A five-year-old boy who allegedly went missing while his mom was taking a nap has been found dead.
Joshua James McCoy, from Oregon, disappeared on Saturday afternoon (November 9) from the Hauser area, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office revealed in a press release.
The little boy's mother told authorities that she took a nap with her son at around 1PM and when she woke up at 5:30PM, he was gone, PEOPLE reported.
Joshua, who was autistic, was described as 3 feet, 6 inches tall and 50 to 60 pounds, with brown eyes and brown shoulder-length hair in the missing person's poster.
Per the report, he responded to “Josh” or “Joshie,” although he “may not respond when called to".
Police launched a desperate search with federal partners, local Search and Rescue, and CORSAR, the California Oregon Regional Search and Rescue Task Force.
It was discovered that the child had a phone, and a phone-ping of that device was conducted.
"The information related to the phone-ping did not provide any fruitful information," CCSO added, per CBS Austin.
According to ABC News, deputies drained a pond on the family’s land while deploying drones and police dogs to the surrounding area. However, nothing of interest was located.
On Tuesday (November 12), cops tragically discovered the five-year-old's body about 1.6 miles away from his home, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office disclosed in an update post on Facebook.
They issued a statement, which read: “It is with immense sadness that we have to report that missing Joshua McCoy has been found deceased. Joshua had been missing since the late evening of Saturday, November 9th, 2024. Joshua was reported to North Coos dispatch via third party at 6:27PM.
"On Tuesday, Nov. 12, the search continued with help from our federal partners, local Search and Rescue, along with CORSAR," the department penned. "CORSAR is providing additional Search and Rescue members from California, and from several Counties within Oregon.
“Today, around 12:30PM, Joshua was discovered deceased and found approximately 1.6 miles straight line distance North-West from the child’s residence, and almost 2 miles by road,” the release added.
The little boy would have turned six years old this Saturday. His cause of death remains unknown at this time.
Police have not revealed whether they are considering filing criminal charges in the missing child case. The sheriff’s office previously noted that nothing is being ruled out as the agency continues its probe.
"The investigation is ongoing and no additional information will be released at this time," they added.
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