All Episodes

April 16, 2025 53 mins
Joshua Maddux, an 18-year-old from Woodland Park, Colorado, vanished on May 8, 2008, after going for a walk. A bright, creative teen who loved nature, he seemed happy despite the 2006 suicide of his brother. After five days, his family reported him missing, but searches yielded nothing. In August 2015, his body was found in the chimney of an abandoned cabin near his home, upside down in a fetal position, wearing only a shirt, with his clothes folded inside the cabin. The coroner ruled his death an accident, suggesting he climbed in and got stuck, dying of hypothermia or dehydration. However, the cabin owner claimed a grate blocked the chimney, making entry impossible, and the coroner noted two people would be needed to place the body there. Rumors point to foul play, including a tip about Andrew Richard Newman, a convicted murderer seen with Josh, but no evidence supports this. The case remains an accident with no active police investigation, leaving questions about how Josh ended up in the chimney and whether others were involved.   00:00 Welcome to the Dark Oak 05:15 100 Episode Celebration and Giveaway 07:50 Joshua Maddux 48:18 The Branch of Hope   Sources:

Roberts, M. (2015, September 30). Joshua Maddux, R.I.P.: Remains of teen missing 7 years found in Cabin Chimney. Westword. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.westword.com/news/joshua-maddux-rip-remains-of-teen-missing-7-years-found-in-cabin-chimney-7197390

StrangeOutdoors.com. (2021, August 6). The strange death of josh maddux, the boy in the chimney. StrangeOutdoors.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/strange-indoors/joshua-maddux

Young, N. (2023, May 11). How did Joshua Maddux die in the chimney of an abandoned cabin? Medium. https://medium.com/@nikyoung/how-did-joshua-maddux-die-in-the-chimney-of-an-abandoned-cabin-7502be457cb7

Mendoza, J. (2023, March 13). Disturbing details about the case of Joshua Maddux, the teen found in a chimney. Grunge. https://www.grunge.com/1205963/disturbing-details-about-the-case-of-joshua-maddux-the-teen-found-in-a-chimney/

Migration, & Paul, J. (2015, October 19). Chimney discovery ends mystery over young man’s disappearance, but questions remain. The Denver Post. https://www.denverpost.com/2015/10/19/chimney-discovery-ends-mystery-over-young-mans-disappearance-but-questions-remain/

 

Join The Dark Oak Discussion:

Patreon

The Dark Oak Podcast Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

Youtube

This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.