A five-year-old Oregon boy, who was diagnosed with autism, was found dead on Tuesday, November 12, after disappearing from his home while his mother was asleep. The unfortunate incident ended a multi-day search operation that involved multiple agencies.
The body of Joshua James McCoy was located approximately one mile from his home in Hauser, Oregon, a small community located along Route 101.
The tragic discovery was made just a few days before McCoy would have celebrated his sixth birthday on November 18.
The Coos County Sheriff’s Office reported that the boy was reported missing at 6:27 p.m. on Saturday, November 9. McCoy’s mother informed the authorities that they both had fallen asleep in the afternoon, and when she woke up around 5:30 p.m., her son was not in the house.
First responders arrived on the scene at about 6:45 p.m. and tried to locate McCoy by tracking his cell phone signal, but this yielded no results. Deputies immediately started investigating the property and issued alerts to other agencies. They also looked into and dismissed early reports that suggested McCoy might have been taken by a family member.
The search extended to include multiple agencies and resources such as drones, K-9 units, and on-the-ground search teams. A pond located on the property was also drained, but this did not reveal any significant findings.
Coos County Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio remarked that the location where McCoy was found was significantly outside the expected search area. Fabrizio said, “That distance was really far outside of the expected search parameter.”
The comprehensive search involved collaboration from various agencies, including Homeland Security, the FBI, Oregon State Police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, local fire departments, and CORSAR, a specialized search and rescue team from seven counties in Oregon and California.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has reported that children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders are more likely to wander or “elope” from safe environments than their peers. They may be attracted to dangerous areas such as bodies of water, construction sites, highways, or train tracks.
Expressing her gratitude to the community through social media, McCoy’s grandmother, Lois Munson, thanked everyone for their support.
A public candlelight vigil was held Saturday evening at North Bay Elementary School to honor the memory of McCoy.
While confirming that the investigation remains active, Sergeant Christopher Gill of the Coos County Sheriff’s Office stated that no information has been released regarding potential charges or the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
