A tragic incident unfolded during what was supposed to be a peaceful nap between a mother and her child.
On November 9, in Oregon, 5-year-old Joshua James McCoy and his mother settled in for a nap at 1pm. But when the mother woke up around 5:30pm, she discovered her son was missing.
The Coos County Sheriff’s Office was notified of Joshua’s disappearance, who was autistic, at 6:27 pm that evening.
Upon arrival of first responders, it was noted that Joshua had a cell phone with him, and efforts were made to locate him via a phone-ping. Unfortunately, this did not yield any significant leads in the search operation.
The search continued through Sunday, November 10, with deputies examining the property where Joshua and his mother had been napping, as well as the surrounding areas.
Numerous volunteers from Coos County Search and Rescue, including K9 units, and ground and drone teams, participated in the search efforts to locate the child.
A pond nearby was drained as part of the search, with additional support from several local fire department members.
The extensive search culminated in a heartbreaking discovery on Wednesday, November 13, at approximately 12:30 pm, when Joshua was found deceased.
The Coos County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement: “It is with immense sadness that we have to report that missing Joshua McCoy has been found deceased.”
Joshua’s body was located roughly 1.6 miles from his home, and the circumstances surrounding his death are still under investigation.
The sheriff’s office affirmed that the search efforts for Joshua were comprehensive and expressed appreciation for everyone involved in the search. They stated: “The areas that have been searched have been very thorough and methodical due to the circumstances behind the disappearance.
“We have had amazing support from the community in feeding all of these volunteers. Thank you to the departments and agencies assisting Coos County Sheriff’s Office; Homeland Security, FBI, OSP, NCMEC, Bandon PD, MP PD, Coos Bay PD, Lincoln Co. SO, all seven CORSAR counties, Charleston fire, NB fire, Coquille fire, MP fire and ambulance among others.”