A 5-year-old Orgeon boy with autism who was reported missing over the weekend has been found dead, police said Tuesday evening.
“It is with immense sadness that we have to report that missing Joshua McCoy has been found deceased,” Coos County Sheriff’s Office announced in a post on Facebook.
Joshua James McCoy was reported missing on Saturday, Nov. 7. According to the police, the mother and the boy took a nap at around 1:00 p.m. at their home but when the mother woke up at 5:30 p.m., the boy was missing.
When deputies arrived, they were told that Joshua had a cellphone on him, but GPS tracking of the device did not provide any useful information. Assumptions that a family member may have come by and picked up Joshua were later found incorrect.
An “Attempt to Locate” notice was sent out to all surrounding agencies.
In a Sunday evening update on Facebook, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office announced there were “no leads,” despite intensive efforts from deputies, detectives, and volunteers from Coos County Search and Rescue, who brought drones and K9 units.
A nearby pond was drained but authorities found no sign of the boy.
“Some clues were found, but nothing definitive,” Coos County Sheriff’s Office said.
Law enforcement remained on the scene until the following crews arrived in the morning to continue the investigation, police said.
On Monday, the Sheriff’s office said it had activated CORSAR, a collaborative search and rescue effort between seven counties in Oregon and California, to assist in searching for the lost boy. This included aerial support, K9 resources, and a total of 61 ground personnel.
“While citizen offer of aid is much appreciated, the search area is limited in capacity, and the concern is that evidence would be missed or tainted with an overwhelming number of personnel on scene,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
In addition, the sheriff also requested assistance from state and federal agencies, who joined the search operations on Tuesday.
The Coos County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Joshua’s body was found on Tuesday around 12:30 p.m., approximately 1.6 miles in a straight line from his home in Hauser, less than 2 miles by road. The boy’s cause of death has yet to be determined.
Police said they have no one in custody, adding that “no additional information will be released at this time.”
“The Coos County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the community that the Joshua McCoy investigation is still ongoing,” Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio wrote in an update.
He also thanked the community for their support in feeding all of the volunteers who assisted in the search.