stolen. And we're like, gosh, that's real rude.
Kori: I'm trying to do something right now. Working here. Jerks.
Amanda: I got a peloton while everybody was yes. So, Kimbra, if you're listening, thank you, because I am loving it. I write every day. It's my favorite. It's kind of a problem, but, like, the best problem to have. So. Thank you, Kimbra. I hope you enjoy this episode because I love my peloton. You want to jump into jokes?
Kori: Yeah, I got some jokes. So everybody needs to laugh really loud. Where do polar bears keep their money?
Amanda: Where?
Kori: In snowbanks.
Amanda: All right, so before we jump into today's episode, I have to tell you guys a little something because I have been living under a rock and I waited to record this. Like, I waited to tell you guys so that I could tell you while we were recording because Corey's going to think that I'm, like the worst true crime podcaster because my husband was like, wife, you're failing right now, but I am completely immersed in DB. Cooper. Do you know who DB. Cooper is?
Kori: I'm embarrassed to say no.
Amanda: Oh, God. Thank you. Okay. The reason I'm talking about this is because it's kind of true crime kind of conspiracy theory. And our case today is kind of true crime kind of conspiracy theory. So DB. Cooper actually hijacked a plane in 1971 and he asked for, like, $200,000 in $20 bills, and the money's never been used.
Kori: I do remember this.
Amanda: Yeah, right? No idea about it. Yeah, I was talking to Chris about it last night, and he's telling me all about it, and I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm not there yet. I'm still reading the story, but I am completely enthralled. And I think we should cover a few more conspiracy theory true crime cases because this one really got me. I really liked it. So if you guys have not heard about DB. Cooper, I think we should cover it or there are so many programs on this.
Kori: Yeah, there are.
Amanda: It's a cool case. I mean, it's like the only unsolved air piracy crime.
Kori: Yep.
Amanda: But still a really cool case. So I lived under a rock. You guys should check out DB. Cooper and not live under a rock like I did.
Kori: Yeah, it's actually really it was it was really interesting.
Amanda: So that kind of segues into our case. Today we're going to talk about the baffling death of Joshua Vernon Maddox. Joshua was born on March 1990 to parents Michael and Roberta Maddox. He was the youngest of four children. There was Catherine, Ruth, Zachary, and then Joshua. His parents were divorced, and Joshua lived with his father and two sisters. The family lived in a small mountain town in Colorado named Woodland Park. And according to a 2021 census, there's about roughly 8000 people who call this quaint town home.
Kori: Joshua was homeschooled through first grade, but then went on to attend public school, where he flourished. He was very intelligent and even more well liked in high school. He was known for his love of music, always playing guitar and writing his own songs. Why did they bother to homeschool him? Like kindergarten and first grade?
Amanda: I know he had older siblings. I'm wondering if everyone was homeschooled. And then his parents were like, you know, we're just too much work. School four kids to home school is a lot. We just talked about this before.
Kori: We don't even want to home school one kid.
Amanda: I know I said I would sign up for an elective two enema minimum versus homeschooling my kid. So I get it. Maybe they just were like, you know, it's time. Go to school kids. I don't know for sure. That'd be my guess. Okay.
Kori: I just wondered. In late spring, on June 1, 2006, joshua's older brother Zachary committed suicide. Oh, man, that's sad. Zachary was the third child of the Maddox family. He was born April 26, 1988. He loved to skateboard and fly fish. Fly fishing is hard. So good for him.
Amanda: I know, and it's so cool.
Kori: He was a talented musician, playing both the electric guitar and the drums. He was working as an apprentice chef at the time of his death. He was just one week away from his high school graduation when he succumbed to his depression.
Amanda: Joshua took the death of his brother very hard, as any sibling would. The entire Maddox family was shocked and devastated. Joshua really looked up to his big brother, and it took time, but he seemed to be doing better. On May 8, 2008, joshua went for a walk in the woods, something that he did quite often. He told his sister Kate goodbye and was never seen alive again. No one thought anything was strange until Joshua didn't return home that evening. His father Michael, called all of Joshua's friends, hoping someone knew where he was, but no one had seen him. Five days later, Michael called the police and reported his son missing. Friends, family searchers and law enforcement scoured the area for any sign that Joshua had been there, any article of clothing, any spotting, anything, but nothing was found. Joshua seemingly vanished without a trace. For months, family, friends and authorities searched for Joshua, but when nothing was recovered, hope of finding Joshua faded.
Kori: Five days is a long.
Amanda: Too. I agree, but I kind of think maybe he was 18. Maybe his dad just kind of thought, like, he needed some space, kind of, because he did call friends at night and hadn't heard anything. But I do agree, five days is a long time to have a missing child, whether they're a teenager or an adult or whatever. Five days is a long time.
Kori: That is a long time. I was just curious if they ever said why he waited so long.
Amanda: I didn't find anything in my research because I thought the same thing.
Kori: Okay.
Amanda: Never want to think poorly of a family, right?
Kori: No, maybe you're right. He was 18, so maybe they were like, he's 18. He's just out doing whatever he wants to do. However, I don't know, if he didn't come back, like the second day, you would kind of be like, that's suspicious and call the police. He still lives in your home and he's still a teenager.
Amanda: Right.
Kori: Just because he's 18. I mean, honestly, and I'm not saying this to all 18 year olds out there because some of us were really mature at 18, but 18 is still freaking young. Oh, yeah. Even though you're classified as an adult through the eyes of the law and all kinds of other stuff, it's still really young. You're still developing.
Amanda: Oh, definitely. I will say in this instance, though, that whether it was two days or five days, those days wouldn't have made a no.
Kori: No, they wouldn't have, but still so family thought, or hoped rather, that Joshua just left town to start a new life, playing music somewhere and that he would return one day with a new wife and small children. But that dream turned into a nightmare when the truth of where Joshua really was came to light. On August 7, 2015. That's my sister Annie's birthday. Seven years after Joshua went for a walk, his mummified body was discovered in the chimney of a dilapidated cabin. Cruz had arrived to demolish the rundown home that was located less than 1 mile from where Joshua had lived with his family. This is where the story takes a turn from a very sad death of a young man to a case that has baffled crime junkies and conspiracy theorists since that August day.
Amanda: Joshua's body was discovered upside down. Like he had crawled through the roof and was going down the chimney like Santa would, except he went first. The next part I'm going to tell you gets even more strange. Joshua's body was discovered wearing just a thin shirt. Where were the rest of his clothes, you might ask? Well, they were laying inside the cabin, neatly folded and stacked. So how did Joshua's clothes get inside the cabin and Joshua ended up inside the chimney? Was someone with him? Was he hiding from someone? Was he lost and cold and confused? Well, first, let me give you a little backstory on the cabin itself.
Kori: This cabin was a wooded structure that was surrounded by large, tall pine trees and a large amount of land. So the cabin had not been used in roughly ten years. But Charles, the man who owned it, had periodically checked on the property to ensure that no animals or vagrants had taken up residency in the home. He, along with the crew, noticed a foul smell that day when they began to dismantle the cabin. The cabin had been purchased in the 1950s. It was formerly the homestead of Thunderhead Ranch on Rampart Range Road. Thunderhead Ranch had been owned by Big Bert Bergstrom. That's a big name. Big Bert, also known as the Big Suede, was an integral part of Teller County's illegal gambling history. He owned several casinos in the area, but gambling was illegal at the time. He was a heavy hitter in the illegal gambling scene during the he even dabbled in pimping when he began to provide sex workers at Thunderhead Ranch. Well, he is a big spender. Thunderhead Ranch was like Teller County's Bunny Ranch. Legend has it Burt offered the Thunderhead to his defense attorney, Martin Murphy, in exchange for getting the charges dropped against him. The Murphy family ran the Thunderhead in until 1954.
Amanda: So Bert wasn't just known for his crimes, though he was actually better known for his love of elk hunting, but mostly for his generosity. It's believed that local law enforcement turned a blind eye to all of Bert's illegal dealings. Due in part to his generosity, bert helped to finance the building for the Woodland Park Community Church, as well as purchase a building for the VFW. When they ran into some financial difficulties, he helped to start the Ute Pass stampede by donating the land for the rodeo grounds in Woodland Park. Bert was also an avid elk hunter, and he'd set up his tent in the same place every year. People would come from all over to enjoy the copious amounts of food and liquor that he would share. When Burt passed away on March 12, 1986, more than 500 people came to pay their respects. Long story short, this location had a CD background long before it made the news in 2015.
Kori: Now, we're going to talk about the condition and state the body was discovered in. If you don't want to hear this, please skip ahead about 20 seconds, or maybe a little longer, depending on how long I talk. When Joshua's body was located, he was found inside the chimney. But his knees were above his head. One hand was raised to his face. His fleshless legs had been detached from his body and he was only wearing a sweater. There was a large bar across the fireplace entrance, as if it was there to block the body inside. There were no drugs found in Joshua's system and no trauma to the hard tissue. He suffered no broken bones, no knife marks, no bullet wounds. It was determined that Joshua's cause of death was likely hypothermia, as the temperature around the time of his disappearance had dropped to the high 20s in the evenings. Family and friends and even the homeowner questioned the coroner's ruling, as the chimney had only been constructed 20 years prior. A heavy wire mesh had been installed at the top of the chimney to keep the animals out. Had Joshua removed the mesh, it would have been found somewhere outside the chimney. Had it rusted through, there would be evidence of that inside the home. The mesh was never accounted for.
Amanda: Chuck Murphy called police immediately after discovering the body. Dental records later confirmed it was the body of missing Joshua Vernon Maddox. The family was understandably so, in complete shock. This was not the ending they had hoped for. Family and friends had done extensive searches of the area, but had somehow overlooked the cabin that was just two blocks from their family home. Three days after his initial conclusion, the coroner reopened the case after receiving pressure from Charles Murphy. The homeowner, a large wooden breakfast bar, had been torn from a wall in the kitchen and dragged over to block the chimney from the inside. As far as Charles knew, the bar was still intact when he had last visited the cabin.
Kori: We didn't go into this too deep earlier, but Joshua was found in the fetal position, legs above his head and disjointed from his torso. In order to accomplish this, Joshua would have had to crawl in headfirst or it would have taken two people to shove Joshua's body into the chimney in such a fashion.
Amanda: Lastly, Joshua's clothing. He was found wearing just a thermal shirt. His other clothes, well, they were folded, stacked neatly inside the cabin. Inside, that would mean he went outside onto the roof with no pants, no underwear, no socks and no shoes. Just a shirt. And like, yes, the cabin was in a secluded area, but it was also really run down then and I just can't imagine that anybody in their right mind would climb onto a rickety roof with no undies on.
Kori: Police had talked with several suspects in the case, but no arrests have ever been made. Joshua's death remains undetermined.
Amanda: So, crime fans, what do you think happened to Joshua Maddox? I personally think it was a murder. I just think there's, like, too many things that don't add up and the clothing thing really bothers me. No one goes into a chimney headfirst, and especially not one who wasn't wearing pants. I mean, he's a boy. Boys kind of have dangly parts. I wouldn't want that getting caught on metal or rocks or anything. And he only lived two blocks away. So if he know, broken in and he had locked his clothes inside, then why wouldn't he have just gone home? I don't know. What do you think, Corey?
Kori: Well, the mesh missing from the top of the chimney is suspicious. Like, totally missing. It was up there, and now it's not. And it's gone forever. And then a breakfast bar pulled out to block the entrance. I think somebody killed him. Who? Don't know. It's a small town. It's a touristy town. People come in and out. You just don't know. It could have been his friends. It could have been anyone. Hopefully someone feels guilty enough that they'll eventually turn themselves in, but that doesn't seem very likely.
Amanda: There was one suspect that was mentioned online that we didn't talk about, because I don't want that kind of drama. I mean, he's been in and out of mental hospitals, and he admitted to leaving a woman in a barrel in Taos. And he was also, I believe, tried for stabbing a man.
Kori: Oh, gosh.
Amanda: So, I mean, he's not a good guy. And he has claimed that he was part of this, but no charges have ever been brought. And as far as I know, he's still out there in the world.
Kori: Oh, jeez.
Amanda: So maybe one day, if it was him, he'll grow a conscience.
Kori: Probably not.
Amanda: No. But maybe.
Kori: This case reminds me of a case I watched on TV last night. Carly Geiss. She was 16 when she went missing in 2018. Same thing. She had gone to a party with her friends, smoked some weed that possibly was laced with something. They don't know because they don't know. The people who gave it to her have never fessed up where they got it from and given any samples. But she was acting paranoid and crazy, and her mom went to lay down with her and she kind of dozed off and fell asleep. And when she woke up, like an hour later, carly was missing and she has not been seen from since. They've never found her body. Nothing. She's just missing.
Amanda: Oh, my gosh. I've never heard of that thing.
Kori: Yeah, it's mean. All you people with kids, I get it. I don't want to kidnap your kids. That doesn't interest me at all.
Amanda: Well, that's good. I'm glad you aren't taking up kidnapping.
Kori: Yeah, I don't want to kidnap. I like small kids, but I don't need them in my life forever. Like at my house and stuff to live here. No thing.
Amanda: Right?
Kori: I'm good. And I wouldn't want to murder a kid either. You're always like, I'm going to kill you, and stuff like that. That's never crossed my mind. I don't want to kill anyone either.
Amanda: No, I will say I do routinely threaten to leave my kids at a fire station.
Kori: Well, I mean, you can do that up to a certain age.
Amanda: I think it's two. They're a little bit over that threshold.
Kori: Put a little note on them, whatever.
Amanda: Right. Please return in 24 hours, even 3 hours.
Kori: I don't want this kid right now.
Amanda: All joking aside, I feel terrible for these families who don't have that closure in this situation. They have their son back, they have their brother back. But the not knowing, I think, would eat me alive. I would have a really hard time with that. There's no resolution. Nobody's ever been held accountable for what was done to their loved one.
Kori: You're right. It's super sad.
Amanda: It's really sad. We really try not to cover too many cases that involve kids. And I know that Joshua wasn't a child, but he had just graduated high school. He hadn't even graduated high school at that point. He was 18 and just starting his life out. Yeah, I hate those cases.
Kori: It does suck. And I'm sorry for his family, and I'm sorry that it had to. That was the conclusion that happened, and nobody wants that, and we don't want that either. And we're not trying to be insensitive or anything like that.
Amanda: No.
Kori: But if you have any theories, let us know. If you've done some research, if you think if you have a theory on what happened to him, let us know. Leave a Comment DM us email facebook.
Amanda: Email I'd love to know what you guys think happened.
Kori: Yep.
Amanda: All right, crime fans. Well, until next time. Thank you guys so much for joining us today. I'm so happy to be back. If you haven't already, please subscribe so you can be notified every time we upload. If you enjoy listening to us every week, please leave us a review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. New episodes are released every Friday at 10:30, a.m. Mountain Standard Time. Please follow us on Instagram at colorado Crimepod or on Facebook at Colorado Crime podcast for information on next week's episode, as well as other true crime happenings. We hope you have a beautiful day wherever you are, and as always, stay safe.
Kori: Until next time, podcasting have the weekend you deserve.
