A 5-year-old Oregon boy whose mother said he disappeared over the weekend while she was taking a nap has been found dead, authorities said Tuesday evening.
Joshua James McCoy.
The Coos County Sheriff’s Office said the body of Joshua James McCoy was found Tuesday afternoon less than two miles from his home in Hauser, an unincorporated community that runs along Route 101 in Oregon. No other details were immediately released.
Joshua, who officials said had autism and was named Josh or Joshie, was reported missing after sunset Saturday. His mother told deputies that she and her son both fell asleep Saturday afternoon and that when she woke up at 5:30 p.m., Joshua was gone, according to the sheriff’s office, which did not identify his mother by name.
According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, children on the autism spectrum tend to wander from home and other safe places more often than their peers. The child protection organization says children with autism can be attracted to dangerous environments such as bodies of water, construction sites, highways and train tracks.
In a statement Tuesday evening, a sheriff’s spokesman, Sgt. Christopher Gill said that “it is with immense sadness that we must report that missing Joshua McCoy has been found deceased.”
Gill said that as part of the search, a “pond on the property was drained and nothing of interest was found.”
The sheriff’s office said in an update on Facebook Monday evening that teams had searched for Joshua using drones and K-9 units, among other things. It also said it had requested additional assistance from state and federal agencies.
Authorities did not answer questions Tuesday evening about whether any charges were possible.
“The investigation is still ongoing,” Gill said in an email.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
