The body of a five-year-old boy with autism, who went missing from his home in Oregon while his mother was asleep, was found dead on Tuesday, November 12. This tragic discovery marked the end of a search operation that involved multiple agencies and spanned several days.
The body of Joshua James McCoy was found about 1.6 miles from his home in Hauser, Oregon, a small unincorporated community situated along Route 101.
The unfortunate discovery was made just days before McCoy was set to celebrate his sixth birthday on November 18.
The Coos County Sheriff’s Office disclosed that McCoy was reported missing at 6:27 p.m. on Saturday, November 9. His mother informed the authorities that she and her son had fallen asleep in the afternoon, and upon waking around 5:30 p.m., she found McCoy missing from the home.
First responders made it to the scene by approximately 6:45 p.m. Deputies started searching the property straight away and alerted other agencies. They also looked into and eliminated initial reports indicating that a family member might have picked up McCoy.
The search operation grew to include numerous agencies and resources. Teams used drones, K-9 units, and ground search parties. A pond on the property was drained but turned up nothing substantial.
Coos County Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio commented on the unusual distance at which McCoy was found, stating, “That distance was really far outside of the expected search parameter.”
The extensive search effort saw the collaboration of several 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 composed of members from seven counties across Oregon and California.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children notes that children with autism spectrum disorders are more likely to wander or “elope” from safe environments than their peers. They are often attracted to potentially dangerous areas such as bodies of water, construction sites, highways, and train tracks.
A public candlelight vigil in memory of McCoy took place at North Bay Elementary School.
No information regarding potential charges or the circumstances leading to the child’s death has been released as of yet. Sergeant Christopher Gill of the Coos County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the investigation is still ongoing.