The father of the 6-year-old autistic boy whose body was presumed to have been found said he’ll live as a “broken man” and with the “guilt of not being there to save my son” for the rest of his life.

Ian Ritch penned an emotional tribute to his son Maddox, who went missing Saturday while the two were out on a walk in Gastonia, North Carolina.

“Now today i found out im not a dad anymore,” Ritch wrote on Facebook Thursday, the day the likely body of his son was found. “From this moment on for the rest of my life i will live with the guilt of not being there to save my son. The most important person in my life.”

The father and son often went for walks in Rankin Lake Park, where Maddox, who was non-verbal, would run ahead and then wait for his dad.

But on Saturday, the boy started running — and never stopped. Ritch said he couldn’t catch the boy before losing sight of him.

Maddox’s disappearance sparked a massive search and authorities believe they recovered his body in a creek about a mile east of the park.

“I wanted to be his heroe [sic]. I wanted him to say i was more than superman or batman to him,” Ritch wrote. “I wanted people to ask him who his heroe is and him say my daddy. Now im no heroe i couldnt save him or protect him at all. I would give anything to go back and save him.”

Ritch issued a warning to other parents.

“Just please hug ur children tighter and please dont make my mistake and let them get too far away from u,” he said. “Do everything u can with ur children because i wont get the chance to do anything with mine.”