A young boy diagnosed with autism, who became missing from his home in Oregon while his mother was asleep, was discovered dead on November 12. This marks the tragic conclusion to a multiple-agency search operation that lasted for several days.
The body of five-year-old Joshua James McCoy was located approximately a mile from his home in the unincorporated community of Hauser, Oregon, situated along Route 101.
This tragic discovery was made just days before McCoy was set to celebrate his sixth birthday on November 18.
McCoy was declared missing at 6:27 p.m. on Saturday, November 9, according to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office. His mother reported to the authorities that both she and her son had been sleeping during the afternoon, and when she woke up around 5:30 p.m., her son was no longer in the house.
First responders reached the scene at approximately 6:45 p.m. Efforts to track McCoy’s cell phone signal proved unsuccessful. Deputies began searching the property immediately and issued alerts to other agencies. They also investigated and dismissed initial reports that McCoy could have been taken by a family member.
The search operation was expanded to involve multiple agencies and resources. Teams employed drones, K-9 units, and ground search parties. A pond on the property was drained but yielded no significant leads.
The location where McCoy was eventually found was beyond the usual parameters of the search, as stated by Coos County Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio. “That distance was really far outside of the expected search parameter,” said Fabrizio.
The extensive search operation saw the collaboration of 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 Oregon and California representing seven counties.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children notes that children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders are more likely to wander or “elope” from safe environments than other children, and may be attracted to potentially dangerous areas like bodies of water, construction sites, highways, and train tracks.
Lois Munson, McCoy’s grandmother, expressed her gratitude to the community through social media.
A public candlelight vigil is planned for Saturday at 6 p.m. at the North Bay Elementary School.
The investigation is still active, according to Sergeant Christopher Gill of the Coos County Sheriff’s Office. No information regarding potential charges or the circumstances surrounding the child’s death has been disclosed.
