Father of 5-year-old boy found dead after vanishing while mom napped speaks out
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Family Handout/Coos County Sheriff's Office
The father of a five-year-old boy who was found dead while his mom napped has spoken out.
Joshua James McCoy and his mother took a nap at 1pm on November 9 in Oregon, but when the mom woke up at 5.30pm, her son was nowhere to be seen.
Joshua - who had autism - was reported missing at 6.27 pm that same evening, according to Coos County Sheriff's Office.
First responders at the scene discovered Joshua had a cell phone with him, but it unfortunately didn't lead to any useful information in their search.
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The search presence increased on Sunday (10 November), as deputies checked the property where Joshua and his mother took a nap.
They also conducted an extensive search of surrounding areas, which was taken thanks to volunteers from Coos County Search and Rescue including K9 units, plus ground and drone operators.
A nearby pond in the area was drained, while several members of local fire departments arrived to help with the search.
On Wednesday (13 November), Joshua's body was found roughly approximately 1.6 miles from his home.
"The areas that have been searched have been very thorough and methodical due to the circumstances behind the disappearance," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
"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."
Now, the five-year-old boy's father has spoken out as the cause of death remains unclear.
“I want the truth, plain and simple,” Lawson Amos McCoy told The Oregonian. "I don’t care about anything else. My baby’s gone."
The publication reports McCoy hadn't seen his son for about a year after moving to Ohio.
The dad went on to say he met Joshua James' mother when they both lived in Utah, before having a child and then moving to Coos County for her work as a nurse.
McCoy, who received benefits due to a disability sustained from his military service in the Air Force, looked after his son while his girlfriend worked, before he moved to Ohio.
Joshua McCoy, the dad's brother, said his brother now feels guilty over what has happened.
"He thinks it’s all his fault, just because he left JJ,” Joshua said.