Maddie Clifton

On November 3, 1998, eight-year-old Maddie Clifton went out to play in her neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida. She did not return home, and a massive community search was launched. Hundreds of volunteers, including neighbors and classmates' families, canvassed the area. Maddie's face was on news broadcasts across northeastern Florida.

One of the volunteers in the search was 14-year-old Joshua Phillips, who lived across the street from the Clifton family. For a week, as the search intensified, Phillips participated in the search efforts. Meanwhile, he had hidden Maddie's body under his waterbed.

On November 10, Phillips' mother discovered Maddie's body while cleaning her son's room. She noticed a foul odor and fluid leaking from the base of the waterbed. She called police immediately. Joshua Phillips was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

Phillips was tried as an adult. He claimed that he had accidentally hit Maddie with a baseball bat while they were playing and then panicked, stabbing her and hiding the body. The prosecution argued the injuries were not accidental. Phillips was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The case shocked Jacksonville and became one of the most discussed cases involving a juvenile offender in Florida history.