Off The Charts Genius Teen's Skeleton Found In Chimney 7 Years After He Disappeared [Pictures]

The fate of Joshua Vernon Maddux, a teenager who vanished nearly a decade ago, has been solved by authorities in Colorado, who have positively identified skeletal remains found lodged in the chimney of an abandoned cabin.

While Maddux’s whereabouts are no longer unknown, the exact circumstances of the case will likely remain a mystery, according to his family and local authorities.

“The situation doesn’t make any sense at all,” Maddux’s older sister, Kate Maddux, told The Huffington Post. “We were really expecting him to be anywhere in the world and he was actually very close.”

Joshua Maddux was 18 years old on May 8, 2008, the day he was last seen at his parent’s Woodland Park home.

“He told me he was going for a walk,” Kate Maddux said. “Josh was an avid nature lover and loved to go for hikes.”

Joshua Maddux never returned, and his parents reported him missing a few days later. Family members conducted several searches for the teen, but were unable to find any trace of him.

Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months and months turned to years. Despite the passage of time, the Maddux family was unable to find their lost loved one.

“We had hope of him being alive, and I feel like in a sense he continued to live on with us, because we had so many dreams of what he could possibly be doing,” Kate Maddux said.

The young man’s sister described him as creative and intelligent.

“His IQ was off the charts,” she said. “He spent most of his time writing fictional stories and playing music. He had an interesting and unique sense of style. People in his high school class knew him for being that ‘awesome kid’ who wore a top hat and brought a briefcase to school instead of a backpack. Th ere was this subtle sophistication about him that made him interesting and a standout.“SOURCE