An Oregon boy whose mother said he disappeared over the weekend while she took a nap has been found dead, authorities said Tuesday night.
“It is with immense sadness that we have to report that missing Joshua McCoy has been found deceased,” the Coos County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The 5-year-old boy, who had autism, was reported missing Saturday night.
His mother, who hasn’t been identified, told deputies the two were at their home on Stage Rd. when they fell asleep around 1 p.m. on Saturday.
When she woke up at 5:30 p.m., the child was nowhere to be seen, authorities said.
First responders arrived at the scene around 6:45 p.m. and a multi-agency effort to locate the child got underway.
Search-and-rescue teams, including law enforcement officials, volunteers, K9 units and drones, conducted searches on the property and surrounding areas.
On Sunday, additional help from neighboring counties in Oregon and California joined the effort to locate the missing boy, who authorities said “may not respond when called to” due to his autism.
Additional help from federal agencies and local fire departments later arrived to assist in the massive effort, which lasted until Tuesday afternoon, when the child’s body was found, according to Coos County Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio.
Joshua was found dead around 12:30 p.m “approximately 1.6 miles straight line distance North-West from the child’s residence, and almost 2 miles by road.”
The investigation is ongoing, authorities said. No one is in custody and the cause of death remains unknown, the sheriff’s office said in a note to the community issued in the early hours of Wednesday. “Now is a time for healing and remembrance.”
